Out Of The Night That Covers Me

William Ernest Henley 1849 (Gloucester) – 1903 (Woking)



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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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 11, 2023

31 sec read
352

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABAB CXCX XDXD EBEB
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 526
Words 105
Stanzas 4
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4

William Ernest Henley

William Ernest Henley was an English poet, critic and editor, best remembered for his 1875 poem "Invictus". more…

All William Ernest Henley poems | William Ernest Henley Books

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    "Out Of The Night That Covers Me" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Mar. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/40531/out-of-the-night-that-covers-me>.

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