Invictus

Submitted by ClearlyChosen on Sat, 01/23/2010 - 17:00

poems

Invictus

~ William Ernest Henley ~

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll.
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.

Who wrote Invictus?

According to Wikipedia, an English poet by the name of William Ernest Henley wrote the 16-line poem in 1875 and was published, untitled, in 1888. Many think the poem autobiographical given the hard circumstances and tragedies in William Ernest Henley's life. Over the years, the poem has attracted both supporters and detractors. Personally I would be firmly entrenched in the supporters camp. The words, pathos, and courage embodied in the words reaches places in the heart and soul that are truly unique yet shared and fills the soul with both compassion and courage.