Invictus by William Ernest Henley, recited by Morgan Freeman April 15, 2015 ” Invictus ” is a short poem by the English poet William Ernest Henley (1849-1903). It was written in 1875 and first published in 1888. Nelson Mandela had the poem written on a scrap of paper on his prison cell while he was incarcerated. Share this: Twitter Facebook Email Google Pinterest Tumblr Like this: Like Loading… Related Tags: Invictus, Morgan Freeman, poetry, William Ernest Henley