“On His Blindness” or also known as “When I Consider How My Light Is Spent”
John Milton, published in 1673
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.”
About the poem “On His Blindness” by John Milton
Summary and Analysis of “On His Blindness” by John Milton
John Milton’s poem “On His Blindness” is one of the most powerful meditations on human limitation, divine purpose, and the value of inner service. Written in the mid-17th century after Milton had gone completely blind, this sonnet remains a timeless work of spiritual and philosophical reflection. It is part of the public domain and frequently cited in contemporary literature—including in Aaron Hopkins-Johnson’s poignant poem “Alzheimer’s Poetry Project,” which draws from Milton’s central themes of patience, perception, and worth beyond ability.
Summary of “On His Blindness”
The poem opens with Milton contemplating his growing blindness, a devastating affliction for one of England’s greatest writers. He questions how he can continue to serve God without his vision, which he had long used in the service of poetry and scholarship. He worries that his “light is spent” and that his “one talent”—a reference to the Biblical parable of the talents—has been rendered useless. As he struggles with feelings of guilt and inadequacy, he wonders whether God demands labor from those who have been left with diminished capacity.
But in the poem’s famous volta (or “turn”), Milton finds resolution. He imagines a response from Patience, personified as a gentle counselor, who tells him that God does not need man’s work or gifts. Instead, what matters most is submission, faith, and readiness. The poem closes with the famous line: “They also serve who only stand and wait.”
Analysis of Themes and Meaning
“On His Blindness” is a masterful exploration of faith under trial. Milton uses the Petrarchan sonnet form—an eight-line octave followed by a six-line sestet—to mirror his internal struggle and ultimate spiritual epiphany. The first half of the poem is filled with doubt and sorrow, while the second half offers comfort, understanding, and divine perspective.
The poem’s central message is that usefulness is not always visible or tied to action. It is a radically inclusive idea for its time: that those who are suffering, limited, or incapacitated in some way are no less worthy or capable of spiritual fulfillment. Service, in Milton’s view, can be as simple and profound as waiting in trust and humility.
Milton’s use of Biblical allusions—from the Parable of the Talents to the Book of Job—grounds the poem in the Christian tradition, while his emotional honesty makes it universal. His fears about “that one talent which is death to hide” reflect an artist’s anguish about lost potential, but also the human experience of grief, aging, and changing identity.
Influence and Legacy
“On His Blindness” has remained a touchstone in English literature and continues to resonate with poets today. Its legacy is evident in modern poetic reflections on disability, aging, and patience—including Aaron Hopkins-Johnson’s poem “Alzheimer’s Poetry Project,” which indirectly references Milton’s final line. Hopkins-Johnson, in writing about the quiet labor of memory and the beauty found in slowing down with Alzheimer’s patients, echoes Milton’s idea that service and value are not always visible, but deeply present.
Why This Poem Belongs on AZPoetry.com
Milton’s “On His Blindness” provides essential context for understanding the moral and poetic traditions that shape contemporary Arizona writers. Referenced in modern poems by local authors like Aaron Hopkins-Johnson, its influence stretches across time, geography, and form. As part of our Classic Poetry collection, it stands not only as a literary landmark but as a bridge connecting today’s poets with the enduring questions that have long fueled poetic expression.
Learn more about how Arizona poets carry forward the legacy of classic verse by exploring the AZPoetry.com poet bio for Aaron Hopkins-Johnson.