10.30.14

I heard a "poem in the wild" yesterday, in a commercial for a wrestling video game. (That sounds like an anachronism, if there ever was one). It was Do not Go Gentle into that Good Night by Dylan Thomas. Here is a link to the ad, and the blurb mentions that this poem has been getting some airtime lately also due to being featured in the new movie Interstellar. 

Here is Thomas's creation, in case you are not familiar with it. 



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.


The first time I heard this poem was when it was read by my freshman or sophomore year English teacher (had the same one both times) during our public speech segment. What made it more poignant was that she was going through end-of-life issues with her father. I guess for this reason I felt like its use in a commercial for a video game was a little crass, but that could just be bias. I guess I ought not to complain, since its rare to hear a poem out and about in contemporary media. 

Interestingly, I read from Wiki that Thomas was often in trouble financially in his occupation as a writer, and augmented his income with speaking engagements and deals with radio. "His radio recordings for the BBC during the latter half of the 1940's brought him to the public's attention and he was used by the Corporation as a populist voice of the literary scene. In the 1950's, Thomas traveled to America, where his readings brought him a level of fame". So, perhaps the fact that his words appear in an ad is perfectly sensible and in keeping with his style.