Invictus (Unconquered)

by

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. 

This poem was recommended by Waqas Ahmed Siddiqui as Poem of the Week and can also be found on his blog: Confessions of A Complicated Mind

The Poem that inspires millions

At the age of 12, Henley fell victim to tuberculosis of the bone. A few years later, the disease progressed to his foot, and physicians announced that the only way to save his life was to amputate directly below the knee. It was amputated when he was 17. Victorian text-books professing stoicism were popular in English public schools, and in 1875, the Stoic ideal of indifference in the face of suffering inspired Henley to write his poem from a hospital bed. Despite his disability, he survived with one foot intact and led an active life until his death at the age of 53.

While incarcerated on Robben Island prison, Nelson Mandela recited the poem to other prisoners and was empowered by its message of self mastery.

(Wikipedia)

The 2009 movie Invictus starring Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon features this poem and takes its title from it. The movie is an inspiring tale of how the new apartheid-free state of South Africa manages to win the Rugby World Cup of 1995 amidst racial hatred and disunity. Freeman plays Nelson Mandela, the country's President while Damon plays Francois Pienaar, the captain of the Rugby team.

Click here to watch a moving scene from the movie Invictus, where Mandela (Freeman) recites the poem.