The first tercet is an introduction to the theme of the poem and the refrains. Both “good night” and “dying of the light” are metaphors but they contrast each other. Each ascendant word in the first line finds its contrast in third line; “gentle” is paired with “rage”, “good“ with “dying” and “night” with “light”.
In order to describe the personality of the individual, rather than only a specific occasion, Thomas uses predicate adjective “gentle”, rather than “gently”, an adverb which would only refer to the action of the verb. Besides, “good night” becomes a paradox, giving a positive impression of the death and creates a gentle tone belying the furious resistance against death created by the repetition of “rage”.
The poet has used metaphor, metonymy and personification in the second line. “Close of the day” is a metaphor and through it, the poet establishes a connection with the “good night” of the precedent line. “Old age should burn and rave” is a combination of metonymy and personification. By using this figure, Thomas wants the elders to adhere to their lives as passionately as anyone would although the concept of burning is often associated with youth. In addition to that, the words “burn” and “rave” move the reader to the third line of the stanza.
The next four stanzas delineate four different types of elder man and appraise their attitude towards the concept. The poet has the purpose to try to persuade the father to fight death by offering evidence of how wise, good, wild and grave men battles with it.
The first type of men Thomas mentions are the wise. Thomas starts the first line with the conjunction “though”, to indicate that wisdom does not prepare men to accept the reality of death. “Dark” is used metaphorically for death. The second line explains why the wise men the reason of the wise men’s behaviors. Wise men, who are probably scholars or philosophers, are known for and valued by their work, whereas they would still have many words left unwritten or unspoken, no matter how hard they tried to produce more. Therefore, their goals won’t been accomplished. The ending of the line in mid-thought, leaving the rest of the idea to the next line also parallels the unfulfilled lives lead by wise men with their messages only partially delivered. The last line is the refrain but it does not only serve as a refrain, Thomas has made it an integral part of the meaning of the stanza.
The third stanza moves onto the example of “good men”, probably in a moral sense, men who have lived worthy, acceptable lives. “Last wave” evokes a dual image, the men themselves are the last waves that approach death, or they are giving a final wave to those who are left behind. “Crying” also has two meanings, to speak out and to mourn. “Their frail deeds” is used to serve as a personification. Good men, just like the wise ones, exclaim that they have not reached their goals in the life. Although they are old, they still want to carry on their struggle, so they do not give up easily, they rail against the oncoming of death. The alliteration of “deeds” and “danced”, rhyming of “bright” and “might”, or “by”, “crying” and “dying” unites the stanza and emphasizes the meaning and the message conveyed.
The third example portrays a very different kind of men then in the first two examples. In both of the first two lines of the tercet, hyperboles and metaphors are used to highlight the meaning. The image of the wild men is far more joyous and powerful. These men lead a fulfilled life without self-realization but at the end they also find out that they also grieved it. Dylan Thomas himself cultivates an image as a wild Celtic Bard; this stanza is therefore ironically prophetic about his own death.
In the fifth stanza, the word “grave” carries two meanings: solemnness and death. Through a paradox, Thomas explains that these are the men of understanding; even though they are blind they are able to see more clearly then those with sight. The oxymoron “blinding sight” emphasizes the relationship between sight and understanding. The mentions of blindness are references to Thomas’s father who became blind at an old age. There are many contrasting imagery in the stanza. “Grave” and “blind” are countered with “gay” and “sight”. These contrasts emphasize his claim that old people should try to live a fulfilled life although they are approaching death and his attempts to force the elders to get the qualities often not associated with old age.
The last stanza of the poem becomes intensely personal and shows that Thomas finds his father different from other man by devoting a new quatrain to him and not including in any of the patterns mentioned in the previous four tercets.
The “sad height” is an example of personification and it refers to the closeness of the death. In the second line, he wants his father to burn with feeling and emotion however he can, as long as he does not die without putting up a fight. Biblical overtones are seen in Thomas’s request. In many Bible verses, with a parallel structure, blessings and curses are paired together. “I pray” also reinforces the Biblical imagery. The image of fierce tears also shows a contrast. The tears symbolize the inevitability of death and “fierce” is for resistance until the end. The refrains are repeated for the last time, now, as specific requests from the persona to his father.
The villanelle written by Dylan Thomas, turns out to be an encouragement to all men to fight death and a request to the father, personally, not to accept death easily. Death should not weaken the one who approaches it and one should not accept it mutely although one knows it is inevitable.
REYHAN AYAS
11B 20217
