Discussion Topic
Explanation and paraphrasing of "On His Blindness" by John Milton
Summary:
In "On His Blindness," John Milton reflects on his blindness and his fear that he can no longer serve God through his poetry. He worries about his talent being wasted but finds comfort in the realization that God does not need his work and that patience and faithfulness are also valuable forms of service.
Can you explain "On His Blindness"?
How does this sonnet apply to us? It further suggests that each of us is given one or several talents which we are obliged to identify, utilize, and develop throughout our lives or else experience disappointment, frustration, and failure. The Bhagavad-Gita says something similar:
In the beginning
The Lord of beings
Created all men,
To each his duty.
"Do this," He said,
"And you shall prosper." III Karma Yoga
The problem for many of us is to discover our talent, or talents. Doing this may involve a lot of trial and error. But it is obviously a matter of the utmost importance.
Blessed is he who has found his work; let him ask no other blessedness.
Thomas CarlyleA man is relieved and gay...
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when he has put his heart into his work and done his best; but what he has said or done otherwise, shall give him no peace. It is a deliverance which does not deliver. In the attempt his genius deserts him; no muse befriends; no invention, no hope. Ralph Waldo Emerson
It seems to me that most people are good at what they like and like what they are good at.
John Milton's poem, "On His Blindness," speaks to the frustrations Milton had regarding his lost sight. The poem reflects upon the idea that he (the speaker of the poem) will not be able to serve God now that his sight is gone. The following will show each line of the poem (or relevant groups of lines) and the meaning of the line/s following.
WHEN I consider how my light is spent,
The speaker is reflecting upon how his light (sight) has been used over his life. This could also refer to the speaker's spiritual light (given Milton's religious ideology).
Ere half my days in this dark world and wide,
The speaker has spent half of his life blind (meaning he knows what it means to see and feels loss at his sight being taken away).
And that one talent which is death to hide
Here, the talent the speaker refers to can be his ability to write (which may be lost now that his sight is gone), or it could refer to the God-given talents bestowed upon mankind by God.
Lodged with me useless, though my soul more bent
The speaker feels that his loss of sight has left him useless (to either write or serve God).
To serve therewith my Maker, and present
My true account, lest He returning chide,
'Doth God exact day-labour, light denied?'
There three lines refer to the speaker's desire to write and praise God, but, with his lost sight, he feels as if he cannot do either. (The speaker's writing could be referring to his desire to write for God.) The speaker is asking if God expects him to work given his light (sight) is gone.
I fondly ask.
Here, the speaker is asking for guidance in regards to how he should approach his concerns (his inability to write and write to praise God).
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.'
In these last lines, the speaker receives the reply he has asked for. Patience replies to the speaker (given his patience with his blindness is lacking). Patience replies that it is not the work of man which pleases God. Instead, it is the "mild yoke" (those who are simply obedient to God) which makes God happiest.
For patience, God is happiest when mankind is able to spread God's word over "land and ocean without rest." The final line refers to the fact that it is far more important to praise God than to "stand and wait" (do nothing).
References
How can "On his Blindness" by John Milton be paraphrased?
An assignment asking you to paraphrase a poem is designed to encourage you to read a poem closely and put it in your own words. The first step in paraphrasing this poem is to work out how words are being used by Milton in ways that might different from modern usage. In the first line, the phrase "light is spent" means a light that has gone out or become extinguished, as in an oil lamp when all the oil is used up.
From the title of the poem and the biographical information we have about Milton, we know that this should be interpreted as referring to Milton's blindness, which came upon him in middle age, which is the meaning of the phrase "ere half my days".
The one "Talent" has a double meaning referring both to the Biblical parable of the servant who hides the one talent (a bar of precious metal) rather than investing it and Milton's own talent of reading and writing which, to a great degree depends on his eyesight. He next asks whether God will blame him if he is unable to exercise his abilities due to his blindness, but concludes that God will appreciate his willingness to do God's work even if his abilities are diminished.
To paraphrase this in prose, you may need several sentences to explain every line of the poem, as Milton's language is very dense and allusive when compared with most modern prose.