Dylan Thomas
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.
And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
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.
And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Poem taken from Poets.org
Jago, Carol. "Conformity and Rebellion." Literature & Composition. 1st ed. Vol. 1. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2011. 926-927. Print.
"Poetry is man's rebellion against what he is"
In this case, it isn't the author or narrator rebelling, it's mostly his father. The poem was written for Thomas's dad, who was dying. The poem can be summed up in one sentence: "Do not go gentle into that good night ... Rage, rage against the dying of the light" -- don't let go, fight to continue living. He wants his dad to rebel against his own mortality, but not regret past events. Setting aside the father-son aspect, it is plain to see that the poem is about regret, remembrance, and the inevitably of the end of life. This poem, at the most basic level, is a poetic way of pleading "don't go, please don't go...".
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