Let fell odds inflate

I’ve always found the Penang Free School Rally a powerful piece of writing, but one particular verse has lingered in my mind more than the rest:

It matters neither how strait the gate
Nor how charged with dangers the goal
Let the tempest rage and fell odds inflate
We'll to it with heart and soul

It’s a verse that sounds almost lifted from some long-lost Shakespearean literature, and yet it was composed right here, in 1966, by our very own GS Reutens, then the senior art teacher at Penang Free School. His command of the English language was formidable, and in this School Rally, he gave us not just a school song but something far more powerful—a literary call to arms.

The opening line, “It matters neither how strait the gate,” is no coincidence. It echoes the powerful final stanza of William Ernest Henley’s Invictus poem of defiance: “It matters not how strait the gate, / How charged with punishments the scroll…” Reutens, by invoking this line, was placing our School Rally in the company of enduring declarations of resolve and inner strength.

But of all the lines in the verse, it’s “Let fell odds inflate” that has most intrigued me. For years, people have quietly admitted they’ve struggled to grasp its meaning. It’s not a phrase found in any familiar volume of poetry or Shakespeare, but it certainly feels like it belongs there. And after turning it over in my head for what seems like decades, I think I’ve finally come to understand what it’s trying to say.

The key lies in its structure and tone. The word fell, which might sound odd to modern ears, is actually an old term meaning fierce, cruel, deadly. Shakespeare used it often when referring to ominous forces. Macbeth comes to mind, for instance. It’s the sort of word that conjures the image of gathering darkness. Odds, of course, refers to adversity or challenges, and inflate implies that these odds are allowed or even invited to grow.

So taken together, “Let fell odds inflate” becomes something like: “Let the cruel odds rise.” It’s not a cry of despair. Quite the opposite: it’s a declaration of boldness, an almost defiance of whatever lies ahead. These aren’t the words of someone who plans to back down. These are words meant to be spoken aloud with purpose, pride and an unshakeable sense of resolve.

And that, I now realise, is the true inspiration of Reutens’ composition. He didn’t just write a School Rally; he gave us a philosophy. A mindset. A poetic challenge to rise, even when the winds howl and the odds are grim.

In hindsight, it’s no surprise that this line became part of the song meant to stir the hearts of Free School students. It’s a line that asks for courage, not comfort; for character, not ease. And even now, all these years later, those words still echo faintly along the old corridors of the school, rising with the voices of students past and present. Let fell odds inflate—not just a line in a song, but a quiet, enduring call to meet life head-on, with heart and soul.

ADDENDUM: Reutens was transferred to Hutchings Secondary School to become Headmaster in 1969. His contributions to Penang's society included designing the crest for the Penang State Museum.