Invictus

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 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.

William Ernest Henley

I have no idea why, but I woke up from a nap this evening with this poem stuck in my head.  Specifically the last two lines: "I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul."

It's been a while since I watched the movie "Invictus" with Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon about "Nelson Mandela, in his first term as the South African President, initiates a unique venture to unite the apartheid-torn land: enlist the national rugby team on a mission to win the 1995 Rugby World Cup." as stated on IMDB.

Those last two lines made me think of the book I'm working on titled "The Shepherdess Princess."  I ended up asking myself what if the main character doesn't know he's a prince until near the end?  What if the prince was raised by some kidnappers, and ends up getting a job later as a sea captain?  I have no idea if the story will progress this way, but it would mean totally wiping out everything and starting from scratch.  I don't know for sure if I want to do that, but that's where it might lead.