Unconquered William Ernest Henley. Review of the film Invictus, as well as a bonus verse of the same name

Good day, Dear friends. I just finished watching the movie that is written in the title of the article. I share my emotions from watching it, and at the end of the article you can read the verse of the same name, Unconquered.

Today's article will consist of two parts:

• Review of the Film
• Poem "Invictus"

Review of the film

Let me start with the fact that I learned about the film after I had learned this poem. It's really powerful and very motivating. After I first heard it, it stuck with me. Without thinking twice, I searched the Internet for information about the verse, and in fact, that’s how I came across this film.

In my opinion, this film is difficult to classify into any genre. There is no Hollywood action, no drama or any unpredictable plot. The whole movie is very simple. But since the actors played in it, it’s absolutely amazing. Morgan Freeman is probably the only person who could play the role of Nelson Mandela. By the way, after the film I was very interested in the biography of this man, a very strong and iconic figure in the history of mankind. I will publish an article about it on my blog soon.

The entire film is based on a very simple plot. As the president of the country, he simply supported his rugby team. That's it in a nutshell. To my shame, I did not know the history of the President of South Africa, and certainly did not know how the match of this football team. Therefore, throughout the entire film, the directors of the film managed to keep me in suspense. Naturally, I won’t tell you the ending, it won’t be interesting to watch:)))

Summary after watching the movie

• First of all, no matter who you are, always remember:
  

  The result comes from the little things

• Secondly, always remain human and know how to forgive
• Thirdly, after all, one person can change the world. Moreover, anyone can do this, set a goal and achieve it, no matter what. And never submit to fate.

I am the master of my destiny

I am the captain of my soul

Poem "Invictus"

The verse itself was written by William Ernst Henley. I found 3 translations of it, but I like the one written below. That's what I learned.

From under the cover of the darkness of the night,
From the black pit of terrible torment
I thank all the Gods
For my unconquered spirit.

And I, having found myself in the grip of trouble,
Didn't flinch or moan,
And under the blows of fate
I was wounded, but did not fall.

The path lies among evil and tears,
The way forward not clear, let it be
But still difficulties and troubles
I, as before, am not afraid.

It doesn't matter that the gate is narrow,
I'm not afraid of danger.
I am the master of my destiny,
I am the captain of my soul.

Actually, that’s all for today, dear friends. If you were caught by this verse as much as I was, please leave a comment. I will be very pleased to know that it was not in vain that I shared it. If it’s not difficult, add a link to this article to your social media. networks, the buttons are below, this will be the best gratitude and motivation for me to continue publishing useful material. See you soon.

William Ernst Henley (23 August 1849 – 11 July 1903) - English poet, critic and publisher, most of all famous for the poem 1875 "Unconquered".
...In 1875, due to complications from tuberculosis, Hanley's leg was amputated. Immediately after the operation, he was informed that the second leg would probably also have to be amputated. Instead, he decided to enlist the services of the eminent surgeon Joseph Lister, who was able to save his leg after repeated surgical interventions.
During his recovery, he began to write poetry, which later became “Invictus.” Also, memories of a difficult childhood played a role.

Unconquered

From under the cover of the darkness of the night,
From the black pit of terrible torment
I thank all the gods
For my unconquered spirit.

And I, having found myself in the grip of trouble,
Didn't flinch or moan,
And under the blows of fate
I was wounded, but did not fall.

The path lies among evil and tears,
The future path is not clear, let it be
But still difficulties and troubles
I, as before, am not afraid.

It doesn't matter that the gate is narrow,
I'm not afraid of danger.
I am the master of my destiny,
I am the captain of my soul.

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 won 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 generation 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.

I'm under the blows of fate
Didn't flinch or moan,
The shameful one did not make a plea,
Although he was wounded, he did not fall!

The path lies amidst torment and tears,
The future path is not clear, let it be
But future fates are threats
I, as before, am not afraid!

May all your days be full of struggle,
I'm not afraid of danger.
I am the master of my destiny,
I am the captain of my soul!

___________ English ______________________

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 won 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 generation 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.
________________________________________ _________
Poem "Unconquered":
- written in 1875, Henley's most famous creation
- served for the author as a manifesto of vital resilience after amputation of a leg affected by bone tuberculosis.

In a letter to Henley after the publication of Treasure Island, his friend Stevenson wrote:
“I confess, it was the spectacle of your crippled power and authority that gave birth to John Silver...
“The idea of ​​a person capable of commanding and intimidating with just the sound of his voice owes its appearance entirely to you.”

Cultural influence
1. In his speech in the House of Commons on September 9, 1941, Winston Churchill paraphrased the last 2 lines of the poem:
- “We are still masters of our fate. We still are captains of our souls"
2. Nelson Mandela recalled that during his 27-year imprisonment this poem greatly inspired him,
- this was later reflected in the film about Mandela "Invictus"
3. I used this poem instead of my own last word American terrorist Timothy McVeigh before his execution
- blew up a federal government building in Oklahoma in 1995.
_________________________________________________________

Simon Scarrow

Series “Grandmaster of the Historical Novel”

Copyright © 2016 Simon Scarrow

© Novysh M., translation into Russian, 2017

© Edition in Russian, design. LLC Publishing House E, 2017

Dedicated to Louise

In Rome:

Quintus Licinius Cato, prefect

Lucius Cornelius Macro, centurion

Emperor Tiberius Claudius Augustus Germanicus

Agrippina, fourth wife of Claudius

Nero, son of Agrippina and great-nephew of Claudius

Britannicus, son of Claudius by his third wife, Messalina

Narcissus, Greek, imperial freedman, supporter of Britannicus

Pallas, Greek, imperial freedman, lover of Agrippina and supporter of Nero

Legate Aulus Vitellius, supporter of Nero

Lucius Annaeus Seneca, senator and wealthy landowner

Lucius Scabar, tavern owner

Gaius Gannicus, guardsman

Polydore, Steward of the Imperial Household

At the mine:

