Though Irish poet Dylan Thomas didn't survive to see his 40th birthday, he is responsible for some of the world's most famous poems. "A Refusal to Mourn the Death, by Fire, of a Child in London" is one such poem. First published in 1945 in Horizon magazine, "A Refusal to Mourn the Death, by Fire, of a Child in London" was later included in Thomas' collection entitled Death and Entrances in 1946, where the poem got more popular and become more widely read. In fact, "A Refusal to Mourn the Death, by Fire, of a Child in London" is one of the most famous war-related poems of all time.
"A Refusal to Mourn the Death, by Fire, of a Child in London" explores the Blitz (air raids perpetrated by Nazi Germany against London) during World War II and its direct aftermath. Thomas pays particular attention to the human suffering caused by the Blitz and focuses on a young boy who died as a result of the Nazi air raids. In the poem, Thomas explores and ultimately links the boy's death with concepts like the tragedy of war and the fragility of childhood innocence. In many ways, Thomas' poem is an elegy. In other ways, it is a commentary on the horrors of war.
