poem a true villanelle Fixed Rhyme and Structure A villanelle has five stanzas of three lines and a final stanza of four lines Thomas follows this form exactly The rhyme words night and light return throughout the poem Every stanza follows the same rhyme sound night light right bright flight sight height This rhyme binds all stanzas like a song The form mirrors the circle of life and death The poet s strict control of sound shows his mastery of the villanelle style Emotion through Pattern and Passion The pattern of a villanelle is not just decoration it carries feeling The poet cries to his dying father Curse bless me now with your fierce tears I pray The repeated form shows his helplessness and love The circular rhythm expresses his endless fight against death The villanelle form becomes a prayer Through rhythm rhyme and repetition the poem shows the balance of beauty and pain It keeps the emotion alive till the end Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night is a perfect villanelle It follows every rule lines two refrains and repeating rhymes Dylan Thomas turns this strict form into a song of love protest and prayer The villanelle becomes the voice of a son s heart crying for life