Invictus by William Ernest Henley Incarcerated for 27 years,
Nelson Mandela found both solace and inspiration in this poem by William Ernest Henley.
I cannot,
For one,
Fathom what it must be like to be in prison for such a length of time.
Exposed to such a space with its inherent brutality and dehumanizing constructs,
You might expect someone to emerge bitter and vengeful.
Not so Mandela,
He somehow found the light within himself and aligned with his true nature.
He found balance between the thinking forces of his head and the love in his heart,
Becoming an example for us all to aspire to.
This poem,
For me,
Represents having the courage to stay the course no matter what the world throws at you.
It's about having the conviction of your beliefs to stay strong in the face of overwhelming and hopeless odds,
And then about finding the light in your soul and letting it shine forth as only you can.
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 straight the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll.
I am the master of my fate.
I am the captain of my soul.
