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Invictus William Ernest Henley (1849 - 1903) "William Ernest Henley  (23 August 1849 – 11 July 1903) was a prominent poet, critic and  editor  of the late  Victorian era  in  England . Though he wrote several books of poetry, Henley is remembered most often for his 1875 poem " Invictus ", a piece which recurs in popular awareness (e.g., see the 2009  Clint Eastwood  film,  Invictus ). A fixture in literary circles, the one-legged Henley was also the inspiration for Robert Louis Stevenson's character Long John Silver ( Treasure Island,  1883), while his young daughter Margaret inspired J.M. Barrie's choice of the name Wendy for the heroine of his play  Peter Pan  (1904)" - From Wikipedia Now, here is 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 c...

" Faith is the bird that feels the light when the dawn is still dark." BOUND IN CHAINS 'PRISONER, TELL me, who was it that bound you?' 'It was my master,' said the prisoner.  'I thought I could outdo everybody in the world in wealth and power, and I amassed in my own treasure-house the money due to my king. When sleep overcame me I lay upon the bed that was for my lord, and on waking up I found I was a prisoner in my own treasure-house.' 'Prisoner,  tell me who was it that wrought this unbreakable chain?' 'It was I,' said the prisoner,  'who forged this chain very carefully. I thought my invincible power would hold the world captive leaving me in a freedom undisturbed.  Thus night and day I worked at the chain with huge fires and cruel hard strokes. When at last the work was done and the links were complete and unbreakable, I found that it held me in its grip.' A smile from the great ma...