Ukrainian Troops Honor UK Support with Invictus Poem Recital
In a gesture of gratitude, Ukrainian service members have recited the powerful poem “Invictus” by British poet William Ernest Henley. A video of the recitation was shared on X by Ukraine’s Ambassador to Britain, Valerii Zaluzhnyi.
Poem Dedicated on World Poetry Day
The soldiers collaboratively read excerpts from Henley’s renowned work to commemorate World Poetry Day, observed on Friday, March 21st. This act also served to underscore the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
Ambassador Zaluzhnyi Highlights Resilience and Gratitude
In his post, Ambassador Zaluzhnyi stated that the recitation was a “gesture of gratitude to the United Kingdom for its steadfast support.” He emphasized the poem’s enduring significance as “a timeless symbol of resilience, dignity, and inner strength when confronting seemingly insurmountable challenges.”
Invictus: A Testament to Unyielding Spirit
The poignant verses of “Invictus” resonate deeply with themes of perseverance and self-determination:
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.