Home > On His Having Arrived at the Age of Twenty-Three Summary & Study Guide

On His Having Arrived at the Age of Twenty-Three | Introduction

“On His Having Arrived at the Age of Twenty- Three,” which exists in manuscript and was printed twice during Milton’s lifetime (in the Poems of 1645 and 1673), was most likely written in 1632 at a crucial time in Milton’s life, just after his graduation from Cambridge. Milton here acknowledges that he may not seem as mature as some of his contemporaries but expresses a desire to use his talents well and his trust in God’s will for him over time. One thing to understand about Milton’s sonnets is their topical range. Not a writer of love sonnets in English (although the sonnets he wrote in Italian are love sonnets), Milton writes political sonnets, occasional sonnets, elegiac sonnets, and sonnets of personal meditation, like this one.

On His Having Arrived at the Age of Twenty-Three Summary

Lines 1–2
These lines introduce the poem’s theme and create a metaphor of Time as a bird flying away with (“stol’n on his wing”) Milton’s youth.

Line 3
Here, the poet expresses his sense of how quickly time passes: “hasting days” and “full career.”

Line 4
The poet here uses a seasonal metaphor to express that his time of life is a “late spring” but that so far, it has not shown any “bud or blossom,” in other words any promise of fruit or achievements in his life.

Lines 5–6
The poet remarks that he does not seem as old as he is (his look “deceive[s]” the truth that he is practically a man).

Lines 7–8
“Inward ripeness” continues the natural metaphor of “bud” and... » Complete On His Having Arrived at the Age of Twenty-Three Summary