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William Ernest Henley
William Ernest Henley Poems
| 161. | A Thanksgiving | 4/12/2010 |
| 162. | Let Us Be Drunk | 4/12/2010 |
| 163. | The Rain And The Wind | 1/3/2003 |
| 164. | A Child | 4/12/2010 |
| 165. | Ballade Of Dead Actors | 1/3/2003 |
| 166. | Madam Life's A Piece In Bloom | 1/3/2003 |
| 167. | Between The Dusk Of A Summer Night | 1/1/2004 |
| 168. | A Wink From Hesper | 4/12/2010 |
| 169. | It Came With The Threat Of A Waning Moon | 4/12/2010 |
| 170. | O Gather Me The Rose | 1/3/2003 |
| 171. | I Am The Reaper | 1/1/2004 |
| 172. | A Love By The Sea | 4/12/2010 |
| 173. | Invictus | 1/3/2003 |
Comments about William Ernest Henley
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.
Barmaid
Though, if you ask her name, she says Elise,
Being plain Elizabeth, e'en let it pass,
And own that, if her aspirates take their ease,
She ever makes a point, in washing glass,
Handling the engine, turning taps for tots,
And countering change, and scorning what men say,
Of posing as a dove among the pots,
Nor often gives her dignity away.
Her head's a work of art, and, if her eyes
In answer to Suresh, I believe Henley was referring to death with no afterlife. If you place his life within a historical context, the theory of Evolution had emerged as a dominate force in science. Many people despaired that the theory killed the idea of God. They came to think that there was no God, heaven, or indeed any kind of life after death. I think Henley embraced this and hence the line. This idea is further re-enforced by his final line I am the captain of my soul...in other words, I am responsible for my life, my actions, my spirit and answerable to myself (not to God) .
This is one of my all time favorite poems.
to me this poet had a will to fight. he did not let his struggles no matter how hard it seemed conquered him. He seem very much in touch with pain and hardship and some how his spirit is unbreakable.
I find that the life of this man is very interesting and sad.
Invictus:
Can someone elaborate the line about the 'Horror of the shade'? Is this a biblical reference?
I just saw the phenomenal movie Invictus five hours ago. This movie, about Nelson Mandela and his ressurrection from being a prisoner to being the president of South Africa, show that iron bars can not stop some men.
He rehearsed the words of hope from his prison cell in the Poem Invictus, and the power of spirit over matter was manifested. As president, he also quelled the post-apartheid tension, transforming enemies into friends. It is a story about someone with a vision of an ideal world who was able to embrace his nation, both black and white, as his family. His heart will not be forgotten, because without people like him a better world will never come. You will feel so uplifted by this movie! ! !