During his 27 years of captivity on Robben Island, Nelson Mandela was inspired by a poem of defiance written by the English poet William Ernest Henley, a poem he used to strengthen the spirits of other prisoners. Indeed, the name of this poem became the name of a 2009 film that stars Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon. Here it is:
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.
At one level it is easy to see why such a poem would inspire Mandela and others, expressing as it does the will to survive in the midst of a great ordeal. It was the cry of Henley’s own heart after his left leg was amputated below the knee, following the effects of the tuberculosis he had contracted at the age of 12.
A very different user of this poem was Timothy McVeigh, the Oklahoma City Bomber, who was executed by lethal injection on June 11, 2001. Just before he died and by way of making his final statement he handed this poem to his prison warden, conscious that the title means “unconquerable”. Timothy McVeigh died effectively shouting out that he had won and that he was unconquerable. But that was before he came face to face with the living God, the God whom he grossly underestimated: “It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God\” (Hebrews 10:31). As Jesus warned:
Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell (Matthew 10:28).
Dorothea Day wrote this response to Henley’s poem:
Out of the night that dazzles me,
Bright as the sun from pole to pole,
I thank the God I know to be
For Christ the conqueror of my soul.Since His the sway of circumstance,
I would not wince nor cry aloud.
Under that rule which men call chance
My head with joy is humbly bowed.Beyond this place of sin and tears
That life with Him! And His the aid,
Despite the menace of the years,
Keeps, and shall keep me, unafraid.I have no fear, though strait the gate,
He cleared from punishment the scroll.
Christ is the Master of my fate,
Christ is the Captain of my soul.
Original Inspiration: An evangelistic address delivered at Cabramatta Anglican Church by Stuart Robinson (now Bishop of Canberra) c. 2000-2001.
See too Wayne Jackson\’s article in Christian Courier: http://www.christiancourier.com/articles/367-timothy-mcveighs-invictus
Posted July 1, 2010
www.facetofaceintercultural.com.au
Upon clicking 'Buy now' you will be redirected to paypal.com where you can securely and quickly complete your purchase with a few clicks.
Immediately after payment at PayPal you will be redirected to a download page which
provides you instant access to your purchase.
