On His Blindness / Milton

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. .


 * "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."

Commentary
It appears in the Oxford Book of English Verse, an anthologized collection of English-language poetry spanning 1250-1900.

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

The poem refers to the parable of the talents.