Text of his most famous poem below

Do not go gentle into that good 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 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.

1 comment

sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] 3 points 7 months ago*

Translated by Alain Suied source

N’entre pas sans violence dans cette bonne nuit,
Le vieil âge devrait brûler et s’emporter à la chute du jour ;
Rager, s’enrager contre la mort de la lumière.

Bien que les hommes sages à leur fin sachent que l’obscur est mérité,
Parce que leurs paroles n’ont fourché nul éclair ils.
N’entrent pas sans violence dans cette bonne nuit.

Les hommes bons, passée la dernière vague, criant combien clairs.
Leurs actes frêles auraient pu danser en un verre baie.
Ragent, s’enragent contre la mort de la lumière.

Les hommes violents qui prient et chantèrent le soleil en plein vol,
Et apprenant, trop tard, qu’ils l’ont affligé dans sa course,
N’entrent pas sans violence dans cette bonne nuit.

Les hommes graves, près de mourir, qui voient de vue aveuglante.
Que leurs yeux aveugles pourraient briller comme météores et s’égayer,
Ragent, s’enragent contre la mort de la lumière.

Et toi, mon père, ici sur la triste élévation.
Maudis, bénis-moi à présent avec tes larmes violentes, je t’en prie.
N’entre pas sans violence dans cette bonne nuit.
Rage, enrage contre la mort de la lumière.

  • source
  • 4 comments in c/wikipedia@lemmy.world view that post
    [–] 3 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) (2 children)

    Bring back the vianelle. All this blank verse this free verse that, give me a poem with a meter and a rhyme scheme please.

    Edit: this comment is directed specifically at the hipsters with typewriters at my local farmers’ market who have signs up that say “poem: $5” but refuse to write anything with any kind of structure. I realize now it’s not gonna help because they’re not on fedi.

  • source
  • hideshow 2 child comments
  • [–] [S] 2 points 7 months ago (1 child)

    Villanelle*

    But I didn't know that word until I just looked it up right now so it feels weird to be correcting your spelling 😅

    And yes I agree, free verse is lame, meter and rhyming ftw!

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 1 child comment
  • [–] 2 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago)

    It really is a beautiful poem. "Rage against the dying of the light" is one of my favourite lines ever written I think, as basic as that might make me.

  • source