Invictus
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.
~ William Ernest Henley
15 comments:
stirring!
love the defiance
in those amazingly crafted words:)
love and courage,
Jen
i wish for an unconquerable soul
Wow! I wish I were unafraid and felt I were the master of my fate. However, although I do get scared by things, I believe I am the captain of my soul - and that helps me to be a bit braver.
Relyn,
Beautiful words.
Ahh to find the courage to carry on even when cinched tight with fear, now that is what it means to be alive.
Hugs,
Karen
It takes a strong soul to be able to live up to these words, and Mandela is one such soul. Thank you for sharing this.
I love the drama and soul-stirring of this one... And your neon image pairs perfect with it, Relyn--VERY exciting poetry day today! :o) ((HUGS))
That poem really calls me to think about the passing of time in one's life. Unafraid? Don't know about that one, but determined for sure!
This is amazing, thank you for share!
I am the captain of my soul.
Powerful words - oh to be the master of my fate, the captain of my soul.
I believe!
That last line gets me every time, but only because Henley earns it with the way he builds this remarkable poem.
I think that's the first time I've just read through that poem and thought about what it meant. Thanks for putting it on your blog.
PS - My mystery word was "glouti" Doesn't it sound like it should mean something?
I love, love, love this photo. So great.
I first read this poem in high school. The last two lines are seared into my mind. And there's such power in the image of a person who is bloodied but unbowed.
I memorized this in English class in 9th grade. My mom recited the last two lines to me the day I left for college.
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