Invictus
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.
Today I was browsing through a book of poetry when I came across this poem. I was interested about the author, William Ernest Henley. I wondered what his motivation was to write this amazing poem. It turns out that at the age of twelve he got Tuberculosis in his leg and had to have his foot amputated. Later in his life he had to have it amputated below the knee again because of the crude method that the first doctors had used. Invictus was written in the hospital bed. This was truly an amazing man.
:o) Stephanie.
P.S. For more information look on Wikipedia. I left out some of the info.
