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.
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Text Authorship:
- by William Ernest Henley (1849 - 1903), "Invictus", appears in A Book of Verses, first published 1888 [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Vivian Fine (1913 - 2000), "Invictus", 1991 [ voice and piano ], from 4 Victorian Songs, no. 3 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Vivian Fine (1913 - 2000), "Invictus", 1988, first performed 1988 [ soprano, flute, clarinet, violin, viola, cello ], from 5 Victorian Songs, no. 4 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Bruno Siegfried Huhn (1871 - 1950), "Invictus", published 1910 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Marshall Rutgers Kernochan (1880 - 1955), "Unconquered", published 1911 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Francis Alexander Korbay (1846 - 1913), "Out of the night", <<1913, from Album of Five Songs [sung text not yet checked]
- by Charles Albert Lidgey (d. 1924), "Out of the night", published 1909, from A Song of Life [sung text not yet checked]
- by Carl F. Mueller (1892 - 1982), "Invictus", published 1950 [ satb chorus a cappella ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Martin Edward Fallas Shaw (1875 - 1958), "Invictus", published 1920 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- GER German (Deutsch) (Walter A. Aue) , "Invictus (Unbezwungen)", copyright © 2008, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- GER German (Deutsch) (Richard Flatter) , "Der Herr und Meister", appears in Die Fähre, Englische Lyrik aus fünf Jahrhunderten, first published 1936
Researcher for this page: Barbara Miller
This text was added to the website: 2005-07-25
Line count: 16
Word count: 103
Auf aus der Nachtmahr dumpfer Qual, Dank meinem Stern, – ich kenn ihn nicht – Dank für die Seele, die er mir gab, Eine Seele, die stark ist, die niemals bricht! Hart griff sie mich an, des Schicksals Hand. Im Antlitz der Not, die´s weiß und bezeugt: Ich schrie nicht, ich krümmte mich nicht, ich stand – Mein Haupt ist blutig, doch ungebeugt. Und wenn alle Leiden gelitten sind, Ich weiß, welch düsteres Graun mir droht; Das Leben ist kurz, die Sanduhr rinnt – Ich fürchte ihn nicht, den Tod. Und ließe er heut noch den Sturmwind wehn, Der mein Schifflein versenkt und mich: Da steh ich, Meister und Kapitän – Der Herr meiner Seele bin ich!
Please note: this text, provided here for educational and research use, is in the public domain in Canada, but it may still be copyright in other legal jurisdictions. The LiederNet Archive makes no guarantee that the above text is public domain in your country. Please consult your country's copyright statutes or a qualified IP attorney to verify whether a certain text is in the public domain in your country or if downloading or distributing a copy constitutes fair use. The LiederNet Archive assumes no legal responsibility or liability for the copyright compliance of third parties.
Confirmed with Die Fähre, Englische Lyrik aus fünf Jahrhunderten Übersetzt von Richard Flatter, Walter Krieg Verlag, Wien-Bad Bocklet-Zürich, 1954, 2nd edition (1st edition 1936), page 183.
Text Authorship:
- by Richard Flatter (1891 - 1960), "Der Herr und Meister", appears in Die Fähre, Englische Lyrik aus fünf Jahrhunderten, first published 1936 [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in English by William Ernest Henley (1849 - 1903), "Invictus", appears in A Book of Verses, first published 1888
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- [ None yet in the database ]
Researcher for this page: Volkmar Henschel
This text was added to the website: 2021-02-25
Line count: 16
Word count: 117