I do not pretend to know anything about the poem or the poet. I'm not even sure why this popped up as a recommendation, but I suspect it's because a Rush song makes a reference ("Let us not go gently to the endless winter night" - Red Tide), and I might have searched for its origin a long time ago. All I can say about this video is that it captures a hauntingly intense performance by a fine actor.
I can also say that this was not what I felt when my father was dying. He had raged for years, but he was finally done raging. I actually wished that he would go gently, to be free from a lifetime of pain and suffering, and I told him it was okay.
I shall get back to writing about him.
