Invictus by William Ernest Henley
* * *Invictus, meaning “unconquerable” or “undefeated” in Latin, is a poem by William Ernest Henley. This poem is about courage in the face of death, and holding on to one's own dignity despite the indignities life places before us.Listen and read this poem in times of difficulty, and remember: you are the master of your fate.Invictus by William Ernest HenleyOut 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.