Invictus is a well-known poem written in 1875 by the English poet William Earnest Henley while he was recuperating in the hospital after surgeries were performed to save his right foot. He had contracted tuberculosis about ten years before, and a complication had necessitated the amputation of the lower part of his left leg. Despite the suffering and physical limitations brought about by these infirmities, Henley’s spirit remained undaunted. He laughed at fate in its face. The most frequently quoted part from Invictus is: “I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul.” You can click here to read the entire poem.
Following is an interpretation of the poem in Chinese prose. The English text corresponds closely to the Chinese. Notice, however, that the word order is necessarily different in some of the Chinese and English sentences. If you have any questions, please post a comment to this blog.
从这笼罩着我的
Cóng zhè lǒngzhào zhe wǒ de
From the dark night that envelops me,
黑得像从南极到北极的深坑的黑夜中,
hēi dé xiàng cóng nánjí dào běijí de shēn kēng de hēiyè zhòng,
one that is black as a pit going from the South Pole to the North Pole,
我向诸神致谢,
wǒ xiàng zhū shén zhìxiè,
I thank the gods
感谢他们赐给了我一个不可征服的灵魂.
Gǎnxiè tāmen cì gěile wǒ yīgè bùkě zhēngfú de línghún.
for having granted me an invincible soul.
在恶劣处境的爪牙里,
Zài èliè chǔjìng de zhǎoyá lǐ,
In the claws and fangs of adversities,
我没有畏缩, 也没有大声哭泣.
wǒ méiyǒu wèisuō, yě méiyǒu dàshēng kūqì.
I have not winced, nor cried aloud.
经过厄运多次的的打击,
Jīngguò èyùn duō cì de de dǎjí,
Having been repeatedly struck by ill fate,
我的头是血淋淋的, 但依然挺直不屈.
wǒ de tóu shì xiělínlín de, dàn yīrán tǐng zhí bùqū.
my head is bloody, but it is still held high and unyielding.
环绕着这个充满愤怒和泪水的地方,
huánrǎo zhe zhège chōngmǎn fènnù hé lèishuǐ dì dìfāng,
Surrounding this place that is filled with indignation and tears,
除了阴影的恐怖, 别无他物.
chúle yīnyǐng de kǒngbù, biéwú tā wù.
there is nothing except the horror of shadows.
然而, 这多年来的折磨与威胁,
Rán’ér, zhè duōnián lái de zhémó yǔ wēixié,
However, what the torment and menace over these years
它们所面对的仍是无所畏惧的我.
tāmen suǒ miàn duì de réng shì wú suǒ wèijù de wǒ.
are facing is still the fearless me.
无论天堂之门有多狭窄,
Wúlùn tiāntáng zhī mén yǒu duō xiázhǎi,
No matter how narrow the road to Heaven is,
天命有多么坎坷，
tiānmìng yǒu duōme kǎnkě,
or how doomed destiny can be,
我是我命运的主人,
wǒ shì wǒ mìngyùn de zhǔrén,
I am the master of my fate,
我是我灵魂的统帅.
wǒ shì wǒ línghún de tǒngshuài.
and I am the captain of my soul.
Three cheers for all who have such a positive attitude on life!
By the way, one of my readers has made this a particularly enjoyable autumn day for me by sending in his English translation of the beautiful song “Autumn Cicada” to share with us all. You can find it in the Comment section of that blog post.
N.B. Just found out that amazon.com has slashed the price for the print copy of “Learn Chinese through Songs and Rhymes” to $6.09. If you have been wanting to get this book, now is a good time to do so, before it goes back to the list price.
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