/lit/ - Literature

>Born in Swansea, Wales, Dylan Thomas is famous for his acutely lyrical and emotional poetry, as well as his turbulent personal life. The originality of his work makes categorization difficult. In his life he avoided becoming involved with literary groups or movements, and unlike other prominent writers of the 1930s—such as W.H. Auden and Stephen Spender, for example—he had little use for socialistic ideas in his art. Thomas can be seen as an extension into the 20th century of the general movement called Romanticism, particularly in its emphasis on imagination, emotion, intuition, spontaneity, and organic form. Considered to be one of the greatest Welsh poets of all time, Thomas is largely known for his imaginative use of language and vivid imagery in his poems.
>"Do not go gentle into that good night" is a poem in the form of a villanelle by Welsh poet Dylan Thomas (1914–1953); it has been described as his most famous work. Though first published in the journal Botteghe Oscure in 1951, the poem was written in 1947 while Thomas visited Florence with his family. It has been suggested that the poem was written for Thomas's dying father, although he did not die until just before Christmas 1952.

>>20304941
Does anyone read Dylan Thomas?

Rubbish

Very disjointed. However the final two lines have iconic power.

https://vocaroo.com
Woul anons ever feel comfortable reading aloud and sharing poems? I often struggle to get the timing and intonation to feel right.

>>20304941
The thought of a bunch of /lit/ dwelling amerimutt zoomers trying and failing to read poetry, especially this one, is hilarious. Probably why they all love Bukowski so much, his simple, metreless vulgarity appeals to them more. I'd recommend hearing the man himself read it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mRec3VbH3w (will also help >>20305349 )

This is one of my favorite Thomas poems, though that goes without saying to some extent since it's so well regarded. It's a great exhortation for men to face up to their end, no matter what they did/didn't manage to achieve in their life, and continue to the last second. Thomas' father was a man wracked by doubts and disappointment, since he wanted to be a great poet or scholar but never managed it (though as OP points out it might not necessarily have been written for him).

Ok this is the first poem that made me tear up. I‘m framing that.

>>20305900
Why would you rage against death instead of accepting it and passing over into the immaterial world peacefully? Sounds angsty.

A childish, puerile sentiment. AZ Quotes-tier inspo drivel.

>>20305926
>it's not about being a horny muttoid therefore it's childish

>>20305924
It's saying "don't lie down and just die, live to your fullest in spite of approaching death." I don't see that as angsty.

>>20305947
But it sounds like he's talking about someone close to dying. That's a good time to make peace with yourself and your mortality.

>>20306782
Not everyone is dying peacefully in their sleep of old age. Maybe this is a poem to his little son fighting cancer.

>>20306798
Ok i‘ve re-read it and it‘s to his father. But still. Letting go of your father forever is hard. It‘s only human to want him to stay here a little longer, to not go yet, to fight for every minute. I‘d certainly feel that way if my dad was dying.

>>20306807
Sounds selfish though. He should think about what's best for his father not for himself. But anyway

>>20306817
Yeah ofc. But one can feel both, at the same time and alternating. My grandfather passed away last year and i know my mother went through a lot of differnet emotions during that time leading up to his death. Some days she was able to wish for him to be able to go peacefully, some days she felt like he was abandoning her, some days she felt overwhelmed by the sheer pressure that was on her to organize everything because her mother was not capable. Watching someone you love die is not as clean and straight forwards as one might hope it would be. Sometimes we are selfish, yes, and would wish for more time. But this too, i can fully understand.

>>20305273
I read part of Under Milk Wood.

All these Dylan Thomas poems lately have me glimpsing the new age of /lit/, the age of the
Thomas Chad, The Thomaster Race

Thanks for posting these man, I rarely post but I'm always checking for these. appreciate it

>>20305900
Love it when poets recite their own poems

>>20304941
Love this shit in Interstellar. Get chills when the music starts up and Matt Damon starts “do you remember that poem?…”

>>20308030
>>>/reddit/

>>20308154
Interstellar>your favorite movie

>>20304941
The two recurring lines are extraordinarily good, but the rest of it is bad. "Because their words had forked no lightning" What the hell does that mean?

Worst two lines

Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,

Choppy meaningless garbage

>>20304941
You can never fully appreciate this poem until hearing it read by the man himself. Simply extraordinary.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mRec3VbH3w

>>20308402
It's pretty damn obvious: "because their words (things they said or wrote, keep in mind DT's father was a failed poet) had forked no lightning (had failed to "catch" a storm or spark any great admiration/controversy)"

>>20309047
Yes I had to read that line a few times but the poetry of the association is quite beautiful

Has any Coleridge been posted so far?

>>20308776
So, it‘s more a song than a poem then?

>>20310563
Historically most poems were considered song, insofar as the style of chanting (and not speaking) was considered a song style.

>>20310584
I see

>>20310587
In fact it’s traditional that much poem have some form of musical accompaniment, epic poems in Greece at least were sang while a stick was stomped in rhythm, whereas “lyrical” poetry was literally sang while a lyre was played.

>>20310590
Well, i didn‘t know that. I haven‘t gotten into poetry yet but that‘s certainly interesting. I can definitely see how it would greatly enhance the effect of the repetitive nature to recite a poem to a beat. Or the vocal aspect to chant it.

>>20310590
Could shanties be considered a form of poetry?

>>20310602
Of course, Melville’s prose and verse was heavily influenced both by Shakespeare and homer, but also famous and not so famous shanties, you’ll find them littering his works.

>>20310480
Yeah at least one

>>20308402
>>20309047
>>20310467
I think I remember reading somewhere that DT wrote this poem for his father.

>>20304941

Gentle was the night
Youth crack of dawn
Yea namaste

Melchior star bright
Frankincense boors fawn
Yea Deus vult tay

Barracks folded sight
Ransack cuppa pawn
Yea tussle must say

Judas cariot fright
Icarus the lawn
Yea namaste

Nine yards thee o' might
Seti sofa pawn
Yea Deus vult tay

Mount Kilimandjaro highest of height
Superstition don
Yea tussle must say
Yea namaste