chris@houxe.UUCP (01/18/84)
Subject: Author-Title Wanted Does this sound familiar: "...shall not go gently into that sweet night. Rage, Rage until the dying of the light." Who wrote it? What is the title? Thank you in advance for any help. Chris Sotinsky [houxe!chris]
Pucc-H:aeq@CS-Mordred.UUCP (01/19/84)
"...shall not go gently into that sweet night.
Rage, Rage until the dying of the light."
Who wrote it? What is the title?
Thank you in advance for any help.
The actual lines are:
"Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light."
These are the first two lines of a poem by Dylan Thomas. I'm not sure, but I
think the title is the same as the first line. You should be able to find the
poem in any reasonable anthology of Thomas's work.
-- Jeff Sargent/...pur-ee!pucc-h:aeqaaw@pyuxss.UUCP (Aaron Werman) (01/19/84)
- from the collected poems of Dylan Thomas [New Directions/NY/1957]
(which i keep right by McKeag&Mcnaghton-On The construction of
programs over my desk)
Do Not Go Gentle Into That Night
Do Not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Grave men, near death, who see with blazing sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
-The poem was written as his father was dying. The imagery will be
clarified if you read "A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Dog" also
by Thomas. He is the most extraordinary poet in the rhythmic/sibilant
sense-the sounds have more meaning then the words. My favorite poet -
I really didn't appreciate poetry 'till I read him. Hacker types will
want to focus on "Our Euuch Dreams" in the same collection. Try to
ignore the surd in the saying (out loud) and concentrate on the
emotional imagery.
{harpo,houxm,ihnp4}!pyuxss!aaw
Aaron Wermansleat@aat.UUCP (01/21/84)
<non-blank>
Those weren't precisely the first two lines... the poem is indeed called
"Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night", and goes as follows:
Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
by Dylan Thomas
----------------------
Michael Sleator
Ann Arbor Terminals
{psu-cs | mb2c | cbosgd | uofm-cv}!aat!sleat