On His Blindness

On His Blindness is one of the best known of the sonnets of John Milton. It may have been written as early as 1652, although most scholars believe it was composed sometime between June and October of 1655, when Milton's blindness was essentially complete.^[1][2]. It appears in the Oxford Book of English Verse, an anthologized collection of English-language poetry spanning 1250-1900.

"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."

The last 3 lines are particularly well-known, though rarely in context.

The poem refers to the parable of the talents.^[3]

References

1. ^ http://books.google.com/books?id=zOYQi2Nxl-8C&pg=PA445&lpg=PA445&dq=on+his+blindness+1655&source=bl&ots=1ySAzk9vxn&sig=vvcO2AbkLSYtG015eftKwSdyi9Q&hl=xx-elmer&ei=ZH_YSpngHsi0lAeSqtmhAQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CA0Q6AEwAzgK#v=onepage&q=on%20his%20blindness%201655&f=false
2. ^ http://litmed.med.nyu.edu/Annotation?action=view&annid=1129
3. ^ David V. Urban, "The Talented Mr. Milton: A Parabolic Laborer and His Identity" in Milton Studies, Volume 43, Albert C. Labriola (ed.), Univ of Pittsburgh Press, 2004, ISBN 082294216X, pp. 1-18.