I am the Captain of my soul

I saw the movie Invictus today and it was very inspiring. Look out for another post on my review of the movie. But today I wanted so share the Poem by English Poet William Henley that President Mandela quotes in the movie. I was very very impressed by that poem. The entire poem (as I found it on wikipedia is given below), but here are the four lines that made an impact on me,

I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.

It was just awesome and very inspiring. "I am the captain of my soul".

Here is the entire poem,

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.

The Road Not Taken - By Robert Frost

The Road Not Taken

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

-- Robert Frost

My Cousin Shashi would always bring this poem up whenever I question any decision or thought whether there would have been any difference If I had done something else etc etc.....

The Road in this poem is a good metaphor in life for changes, journeys, adventures, partings etc. But that is just looking at this poem at a superficial level. If you keep peeling the layers, I think there are many more meanings to this poem. The author feeling sorry that he cannot take both roads is so reflective of how at so many crucial junctions of our life, when we have to chose one or the other - we wish if we could just have both....(could be a decision, or a change in life or people) kind of like having your cake and eating it too I guess. I have also felt the this poem indicates at some level that the two roads might not be that different than we feel.

I don't know why, but I was thinking about this poem a lot today and just wanted to penn my thoughts here.