Monday, August 23, 2010

Poetry: Thomas Dylan

DO NOT GO GENTLE INTO THAT GOOD NIGHT

By Dylan Thomas

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.

Background Study:

Dylan Thomas was born in the coastal city of Swansea, Wales. His father David, who was a writer and had a degree in English, brought his son up to speak English rather than Welsh, the native language of Thomas's mother, Florence Hannah Thomas. He had one sister, Nancy, who was eight years old when he was born. His middle name, "Marlais", came from the bardic name of his uncle, the Unitarian minister Gwilym Marles (whose given name was William Thomas).

His formal education began at the age of seven at Mrs. Hole's Dame School. He later attended the boys-only Swansea Grammar School in the Mount Pleasant district of the city, where his father taught English Literature. It was in this school's magazine that Thomas saw his first poem published. He left school at age 16 to become a reporter for a year and a half.

Thomas's childhood was spent largely in Swansea, with regular summer trips to visit his mother's family on their Carmarthen farm. These rural sojourns, and their contrast with the town life of Swansea, provided inspiration for much of his work, notably many short stories and radio essays and the poem Fern Hill. Although Thomas was considered too frail to actively fight in World War II, he still served the war effort by writing scripts for government propaganda.



Thomas wrote half his poems and many short stories when he lived at the family home at 5 Cwmdonkin Drive; And death shall have no dominion is one of the best known works written at this address. His highly acclaimed[1] first poetry volume, 18 Poems, was published in November 1934. The publication of Deaths and Entrances in 1946 was a major turning point[2][3][4] in his career, with widespread recognition that a great poet had indeed emerged. Thomas "became a very successful orator...was extremely well-known during his life for being a versatile and dynamic speaker and he was best known for his poetry readings."[5] His immensely striking and powerful voice would captivate American audiences during his speaking tours of the early 1950s. He made over two hundred broadcasts for the BBC.

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