Beat Mazenauer

Do Not Go Gentle

Londoner Korrespondenz Eine Erinnerung an Dylan Thomas

Am 27. Oktober würde der früh verstorbene walisische Dichter Dylan Thomas (1914-1953) 100 Jahre alt. Aus diesem Anlass strahlte BBC im Frühling ein Porträt über ihn aus. Dem ist nichts beizufügen, ausser dass darin am Ende ein ganz wunderbares Gedicht mit Nachdruck in Erinnerung gerufen wurde:

Do not go gentle into that good night
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.

An dieser Stelle publizieren wir sporadisch Korrespondenz aus dem Ausland: Beat Mazenauer berichtet aus London, Roland Früh aus New York, Gina Bucher aus Berlin. Zuletzt aus San Francisco: Die Prelinger Bibliothek.