Funeral reading
Invictus
William Ernest Henley
“Invictus” by William Ernest Henley is a poem read at a funeral or memorial service. It takes about 55 seconds read aloud, usually by a guest reader. It is in the public domain, so the full text is printed on this page and goes straight into a ceremony script.
The full text
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.
Public domain, so these words can be printed in a ceremony script or an order of service.
Where it comes from
William Ernest Henley wrote Invictus in 1875 while recovering in the infirmary in Edinburgh, where the surgeon Joseph Lister saved his remaining leg, and published it in his Book of Verses in 1888.
What it says
The speaker is surrounded by darkness and gives thanks, to whatever gods there may be, for a soul nothing can conquer. Circumstance has gripped hard and chance has beaten them bloody, but they have not flinched or cried out, and their head is still up. Whatever lies beyond this life does not frighten them. The last stanza is the defiant one everybody knows: it does not matter how narrow the gate or how long the list of punishments, I am the master of my fate and the captain of my soul.
Written from a hospital bed. For someone who did not go quietly. Read at a funeral or memorial service. Themes: master of my fate · unbowed · a long illness fought hard · a stubborn person · no religious framing · disability.
Who it suits
Someone who fought a long illness, lived with disability, or was simply famously stubborn. It suits people who did things their own way, veterans and athletes, and families who do not want religious comfort; the poem never asks for any. It is a poor fit for a gentle, quiet person, and for a family hoping to hear about heaven. It can also sound like a boast if the death followed a struggle the person lost against their will, so ask how the family see it.
Where it goes in the ceremony
In the middle of the service or just before the eulogy, so the eulogy can tell the stories of that unconquerable streak. A son, a daughter, a teammate or a friend from the person’s working life often reads it.
Reading it aloud
The text on this page is 103 words. At a ceremony pace of about 130 words a minute, which is slower than conversation, that comes to about 50 seconds of reading.
- Read it firmly, not loudly. The strength is in an even voice saying violent things calmly.
- “Fell clutch” and “bludgeonings” are hard on the tongue. Practice them aloud a few times so they come out clean.
- Slow down for the last two lines and give each its own breath. Many in the room will know them and may mouth them with you.
- Do not add an “Amen” or a prayer straight after it; it was written by someone who would not have wanted one.
Questions about reading it aloud
How long does “Invictus” take to read aloud?
“Invictus” takes about 55 seconds read aloud at a ceremony pace, which is slower than conversation — roughly 130 words a minute. That is the figure the run-sheet uses when it works out the timing for the whole service.
Who usually reads “Invictus”?
Usually a guest reader rather than the officiant. “Invictus” runs about 55 seconds, which is a manageable amount to hand to a friend or family member. Give them a printed copy of their own, in a size they can read without their glasses, and tell them where to stand and how you will introduce them.
Can “Invictus” be printed in a ceremony script?
Yes. It is in the public domain, so the full text is on this page and can be printed in a script or an order of service.
Where this text was checked
Checked word for word against a full-text edition that is itself the authority — a Project Gutenberg or Wikisource transcription, a publisher’s own edition, or the issuing body’s page.
Checked
A reading is two minutes of the hour.
The rest is the welcome, the life, the remembrances, the committal — and knowing what comes next. Answer some questions about them and get the whole service, written out, with this reading in its place.
Other readings that suit the same service
- Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Nighta minute and a halfThe other great poem of refusing to go quietly
- Dirge Without Musica minute and a halfDefiance aimed at death itself rather than at fate
- No Coward Soul Is Mine55 secondsThe same courage, with faith behind it
- Remember55 secondsChristina Rossetti
- Requiem30 secondsRobert Louis Stevenson
- Crossing the Bar55 secondsAlfred, Lord Tennyson