the 'post your favourite poem' meme

[fahye]

I love this poem -- its title is the only tattoo I have ever seriously wanted, and still do -- and if you can't work out why then clearly I haven't ever given you my patented DEATH! DEATH AND RIVERS AND OCEANS! 'DO YOU THINK DEATH COULD POSSIBLY BE A BOAT?' rant that is so beautifully illustrated by this icon (and in fact, these fics).

It's by Dylan Thomas.

~

And death shall have no dominion.
Dead men 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;
Though 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.

Comments

[rymenhild.livejournal.com]

Well, that's not relevant to my fic in progress.

(In the way that every single word is appropriate. Ow.)

[fahye.livejournal.com]

Ooh, elucidate!

[rymenhild.livejournal.com]

I'm killing off one character in Princess Tutu and sending another character, who loves the first character, mad. Whee.

[polaris-starz.livejournal.com]

I ♥ this poem. It was the first Dylan Thomas poem I ever found and it's absolutely amazing.

It would seriously make an awesome tattoo! If I was ever going to get a tattoo (which I'm not, but that's beside the point), mine would probably be from Tennyson: "Tis not too late to seek a newer world."

[fahye.livejournal.com]

I love text tattoos, I really want it along my inner forearm. But apparently visible tattoos + medical practitioner = not a fantastic idea. I may yet get it somewhere else, or wait until I am self-employed and say FUCK IT.

[ineptshieldmaid.livejournal.com]

That is a PRETTY poem. Yes, yes it is.

[azraeljt.livejournal.com]

wow..
I love it!