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.

Invictus is a short poem by a lesser known English poet William Ernest Henley (1849-1903). It was written in 1875 and first published in 1888. The poem became the source of inspiration in the twenty first century for the great Nelson Mandela when he was held in prison for thirty years.

The poem motivates the reader to face up to all challenges without fear. Circumstances may be cruel, unbearable, unjust, yet they cannot destroy ones inner spirit. This dignity with which one treats own life, cannot be broken or taken away. In the end life has to triumph, even against heavy odds. The eastern philosophy says that we alone are the heirs to our deeds. What we are today is a direct consequence to our past deeds. So let us face our life with pride and humility at the same time. Bad times pass, nothing lasts forever, and it is very important to remember this fact. We should not permit tough circumstances to overpower our rationality nor drown our positive outlook. That is real strength, real character, real power. Tough situations also teaches us how not to hurt and harm others. These are lessons life wishes that we learn when we go through such situations. There obviously must be some reason for that.

For anybody going through a bad phase in life, this poem comes as a source of succor. It is further more comforting that Nelson Mandela actually found this as his motivation to overcome apartheid and also forgive his oppressors. It is a masterpiece which touches chords of emotions deep inside the heart, brings forth courage and transforms the tears of pain into those of pure victory, over circumstance; making light weight of all sorts of heaviness inside.