Student Question
Why is the talent referred to as useless in "On His Blindness"?
Quick answer:
The talent is referred to as useless in "On His Blindness" because Milton feels his blindness prevents him from using his God-given gift of poetry. This frustration stems from the Biblical Parable of the Talents, where not using one's talents is condemned. Milton worries that without his vision, he cannot serve God through his poetry, making his talent seem wasted.
That reference is found in these lines:
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 . . .
At this point in his career, Milton had gone blind. The word "talent" here is a Biblical allusion to the Parable of the Talents, in which one man is punished by God for hiding his talents away and not using them for the Lord's work.
Milton sees his blindness as burying the gift of poetry within his soul. He feels that God has gifted him with this ability of creating poetry to use for His work, and Milton longs to use his talents for God's purposes, saying that his "soul [is] more bent/ To serve therewith [his] maker." In this moment in his blindness, Milton (presumably speaking as himself in this poem) considers his God-given talents "useless" if he does not have the vision he feels he needs to complete the work, yet he presses forward so that he can present a "true account" of his efforts to God when his time comes.
Get Ahead with eNotes
Start your 48-hour free trial to access everything you need to rise to the top of the class. Enjoy expert answers and study guides ad-free and take your learning to the next level.
Already a member? Log in here.