Get out the microscope, because we’re going through this poem line-by-line.
Lines 13-15
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.
- The speaker describes the way that "Grave men" fight their impending death.
- Notice the pun on "grave," which could either mean that the men are very serious, or that they are dying.
- These serious dying guys realize that, even though they are weak and losing their faculty of sight, they can still use what strength they have to rage against death.
- So, even though their eyes are going blind, these men can "see," metaphorically speaking, with an overwhelming certainty or "blinding sight," that they still have a lot of power over the way they die, even if not the timing.
- Instead of getting snuffed like candles, they can "blaze like meteors" (line 14). They're planning to go out with a bang.