Funeral reading
Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night
Dylan Thomas
“Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night” by Dylan Thomas is a poem read at a funeral or memorial service. It takes about a minute and a half read aloud, usually by a guest reader. It is still in copyright, so the words are not reprinted here — the reader brings a printed copy.
Why the words are not printed here
Still in copyright. Print it from a licensed edition. It is an argument against dying quietly — read it first and decide with the family whether it fits this death.
Pieces still in copyright are listed by title and author only — we name them and tell you where to get them, but we do not reproduce the words. Public-domain text is printed in your script in full.
What it is about
Right for a fighter. Wrong for a peaceful death — read it before you offer it.
Read at a funeral or memorial service. Themes: rage against the dying of the light · a father · fighting · a death that was resisted.
Questions about reading it aloud
How long does “Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night” take to read aloud?
“Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night” takes about a minute and a half read aloud at a ceremony pace, which is slower than conversation — roughly 130 words a minute. That is the figure the run-sheet uses when it works out the timing for the whole service.
Who usually reads “Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night”?
Usually a guest reader rather than the officiant. “Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night” runs about a minute and a half, which is a manageable amount to hand to a friend or family member. Give them a printed copy of their own, in a size they can read without their glasses, and tell them where to stand and how you will introduce them.
Can “Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night” be printed in a ceremony script?
Not by us. It is still in copyright, so we name it and point you at a copy rather than reprinting the words. Still in copyright. Print it from a licensed edition. It is an argument against dying quietly — read it first and decide with the family whether it fits this death.
A reading is two minutes of the hour.
The rest is the welcome, the life, the remembrances, the committal — and knowing what comes next. Answer some questions about them and get the whole service, written out, with this reading in its place.