Every Morning I Wake Summary
Every Morning I Wake by Dylan Thomas Summary and Detailed Analysis Class 12 English

About the Poet: Dylan Thomas

Dylan Thomas (1914-1953) was born in Swansea, Wales, and is best known for his acutely lyrical and emotional poetry. Thomas might be regarded as a 20th-century continuation of the wider trend known as Romanticism, which flourished in nineteenth-century England, notably in its focus on imagination, passion, intuition, spontaneity, and organic form. Thomas, widely regarded as one of the greatest Welsh poets of all time, is best known for his imaginative use of language and vivid imagery in his poems. In 1945, he began working for the BBC. Under Milk Wood (1953), a radio play was written over a long period of time during his final months.
 

Short Summary:

The poem “Every Morning I Wake” is an extract from Under the Milk Wood. In this poem, Thomas pleads with the majestic God to have mercy on the common people who live under the Milk Wood.
 
This poem is a prayer to the magnificent God made by a tiny creature known as a human being. The speaker of the poem is a representative of human kinds who are born to die but nothing. The speaker is a devotee of God and he knows the real power of God, so every morning he wakes up he makes a pray to Him for having mercy on every creature. The speaker prays not only for his benefit but for the well-being of entire creatures. They are living on this planet but the remote control is at the hand of God. God is the creator and destroyer of everything on this planet. The speaker prays to Him to have mercy because He is immortal and Almighty. 
 
As mortal beings, we have to die but the blessings of God make our life beautiful. The speaker is praying to God before he sleeps at night but is not certain if they will see him tomorrow morning so he is asking to bless them. We may be good or bad in the course of living our everyday lives, but it is only God who knows our best side. The blessings of God every night make us able to see them tomorrow morning. So, the speaker bows down and pray to God to keep them alive throughout the night. This time the speaker bides goodbye but not forever though it is not certain to be able to wake up the following morning.
 

Detailed Poem Analysis:

Stanza 1:

Every morning when I wake,

Dear Lord, a little prayer I make,

O please do keep Thy loving eye

On all poor creatures born to die

The speaker is praying to God to love and keep the eyes on all living creatures eternally in this stanza. He prays to God not only for his personal protection but also for the protection of all poor creatures in the world between their birth and death.

 

Stanza 2:

And every evening at sun-down

I ask a blessing on the town,

For whether we last the night or no

I’m sure is always touch-and-go.

The speaker discusses the uncertainty of life and death in this stanza. He is unclear whether or not the night is the final night of the city’s residents, but he always prays that the almighty would make everything right and protect them from any danger. Before going to sleep, the speaker prays to God, but he is not sure whether he’ll see them again in the morning, so he asks God to bless them.

 

Stanza 3:

We are not wholly bad or good

Who live our lives under Milk Wood,

And Thou, I know, wilt be the first

To see our best side, not our worst.

In this stanza, the speaker tries to make us clear that none of us is totally good or bad. We may be kind or cruel in the course of our everyday lives, but only God knows our finest selves. In this manner, the speaker prays to God, asking for him to keep them alive till the next day. The speaker, in particular, symbolizes Milk Wood town and ensures that they are neither completely bad nor completely good. People may judge them in their own way; it all relies on one’s point of view on how he judges others. However, the speaker seemed to be confident that God understands the better side of the Milk Wood people. He also asks god to look at the positive side of the people, not the bad side. 

 

Stanza 4:

O let us see another day!

Bless us all this night, I pray,

And to the sun we all will bow

And say, good-bye – but just for now!

In the last stanza, the speaker tries to conclude his prayers. The speaker hopes that the night will pass quickly and that the lovely day will return. The imagery in this poem is of the night. It refers to the hardships, stress, and difficult days of him and the town’s people. And he prays for the Almighty’s assistance in their difficult times. The final Goodbye symbolizes the conclusion of a prayer. This time, the speaker says his or her goodbye, but he or she is aware that they will be temporary and the next day will be the new beginning by god’s grace.

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