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


I got down to seeing the movie with the same title as this poem. I am not sure if it was the moment, but I read the poem later and was really moved by it. in a lot of ways, I think Henley has captured every emotion I am going through right now. Thought I would share it with you guys. Enjoy. And the movie is quite good too, Matt Damon terribly underutilized by Clint Eastwood. Morgan Freeman gave the best performance of all.

Comments

Kavita said…
The last two lines. That's like a mantra I need to repeat for the rest of my days. I liked the movie, btw.