I've seen a lot of movies lately, meaning, I've seen a lot of trailers for upcoming movies as well, unfortunately a lot of the same ones over and over. One trailer I never get tired of watching is the trailer for the movie Invictus. I was curious what it stood for. Little did I know I had heard parts of this inspirational poem before, but never had I read the whole thing. It is truly a poem that reminds us to live purposefully and intentionally the life we know we can live. So for those of you who have never read it or those who want to read it again here is some info and the poem itself, courtesy of Wikipedia:
"Invictus" is a short poem by the English poet William Ernest Henley. The title is Latin for "unconquered".[1] It was first published in 1875.
At the age of 12, Henley became a victim of tuberculosis of the bone. In spite of this, in 1867 he successfully passed the Oxford local examination as a senior student. His diseased foot had to be amputated directly below the knee; physicians had announced that the only way to save his life was to amputate. Henley persevered and survived with one foot intact. He was discharged in 1875, and was able to lead an active life for nearly 30 years despite his disability. With an artificial foot, he lived until the age of 53. "Invictus" was written from a hospital bed despite Henley's condition.
"Invictus" Text
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.
No comments:
Post a Comment