I’m continuing this month with another of my favorite poems.
My May article HERE was about My Papa’s Waltz by Theodore Roethke. My June
article HERE was about Ernest Lawrence Thayer’s poem, Casey at the Bat.
The poem I’m writing today is Invictus by
William Ernest Henley, which is one of several poems I’ve
memorized. You can read the poem HERE.
 | ||
| William Ernest Henley-courtesy Wikipedia |
Here is a bit about his life¹/²
—
Henley was born in Gloucester, England in 1849 (d. 1903). When he was
12, he was diagnosed with tubercular arthritis that resulted in the amputation
of one of his legs just below the knee. Years later, his other foot was saved
due to the care of Dr. Joseph Lister. Henley spent three years in the hospital
in the care of Dr. Lister, who treated his diseased foot with what was
at that time a radical approach.
During this hospital stay, Henley began to write poems. This
is also when he met, and became friends with, Robert Louis Stevenson. It is
said that Stevenson based his Long John Silver character in Treasure Island on
Henley.
Henley and his wife had a daughter, Margaret, but she was a
sickly child and only lived to be five years old. J. M. Barrie, a friend of the
family, was fond of Margaret. In her speech-challenged way, she called Barrie
her fwendy-wendy, which inspired Barrie to use the name Wendy in his story of
Peter Pan.
Henley wrote Invictus in 1875. He published it in 1888 in his
first volume of poetry, A book of verses. Click HERE for more information. His poetry is available through Project Gutenberg.
Invictus is a poem that speaks to us with a universal
message that we must reach way down into our Will to Live, grab it with both
hands, and never let go despite the challenges we’re facing or experiencing. It
tells us to find the courage to go on in the face of hopelessness—whatever that
hopelessness is on an individual and personal basis.
Another way to summarize this poem might be controlling what
we can (our reactions and attitudes) when things around us are out of control
(life’s not-so-pleasant challenges).
My reaction to this poem is this:
The first stanza is affirmation of the spiritual strength that
keeps him going. It’s interesting that he doesn’t narrow his spiritual support
to a particular denomination or belief. It’s spiritual strength that means
something different to each person who reads this poem.
The second stanza explains his steadfast determination to
meet adversity, hopelessness, and challenges head on and not only never back down,
but to never complain. As my brother-in-law used to tell his kids when they played
baseball and were hit in the chest by the pitcher’s fast ball: Don’t
let that kid know he can throw hard enough to hurt you.
The third stanza is another affirmation of standing tall and
courageous through it all, while also facing the unknown of the future, or even
what comes after death, with dignity and fearlessness.
The fourth stanza (with allusion to a phrase from the King
James Bible³) wraps
up the poem with a declaration of pride that no matter the dire situation he
faced in the past or will face in the future, which are both out of his
control, he can control how he reacts. Hence, the famous lines…
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.
This poem resonates with me because, like all of us, I’ve
experienced hopelessness, heartache, injury, illness, and death. I’ve doubted
my purpose in life, but I’ve soldiered on. I’ve put one foot in front of the
other with the belief that tomorrow is another day.
Back in my teaching days, one of the graduating classes
chose this poem as their creed. As a group, they recited Invictus to the
audience on graduation day. It was a proud moment for me as their English teacher
that the units we did on poetry all through junior high and high school (through
which I dragged more than a few of students kicking and screaming) had been
worth it.
Here is Morgan
Freeman reciting Invictus. His reading is a tribute to Nelson Mandela, who
reportedly relied upon this poem to help him through the ordeal he faced for so
many years.
Until next time,
Kaye Spencer
Kaye Spencer
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