Guy Nepon, procurator responsible for the supply of silver to the empire

Second Cohort of the Praetorian Guard:

Centurions Placinus, Secundus, Porcinus, Petillius, Musa, Pulcher

Guy Getell Cimber, magistrate of Lancia

Metellus, option in the century of Pulchrus

Centiac, option in Centuria Petillia

Pasteurix, option under Nepon

Collen, option of the fourth cohort of the Praetorian Guard

Other:

Iskerbel, leader of the rebels

Caratacus, captured British chief of the Catuvellaun tribe

Julia, Cato's late wife

Lucius, son of Cato and Julia

Sempronius, senator, father of Julia

Petronella, nurse of Lucius

Amatap, housekeeper of Julia's house

Titus Pelonius Aufidius, magistrate of Asturias Augusta

Kallek, rebel

Publius Ballinus, Governor of Tarraconian Spain

Caius Gletius, head of the olive oil merchants' guild

Mick Esclay, slave trader

Gaius Gettius Gordon, Chief Magistrate of Anzia Barki

And I, having found myself in the grip of trouble,

He didn’t flinch or groan.

And under the blows of fate

I was wounded, but did not fall.

The path lies among evil and tears,

The future path is unclear - so be it!

Obstacles, difficulties and troubles

I, as before, am not afraid.

William Ernest Henley

Invincible

Province of Tarracona Spain,

early summer of 54 A.D.

When a prisoner blinking from the bright sunlight, which was flooding the forum in the center of Asturiki Augusta, was dragged out, and angry screams were heard. He was kept in chains for more than a month in one of the damp and cold cells under the Senate building, where he awaited the return of the Roman magistrate from his rural estate to pronounce his sentence. And now the magistrate stood on the steps of the Senate building, surrounded by the city nobility in expensive togas and embroidered tunics, ready to pronounce sentence. The crowd, like the prisoner himself, had little doubt about what they would hear.

Iskerbel hit a government official who came to his settlement to demand slaves in payment of a debt to a fabulously wealthy Roman senator. And the representative of the authorities died in front of hundreds of witnesses and auxiliary soldiers who accompanied the ill-fated freedman who came to collect his debt. It didn’t matter that a government official had just ordered the seizure of ten children, nor did it matter that the blow was struck in a state of passion. Iskerbel was a powerful man with deep-set black eyes sparkling from under massive eyebrows. He simply punched the freedman in the face and he fell backwards. The back of his head hit a stone water trough, causing his skull to crack. A cruel smile of fate, which became even more cruel when the commander of the auxiliaries ordered that not only the head of the settlement, but also his children be taken into custody. The children also awaited their fate; they were to be sold into slavery, and Iskerbel was to be tried and publicly executed.

The last time he saw his wife was when his two young daughters buried themselves, crying, in the folds of her tunic. She hugged them in despair. A day's march took the prisoners to Asturica Augusta, where Iskerbel was chained and his children chained to a column, where the condemned awaited transport to the provincial capital, Tarraco, where they were to be sold in a huge slave market. From then on he starved, as he was barely fed and the heavy iron shackles chafed his wrists and ankles to bloody sores. His hair was greasy and he was so stained with his own filth that ten guards avoided approaching him, pushing him forward with the tips of their spears. Iskerbel walked, stumbling, to the steps on which the city nobility had gathered.

The angry cries of the townspeople and villagers who came to the city began to subside when they saw the pitiful state of the arrested man. By the time he was stopped at the steps of the stairs, a gloomy silence had reigned in the forum. Even those standing at the sales counters at the far end of the forum stopped what they were doing and looked towards the Senate building, succumbing to general atmosphere voltage.

- Well, you, stand straight! – one of the guards hissed, jabbing the heel of his spear into the prisoner’s backside.

Iskerbel staggered, taking half a step forward, and straightened up, looking angrily at the magistrate. The centurion commander of the guards cleared his throat.

– The Honorable Titus Pelonius Aufidius, Magistrate of Asturica Augusta! – he shouted in a voice trained on the parade ground. “I entrust you with Iskerbel, the head of the settlement of Guapacina, to preside over the trial on charges of murdering Gaius Democles, the attorney of the Roman senator Lucius Annaeus. The murder took place on the Ides of the previous month, as witnessed by me and the soldiers appointed to guard Democles. Now he awaits your justice.

The centurion sharply lowered his chin in a bow and stepped to the side. The magistrate descended several steps, separating himself from the local senators and city officials standing on the stairs, but so as to stand above the assembled crowd. Looking around at the faces of those gathered, Avfidy made a contemptuous face. There is no doubt that the crowd is hostile. Judging by the simple clothes and unkempt hair, among them there are many villagers from the settlement that the arrested man headed. It is unlikely that they will be happy with what happens. Trouble may arise. The magistrate was reassured by the fact that, as a precaution, he had previously ordered the remaining auxiliaries to be ready in the street next to the Senate building. Although the first Roman emperor, Augustus, proclaimed the pacification of Spain almost a century ago, this happened only after two centuries of war. There were still tribes in the north who refused to bend the knee to Rome, and many others were in best case scenario obstinate, secretly dreaming of throwing off the yoke of Rome, which turned out to be so heavy. In fact, thought Avfidy, it’s simply amazing how such proud and warlike peoples generally accepted the Roman peace imposed on them. Peacefulness is simply not in their nature.

That is why they should be ruled with an iron fist. Aufidius furrowed his brow angrily.