Do not go gentle into that good night

Do not go gentle into that good night

Dylan Thomas, 1914 - 1953

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.

 

Thomas supposedly wrote this poem as a eulogy to his dying father. It is also used as a recurring phrase in the movie, “Interstellar,” where the human race is dying due to pestilence, seeking a refuge in a star system far, far away. The protagonist nearly gives up everything he loves in pursuit of this goal.

Perhaps it has something to say about old-timers who refuse to submit to incompetent leadership, and rage against their lies.