Thumbing through my resources in Freshman Comp class I noticed the Dylan Thomas poem, Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night. I’d seen and read it so many times before; I can not say why I chose to focus my attention there. Sadder still, I’ve not any idea what source the professor selected to make these copies from. None the less, I began by reading the short passage, a mere five lines of text, which preceded the notorious work. I was so suddenly overwhelmed with a deep and heart wrenching understanding of how this man must have felt, I was brought to tears.
The following is the text that appeared in this obscure copied material:
One of the best-known examples of the modern villanelle is “Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night,” the Welsh poet Dylan Thomas’s moving tribute to his father. In a note to his publisher when he sent him the poem Thomas wrote, “The only person I can’t show the little enclosed poem to is my father, who doesn’t know he is dying.”
We all feel the intensity and raw power our emotions are made of, but there are those that are driven almost to the point of absolute madness to release the storm surge within through some form of artistic expression. For an author there is no rest until a piece of their soul lies bare upon the paper. I know this feeling, the exhilaration, the pressing need, and the vivid restless dreams that haunt your mind and soul until you set it free.
While the aforementioned piece will always hold a special place in my heart, I’ve found a wealth of audio renditions on some of his other works. The following four links comprise Under Milk Wood. These are somewhat lengthy but tremendously wonderful to hear and read along, as the texts are also provided.
Part 1.
1. To Begin At The Beginning
2. The Villagers’ Dream
Part 2.
3. This Is Llareggub Hill
4. The Town Smells Of Seaweed And Breakfast
Part 3.
5. Blind Captain Cat Hears All The Morning Of The Town
6. The Villagers Go About Their Business
Part 4.
7. The Music Of The Spheres
8. Mid-Day, Mr And Mrs Pugh Are Silent
