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.
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2 comments:
Invictus translated into Latin I figure would mean unconquered, I like the sentiment of the poem overall but I'm not sure if I really like the actual writing. Some of the lines seem interesting, like the third stanza I thought flowed well- but others seem kind of cliche.
For example when he writes:
"Black as the Pit from pole to pole"
I'm guessing by pole to pole he means like something that's encompassing the earth, and it seems like a good line except that the whole "black as the pit" thing before it seems kind of emo.
and this line:
"How charged with punishments the scroll,"
I don't know. It sounds like something a sixth grader would write while reading LOTR*
It kind of reminds me of that poem , by Dylan Thomas.. Do not go gentle into that good night.
Anyways, MUCHO THANK YOU MIGUEL! woo!
*p.s. that sixth grader was me
What does Wiki say! :
"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 announced the only way to save his life was to amputate the other. 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 54. "Invictus" was written from a hospital bed."
And also interesting:
Timothy McVeigh, convicted and sentenced to death for the lethal Oklahoma City bombing of 1995, who chose "Invictus" as his final statement.
Why do you think McVeigh would pick Invictus as his final statement? The poem itself might seem dark so people would shrug it off, but I figure that Invictus was written by and reads like someone is being threatened by death. What did McVeigh feel threatened by?
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