Poetry is honey for the soul
I first "met"Jodie Roberts on Facebook as "Geranium Cat"; I loved the name and she was kind to the young beginner I was then. I discovered later that she was deeply committed to the life of her family, her region, her job, writing, reading, reviewing books, blogging, belonging to various orgnisations , her pets - cats and dogs - and "her girls" - her hens!
I feel very happy that she has reciprocated friendship with me. She has even been so confident in some of my capacities that she has allowed me to help her in one of her functions, concerning literature. Can you imagine a French girl working for a British organisation, under the wing of a British lady, about British literature? Well, Jodie made it!
For the occasion of "a poem a day", she has chosen the following broadcast of Anthony Hopkins saying the famous villanelle "Do not go gentle into that good night" by Dylan Thomas.
Do not go gentle into that good night
Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rage 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.
Camille and jodie:
ReplyDeleteRemember this poem so warmly.
I first learnt about it from the film MY GIRL where the main character, Solderfuss, was mourning the mother who died when she was born.
And then I quoted it in one of my books. [A Peaceful Term at the Collegiate or Denise Lewis: the Collegiate's leading light].
Of course Thomas wrote it for his Dad...