Thursday, September 29, 2011

271.

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.

This is a Victorian poem by William Ernest Henly. This poem lends its name to a 2009 movie and has strongly influenced one of the most famous leaders in the world. The leader said that this poem has been his inspiration and has helped get through tough times.

Identify the poem and the leader.

2 comments:

raghav said...

invictus-nelson mandela

Sumit said...

invictus