Do not go gentle into that good night

"Do not go gentle into that good night" is a poem in the form of a villanelle, and the most famous work of Welsh poet Dylan Thomas (1914–1953).^[1] Though first published in the journal Botteghe Oscure in 1951,^[2] it was actually written in 1947 when he was in Florence with his family. It was published, along with other stories previously written, as part of his In Country Sleep, And Other Poems in 1952.^[1]

It has been suggested that it was written for Thomas' dying father, although he did not die until just before Christmas 1952.^[3] It has no title other than its first line, "Do not go gentle into that good night", a line which appears as a refrain throughout. Its other refrain is "Rage, rage against the dying of the light".

The poem currently remains under copyright,^{[note 1]} but was made publicly available here at poets.org (with the copyright holder's permission).

In popular culture

• It was used as the text for the 1954 In Memoriam Dylan Thomas (Dirge-Canons and Song) for tenor and chamber ensemble, by Igor Stravinsky. The piece was written soon after Thomas' death and first performed in 1954.^[5]
• It was the inspiration for three paintings by Swansea-born painter and print-maker Ceri Richards, in 1954, 1956, and 1965, respectively.^[6]
• In the 1996 film Independence Day, the President makes a rousing speech as he prepares to lead the attack against the alien invaders, adapting Thomas' line, saying, "We will not go quietly into the night".^[7]
• It is used repeatedly by the character Professor John Brand, played by Michael Caine, as well as several other supporting characters in the 2014 film Interstellar.^[8]

Notes

References

External links

• The Life and Work of Dylan Thomas
• National Screen and Sound Archive of Wales
• A short analysis by the BBC