On His Blindness

ON HIS BLINDNESS

When I consider how my light is spent

Ere half my days in this dark world and wide,

And that one talent which is death to hide

Lodg'd with me useless, though my soul more bent

To serve therewith my Maker, and present

My true account, lest he returning chide;

"Doth God exact day-labour, light denied?"

I fondly ask. But Patience to prevent

That murmur, soon replies: "God doth not need

Either man's work or his own gifts; who best

Bear his mild yoke, they serve him best. His state

Is kingly. Thousands at his bidding speed

And post o'er land and ocean without rest:

They also serve who only stand and wait.

Reflection/ Analysis:

In "On His Blindness," Milton writes of his experience of blindness. He asks if God wants him to keep working, in spite of the fact that his job caused him to lose his sight. A personified Patience tells him that God rewards even those who stand and wait to be of service.  

By beginning line one with the word “When," Milton immediately signals that he is opening with a subordinate clause (a dependent clause) that introduces the main idea to follow. Beginning the poem this way creates a certain suspense; the main idea is postponed so that we have to continue reading in anticipation of its eventual arrival. Shakespeare also often used this kind of sentence pattern in constructing his own sonnets. By opening with a dependent clause, Milton heightens our sense of anticipation by delaying the key statement.

I greatly enjoyed the meaning and substance of the poem. It is easy to see why this poem would be placed among the greatest of all times, because of the way Milton expresses his thoughts on him becoming entirely blind.  The light Milton speaks about in the first line of the poem refers to the light of day. He is thinking about how his sight is fading and how the world is becoming more and more dark. Milton uses the word talent referring to his gift of writing. In that same line he continues to write about how his talent is death to hide, this makes the first part of the line much clearer. If there were any question of the meaning of the word talent, it makes it known that it means a gift, a gift that would be a sin to contain. In my opinion, throughout the poem, Milton keeps a pretty hopeful outlook. He never writes about how he feels sorry for himself or about expecting anyone to do so. He first presents to the reader his blindness and then his gift of writing, and serving God with that gift. Next, he writes that although he may not be able to write, his resources are rich and many are willing to do his work quickly. I find that this poem is not written in the style of a typical Cavalier poem. Normally Cavalier poetry is written with notions of honor, loyalty, and an attitude of carpe diem.