Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Dylan Thomas

I never heard this poem before today when I found a powerful, deep review of the Angel finale. Go read it.

Redemption isn?t something that gets handed to you along with a certificate and a gold star saying “I?m Redeemed, Ask Me How!” It?s an ongoing struggle, and it has been the focus of the series since the beginning. After the initial shock of the ending, I realized that Joss Whedon was absolutely correct to end the series as his did. ANGEL has never been about happy endings and loose ends tied with a happy bow. It?s about fighting the good fight. That?s how it began, and that?s how it ended.

Is it possible that Angel, Spike, Gunn, and Illyria survived that final onslaught? Probably not, especially the all-too-human Charles Gunn. But that?s not the point. The point is that they fought. They made a difference and stood their ground in the face of the consequences of their actions.

From another review at DarkWorlds.