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The Theme Of Life In Dylan Thomas's Poetry

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Dylan Thomas, a very meticulous poet once said, “After the first death, there is no other.” This statement reinforces his direction in poetry which leads to his ultimate theme that is represented in his work. Thomas’s poetry focuses on many aspects of life, especially his, that are vividly reflected throughout his works of poetry due to his rather chaotic life. He focuses mainly on youth, change, and time that results in a maturing theme in his poems.
In “Fern Hill,” Thomas emphasizes on the subject of youth and change under the restraint of time. The speaker of this poem already starts to put emphasis on youth early on, “Time let me play and be/Golden in the mercy of his means,/And green and golden I was huntsman and herdsman, the calves/ Sang to my horn, the foxes on the hills barked clear and cold” (Thomas 13-16). This quote shows how the speaker, most likely Dylan Thomas felt during his youth on the farm. This period was “golden” in his point of view. Although Thomas does not express his feelings directly, he felt as he was almost invincible and that he had nothing against him besides being at the mercy of time. This supports the fact that he has complete authority and control over everything from his standpoint. Considering he is at the mercy of time, this may forebode change in his life later on in the poem. This supports the significance of youth as Thomas is taking advantage of his youth and cherishing it while he can. Moving onto the change in the speaker 's life,

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