The Year of the Poet XI September 2024

Foreword Renowned Poets: William Ernest Henley "I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul"

If you quote these two lines from Invictus, you are in good company. There are many that speak this, but the ones we remember are the individuals that lived beyond the spoken word to live "unconquerable."

William Ernest Henley penned this from a well of need. Suffering from a disease that first caused amputation and ultimately his death, he was determined to live life on his terms. The entire piece takes us through this journey of sickness, the dark and resolution. The defining of life.

He authored several books of poetry including "A Book of Verses" as well contributed to many magazines of the time. Henley mainly wrote in an impressionistic style using iambic tetrameter. This was in stark contrast to the Decadent style of writing. It is even said that the pirate Long John Silver was created with Henley in mind and endowed with the same quick of wit and missing leg.

Back to "Invictus". This short piece inspired Nelson Mandela during his long imprisonment for apartheid resistance. The creation of the Invictus Games giving differently abled individuals a chance to compete after being wounded, injured and sick from their time in the service. This quote is often used in period movies and has been quoted across all genres.

So, this is the lesson from "Invictus" and indeed most of Henley's writings, we all go through challenges in life. Henley reminds us to choose how we respond to that which has been given to us. As this world keeps on changing, turning, let us keep our bearing on that which we can control and no more.

Gail Weston Shazor Author, Humanitarian,