The Edge of Love... Wider Reading 12: Do Not Go Gentle into that Good Night

"Thomas is the greatest living poet in the English language.” Thus gushed one critic upon this poem's publication in the Botteghe Oscure, and later featured in Collected Poems, 1934–52. Winning him the Foyle poetry prize, Thomas’ most famous poem marked the twilight of his turbulent life and career. The poem was a success and continues to be popular to this day. It was written for his dying octogenarian father, and also unnervingly foreshadows the poet’s own death following a spell of bad luck for his family and friends. Despite the well-known address to his father, Thomas never actually showed the poem to him, giving the impression that the poet composed it more for his own benefit, rather than his father’s as Thomas watched the veteran grow weak, frail and blind with old age. The poet relates his experience in this poem. The speaker tries to convince his father to fight against imminent death. He addresses his father using men as examples to illustrate the same message: that no matter how they have lived their lives, or what they feel at the end, they should fight death.

It could be interpreted that the speaker admits death is unavoidable, but encourages all men to fight it anyway. This is not for their own sake, but to give closure and hope to the kin that they will leave behind. To support this, he gives examples of wise men, good men, wild men, and grave men to his dying father. There is little textual evidence for this interpretation, however, except the words "curse, bless me now with your fierce tears, I pray." Another reading of this poem shows the author's own fear of death. He seems to fear having little separation between life and death. As such, he feels the need for a strong indication of the difference between the two. The poem could be written in the hope that the speaker would be able to see his dying father. He gives the impression that, since all men regret leaving this world, his father as well should not wish to leave it without a fight. It seems to be a wild hope, that he will be able to see his father before he passes; that each will be able to say last words to each other—whether they are curses or blessings.

The poem uses parallelism as the actions of the different types of men are listed. Each of these three stanzas begins by listing the type of men in question, then describing something amazing that they have done. The speaker ends each by reminding the reader that these men will not let themselves die without a struggle. This builds the case he is offering his father, and is highly persuasive. The poem is also a villanelle, which would to imply a light gay tone, in contrast to the poem’s actual content. This alludes to a profound paradox and the prevalent conflict in the poem: unavoidable death in the face of the perpetual rhythm of poetry and rebirth. The haunting refrains trap the poem and draw a fine line between courage and frustration, strength and grieving. "Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night" begins with an address to an unknown listener and ends by revealing that this listener is the speaker's father. In between these direct addresses, however, the speaker describes the valiant and praiseworthy behaviour of many different kinds of exemplary men – "wise men," "good men," "wild men," and "grave men." The speaker touchingly hopes that his father will be all these things.

Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night - Quotations