SecretGarden Poetry Selection ... Invictus

To me this is one of the most poignant pieces of poetry, and a true classic. Written by English poet William Ernest Henley in 1875, it has always had the power to move me, and renew my hope and faith in myself. I see it as a tribute to our inner strengths -- it is both encouragement and an inspiration.

Invictus

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.

~ William Ernest Henley