Search results
Invictus is a famous poem by the English poet William Ernest Henley, who wrote it after recovering from a serious illness. The poem expresses the theme of unconquerable soul and the power of self-mastery in the face of adversity.
- William Ernest Henley
Born in Gloucester, England, poet, editor, and critic...
- Poetry Foundation
Poems, readings, poetry news and the entire 110-year archive...
- William Ernest Henley
Invictus. William Ernest Henley. 1849 –. 1903. 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.
Text of the Poem. 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.
"Invictus" is a short poem by the Victorian era British poet William Ernest Henley (1849–1903). Henley wrote it in 1875, and in 1888 he published it in his first volume of poems, Book of Verses, in the section titled "Life and Death (Echoes)".
‘Invictus’ is W.E. Henley’s most famous and inspirational poem, that resonates with people worldwide. He wrote the poem in 1875 and dedicated it to Scottish flour merchant named Robert Thomas Hamilton Bruce.
- Male
- Poetry Analyst
The best Invictus study guide on the planet. The fastest way to understand the poem's meaning, themes, form, rhyme scheme, meter, and poetic devices.
This is the poem that Nelson Mandela used to read throughout his 27-year imprisonment during the apartheid period.
