And Death Shall Have No Dominion - A poem by Dylan Thomas

Dylan Thomas - And Death Shall Have No Dominion

And death shall have no dominion.
Dead mean naked they shall be one
With the man in the wind and the west moon;
When their bones are picked clean and the clean bones gone,
They shall have stars at elbow and foot;
Though they go mad they shall be sane,
Though they sink through the sea they shall rise again;
Though lovers be lost love shall not;
And death shall have no dominion.

And death shall have no dominion.
Under the windings of the sea
They lying long shall not die windily;
Twisting on racks when sinews give way,
Strapped to a wheel, yet they shall not break;
Faith in their hands shall snap in two,
And the unicorn evils run them through;
Split all ends up they shan't crack;
And death shall have no dominion.

And death shall have no dominion.
No more may gulls cry at their ears
Or waves break loud on the seashores;
Where blew a flower may a flower no more
Lift its head to the blows of the rain;
Through they be mad and dead as nails,
Heads of the characters hammer through daisies;
Break in the sun till the sun breaks down,
And death shall have no dominion.

Added: on July 7th, 2006 at 5:33 PM | Viewed: 54946 times | Comments (44)

And Death Shall Have No Dominion - Comments and Information
Poet: Dylan Thomas Poem: And Death Shall Have No Dominion Volume: 25 Poems Year: Published/Written in 1936 Comment 44 of 44, added on January 22nd, 2008 at 11:32 PM. I believe Thomas wrote this at a time he had lost his faith. He desperately wanted to believe in the hope of an afterlife, as shown in the first verse. However, as we move into the last stanza, the poem shows a materialistic view that, in the end, after the universe runs down, even death will no longer hold sway. It's a sad ending without hope. Vernon from United States Comment 43 of 44, added on July 17th, 2006 at 5:52 PM. I would dearly love to believe that Thomas was correct, that death has no dominion, that it is a transitional event and not a terminal place. But whilst I'd love to believe him, I don't. Yet in spite of my disbelief the poem helps. I have no explanation for this contradiction. Martin D Bates from United Kingdom Comment 42 of 44, added on July 7th, 2006 at 5:33 PM. Thank you for this wonderful website! Though english is not my mother tongue, I want to add some ideas to all your interesting oppinions: Doesn't Dylan Thomas infact paint a picture of death's dominion? Doesn't he fall from stanza to stanza deeper into this abyss of death? Or should I say: Doesn't he discribe death more vividly in every stanza until death is like life? Or better: Until death IS life? Isn't the last picture whith the breaking heads in the sun the strongest picture of death and life at the same time? Susanne from Germany More Comments >> Are you looking for more information on this poem? Perhaps you are trying to analyze it? The poem, And Death Shall Have No Dominion, has received 44 comments. Click here to read them, and perhaps post a comment of your own. Of course you can also always discuss poems by Dylan Thomas with others on the Poetry Connection poetry forum!

Poem Info
And Death Shall Have No Dominion Volume: 25 Poems Year: Published/Written in 1936 Last read: 2008-05-15 17:34:28 Viewed 54946 times. Added on July 7th, 2006 at 5:33 PM.

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