"Invictus" a poem that helped a nation and became a popular movie title
"Invictus" (meaning "Unconquered" in Latin) is a short poem written in 1875 by English poet William Ernest Henley, and a major inspiration of Nelson Mandela, South African leader, during his 27 years in prison. The poem was also the center piece of "Invictus," a 2009 movie by Clint Eastwood starring Matt Damon and Morgan Freeman, a biographical drama film about Mandela and the 1995 Rugby World Cup in South Africa.
Two video clips from the movie and the text of the poem follow:
Text of 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.
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 summary of the original feature in Farsi. To request a more extensive translation of the Farsi text, please contact us.
