Invictus: a Poem that Inspired a Leader

I really haven't been sharing Poems recently as I was blogging more about food. ( Shared Poems)
But, I am sharing today a very special poem that has affected my life and I discovered it when I was reading about Nelson Mandela's biography back in 2010, amid personal struggles.

The Poem 'Invictus' (meaning Unconquered, Undefeated) by William Henley, and the Leader Nelson Mandela (R.I.P Madiba) was inspired by the poem, and had it written on a scrap of paper on his prison cell while he was incarcerated for 27 years on Robben Island.

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

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.

Kabir will tell you

"I laugh when I hear that the fish in the water is thirsty.

You don't grasp the fact that what is most alive of all is inside your own house;

and so you walk from one holy city to the next with a confused look!

Kabir will tell you the truth: go wherever you like, to Calcutta or Tibet;

if you can't find where your soul is hidden, for you the world will never be real!"

Kabir- a mystic philosopher

I have always found interest in mystic philosophy, such as suffism and yogism.

I have attended several yoga classes and basically learned some basics to practice it. And I have read books for the famous poets, Rumi and Kabir.

But I tell you,  it is your sole responsibility  to explore this path alone. No class can teach you. No teachers can guide to reach such a pure state in your thinking.And no book can lighten it up for you. 
 And definitely I cant say that I have reached this state, nor is my objective in life to reach this state. But  it is very invigorating to try to be on this journey every once and then. 

This journey where you can find your soul, greet it , and talk to it..It's amazing how much things you can discover about yourself, about what you want , and about what you need from this life.

It enables you to focus all your energy on one aim. This aim differs from one person to another. :)

I wont be going further into this subject,  I am not an experienced person, neither am I a preacher.
But :
 Kabir wiill tell you if you are traveling the world trying to find what you need and what makes you happy,and  if you haven't found where your soul first , nothing in this world will make you happy, nothing will quench your urging thirst ! So,  you will keep wandering around the world aimlessly, wasting your energy , because what you need is in you and what you want , you can make it by your own hands.

Pearl