Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night
- Poet: Dylan Thomas
- Written: 1947
- Published: 1951, in the collection In Country Sleep and Other Poems
- Form: Villanelle (a poem of 19 lines with repeated lines and a fixed rhyme pattern)
- Rhyme Scheme: ABA ABA ABA ABA ABA ABAA
- Tone: Emotional, serious, and passionate
- Genre: Lyric poem / Elegy
- Subject: The poem is about the poet’s dying father and the struggle against death.
- Addressee: The poet’s father – Thomas is speaking directly to him.
- Theme: Resistance to death, the value of life, human courage, and the desire to live fully until the end.
- Message: The poet urges his father – and all people — not to give up easily to death, but to “rage, rage against the dying of the light.”
- Famous Refrains:
- “Do not go gentle into that good night”
- “Rage, rage against the dying of the light.”
- Meaning of Title: “That good night” is a metaphor for death; the poet tells us not to accept death quietly but to fight it with strength and passion.
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Bangla Summary
ডিলান টমাস তাঁর মরণাপন্ন বাবাকে উদ্দেশ্য করে “Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night” কবিতাটি লিখেছিলেন। এই কবিতায় তিনি তাঁর বাবাকে অনুরোধ করেন যেন তিনি মৃত্যু মেনে নিয়ে শান্তভাবে না যান, বরং সাহস ও শক্তি দিয়ে মৃত্যুর বিরুদ্ধে লড়াই করেন।
প্রথম স্তবকে, কবি বলেন, বার্ধক্যেও মানুষকে শান্তভাবে নিভে যেতে নেই। জীবনের শেষ মুহূর্ত পর্যন্ত তাকে লড়াই করতে হবে। এখানে বারবার বলা লাইন “Rage, rage against the dying of the light” বোঝায়—মৃত্যুর অন্ধকারের বিরুদ্ধে শেষ পর্যন্ত প্রতিরোধ করতে হবে।
দ্বিতীয় স্তবকে, কবি wise men বা জ্ঞানীদের কথা বলেন। তারা জানে মৃত্যু স্বাভাবিক (“dark is right”), কিন্তু তারা তবুও মৃত্যু মেনে নেয় না, কারণ তারা মনে করে তাদের জ্ঞান ও কথা যথেষ্ট আলো ছড়াতে পারেনি।
তৃতীয় স্তবকে, good men বা সৎ মানুষদের কথা এসেছে। তারা মৃত্যুর আগে আফসোস করে যে তাদের কাজ যথেষ্ট উজ্জ্বল ছিল না, তাই তারাও মৃত্যুর বিরুদ্ধে লড়ে যেতে চায়।
চতুর্থ স্তবকে, wild men বা উদ্দাম মানুষদের কথা বলা হয়েছে। তারা জীবনে আনন্দ করেছে, কিন্তু পরে বুঝেছে জীবন খুব দ্রুত চলে যায়। তাই তারাও মৃত্যুকে সহজে মেনে নেয় না।
পঞ্চম স্তবকে, grave men অর্থাৎ গুরুগম্ভীর মানুষদের কথা বলা হয়েছে। মৃত্যুর কাছাকাছি গিয়েও তারা দেখে যে দুর্বল চোখও ধূমকেতুর মতো উজ্জ্বল হতে পারে। এটি বোঝায় যে মৃত্যুর আগেও জীবনের শক্তি টিকে থাকে।
শেষ স্তবকে, কবি সরাসরি তাঁর বাবার সঙ্গে কথা বলেন। তিনি অনুরোধ করেন—“Do not go gentle into that good night”—অর্থাৎ শান্তভাবে মৃত্যুর দিকে যেও না। তাঁর বাবার কাছে প্রার্থনা করেন যেন তিনি শেষ মুহূর্ত পর্যন্ত জীবনকে আঁকড়ে ধরেন।
কবিতাটি আমাদের শেখায়, জীবনকে ভালোবাসতে হবে, শেষ পর্যন্ত লড়াই করতে হবে এবং মর্যাদার সঙ্গে মৃত্যুকে মোকাবিলা করতে হবে।
English Summary
Dylan Thomas wrote “Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night” for his dying father. In the poem, he asks his father not to accept death quietly but to fight against it with courage and passion.
In the first stanza, the poet says that old age should not fade away calmly. Instead, people should live and fight until their last breath. The repeated line “Rage, rage against the dying of the light” means we should resist death bravely.
In the second stanza, he talks about wise men. They know death is natural (“dark is right”), but they still resist it because their words and work could not make enough impact in life.
In the third stanza, good men regret that their good deeds were not bright enough, so they, too, fight against death, hoping their actions will be remembered.
In the fourth stanza, wild men—who enjoyed life and chased joy—understand too late that life passes quickly. Yet they also refuse to die quietly.
In the fifth stanza, grave men (serious and dying men) realize that even weak, blind eyes can shine brightly before death. Their strength inspires us to fight till the end.
In the last stanza, the poet directly speaks to his father. He begs him not to give up and to fight bravely even in his last moments. The poem ends with the same repeated lines—“Do not go gentle into that good night. / Rage, rage against the dying of the light.”
The poem teaches that we should value life, live fully, and face death with strength and dignity.
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Themes
1. Resistance to Death: The poet tells people not to accept death quietly. He says everyone should fight bravely till the last moment of life.
2. Value of Life: Life is precious and full of meaning. The poet believes we must live fully and use every moment before death comes.
3. Love between Father and Son: The poem shows the poet’s deep love for his father. He wants his father to stay strong and not give up easily.
4. Human Courage: The poet admires people who face death with courage. He shows that strength of spirit can shine even in the darkest time.
5. Light and Darkness: Light means life and hope; darkness means death. The poet uses these symbols to show the fight between life and death.
6. Universality of Death: Death comes to everyone — wise, good, wild, or grave men. The poet says no one can escape death, but we can face it with power and dignity.
Quotations
1. Quote: “Do not go gentle into that good night.”
Speaker: The Poet (Dylan Thomas)
Stanza: 1
Explanation: The poet tells people not to accept death quietly. “Good night” means death. He urges everyone to fight strongly against the end of life.
2. Quote: “Rage, rage against the dying of the light.”
Speaker: The Poet
Stanza: 1 (repeated in many stanzas)
Explanation: The poet asks all people, especially his father, to resist death with courage. “Light” means life, and “dying of the light” means the approach of death.
3. Quote: “Though wise men at their end know dark is right.”
Speaker: The Poet
Stanza: 2
Explanation: Wise men understand that death is natural and must come. Yet they still do not give up easily because they want to make their life meaningful.
4. Quote: “Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright / Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay.”
Speaker: The Poet
Stanza: 3
Explanation: Good men regret that their good deeds were not bright enough. They also fight against death, wishing they had done more in life.
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5. Quote: “And you, my father, there on the sad height, / Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.”
Speaker: The Poet
Stanza: 6
Explanation: The poet directly speaks to his dying father. He asks him to show his strength and emotion — even anger or blessing — instead of quietly accepting death.

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