The Invictus Poem:
Beautiful Words of Wisdom For the Unconquerable Soul.
The Invictus Poem is one of the best motivational poems about life.
I can't tell you how much these beautiful words of wisdom with its inspirational sayings about life have moved me.
Listen.
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.
In times of need, these words have given me strength.
However, more well-known than mine is the story about how the poem influenced Nelson Mandela. It has been credited with giving him courage during his 27-year incarceration. And reflecting on the message, I can believe that the poem enabled Mandela to endure and triumph over injustice. To set the example for forgiveness and reconciliation.
If you'd like to know how the poem inspired him, click on this link for the trailer of the Invictus Film.
But the Invictus Poem has encouraged many others before Mandela.
It was written in 1875 by the English poet, William Ernest Henley (1949-1903), whose own life was an example of triumph over tragedy.
First published in 1888 in Henley's Book of Verses, the poem originally did not have a title. Instead it was headed up with a dediction to R.T.H.B. The initials referred to Henley's literary patron, Robert Thomas Hamilton Bruce, a successful Scottish flour merchant and baker.
The title Invictus, Latin for unconquered, was later added by Arthur Quiller-Couch when he included the poem in The Oxford Book Of English Verse in 1900.
The poem reflects Henley's own unconquerable spirit. At the age of 12, he was struck with tuberculosis of the bone. As the disease progressed, his lower leg had to be amputated in order to save his life. In the midst of his trauma, lying in his hospital bed, he comforted himself by composing these lines.
In spite of illness and disability, Henley lived a full life. He graduated from Oxford and became a celebrated poet, with the Invictus Poem as his most acclaimed. The beautiful words of wisdom and sayings about life have since become one of the best motivational poems about life.
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.
Bearing in mind Henley's own life and now Mandela's, I find that repeating these last two verses alone fill me with hope.
When you recite them over and over, you'll soon believe that they're true.
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