"Do not go gentle into that good night" is a poem in the form of a villanelle by Welsh poet Dylan Thomas (1914–1953), and is one of his best-known works.[1] Though first published in the journal Botteghe Oscure in 1951,[2] the poem was written in 1947 while Thomas visited Florence with his family. The poem was subsequently included, alongside other works by Thomas, in In Country Sleep, and Other Poems (New Directions, 1952)[1] and Collected Poems, 1934–1952 (Dent, 1952).[3] The poem entered the public domain on 1 January 2024.[4]
It has been suggested that the poem was written for Thomas's dying father, although he did not die until just before Christmas in 1952.[5][6] It has no title other than its first line, "Do not go gentle into that good night", a line that appears as a refrain throughout the poem along with its other refrain, "Rage, rage against the dying of the light".
- ^ a b "Dylan Thomas". Academy of American Poets. Archived from the original on 28 August 2020. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
He took his family to Italy, and while in Florence, he wrote In Country Sleep, and Other Poems (Dent, 1952), which includes his most famous poem, 'Do not go gentle into that good night.'
- ^ Ferris, Paul (1989). Dylan Thomas. New York: Paragon House Publishers. p. 283. ISBN 9781557782151. OCLC 18560227.
- ^ "Collected Poems 1934-1952 by Thomas, Dylan". www.biblio.com. Archived from the original on 28 August 2020. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
- ^ "Happy Public Domain Day 2024!". The Public Domain Review. 1 January 2024. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
- ^ "Dylan Thomas: Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night". BBC Wales. 6 November 2008. Archived from the original on 27 November 2012. Retrieved 18 December 2010.
- ^ Thomas, David N. (2008). Fatal Neglect: Who Killed Dylan Thomas?. Seren. p. 19. ISBN 978-1-85411-480-8.