E7: Invictus - William Ernest Henley

William Ernest Henley - Invictus

Written in: 1875

Originally published: 1888 in the author's first volume of poetry, Book of Verses, in the section Life and Death (Echoes).

 

Theme and Story

Invictus is a poem by William Ernest Henley that translates from Latin as "unconquerable" or "undefeated." This poem is about maintaining one's dignity despite life's indignities and having courage in the face of death. 

Henley had to have his left leg amputated when he was 16 years old due to complications from TB. When he went to Margate for treatment for issues with his other leg in the early 1870s, he was informed that a similar procedure would be needed. 

Instead, he made the decision to fly to Edinburgh in August 1873 to seek the assistance of renowned English surgeon Joseph Lister, who, after extensive foot surgery, was able to save Henley's remaining leg. He was inspired to create the words that eventually became the poem "Invictus" when he was getting better in the hospital. "Invictus" continues to be a cultural classic because it is a memorable portrayal of Victorian stoicism—the "stiff upper lip" of self-discipline and fortitude under adversity, which popular culture transformed into a British character attribute. 

(source: Wikipedia) 

 

Poem:

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.

 

Credits: William Ernest Henley (1888)