“Sonnet 19,” more commonly called "When I consider how my light is spent," is a poem by the English poet John Milton. Likely written in the mid-1650s, after Milton lost his eye-sight, the poem reflects on the physical and spiritual challenges the speaker faces as a blind person. He feels unable to complete the tasks that God has set for him, and worries that he is squandering his capacity to serve God. But, in the second half of the poem, the speaker reassures himself by arguing that God does not need human help and that there are many ways to serve him. Like some of Milton’s other poems (for example, “How Soon Hath Time”), the poem thus defends a Protestant position: the idea that salvation comes from faith, rather than work.
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The Full Text of “Sonnet 19: When I consider how my light is spent (On his blindness)”
1When I consider how my light is spent,
2 Ere half my days, in this dark world and wide,
3 And that one Talent which is death to hide
4 Lodged with me useless, though my Soul more bent
5To serve therewith my Maker, and present
6 My true account, lest he returning chide;
7 “Doth God exact day-labour, light denied?”
8 I fondly ask. But patience, to prevent
9That murmur, soon replies, “God doth not need
10 Either man’s work or his own gifts; who best
11 Bear his mild yoke, they serve him best. His state
12Is Kingly. Thousands at his bidding speed
13 And post o’er Land and Ocean without rest:
14 They also serve who only stand and wait.”
The Full Text of “Sonnet 19: When I consider how my light is spent (On his blindness)”
1When I consider how my light is spent,
2 Ere half my days, in this dark world and wide,
3 And that one Talent which is death to hide
4 Lodged with me useless, though my Soul more bent
5To serve therewith my Maker, and present
6 My true account, lest he returning chide;
7 “Doth God exact day-labour, light denied?”
8 I fondly ask. But patience, to prevent
9That murmur, soon replies, “God doth not need
10 Either man’s work or his own gifts; who best
11 Bear his mild yoke, they serve him best. His state
12Is Kingly. Thousands at his bidding speed
13 And post o’er Land and Ocean without rest:
14 They also serve who only stand and wait.”
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“Sonnet 19: When I consider how my light is spent (On his blindness)” Summary
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“Sonnet 19: When I consider how my light is spent (On his blindness)” Themes
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Faith and Work
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Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “Sonnet 19: When I consider how my light is spent (On his blindness)”
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Lines 1-2
When I consider how my light is spent,
Ere half my days, in this dark world and wide, -
Lines 3-6
And that one Talent which is death to hide
Lodged with me useless, though my Soul more bent
To serve therewith my Maker, and present
My true account, lest he returning chide; -
Lines 7-8
“Doth God exact day-labour, light denied?”
I fondly ask. -
Lines 8-11
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. -
Lines 11-14
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.”
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“Sonnet 19: When I consider how my light is spent (On his blindness)” Symbols
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Light
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Dark
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Yoke
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“Sonnet 19: When I consider how my light is spent (On his blindness)” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language
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Alliteration
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Assonance
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Consonance
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Enjambment
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End-Stopped Line
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Caesura
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Allusion
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Personification
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Apostrophe
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“Sonnet 19: When I consider how my light is spent (On his blindness)” Vocabulary
Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.
- Light
- Ere
- Lodged
- Bent
- Chide
- Day-labour
- Murmur
- Yoke
- Post
- O'er
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Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “Sonnet 19: When I consider how my light is spent (On his blindness)”
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Form
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Meter
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Rhyme Scheme
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“Sonnet 19: When I consider how my light is spent (On his blindness)” Speaker
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“Sonnet 19: When I consider how my light is spent (On his blindness)” Setting
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Literary and Historical Context of “Sonnet 19: When I consider how my light is spent (On his blindness)”
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More “Sonnet 19: When I consider how my light is spent (On his blindness)” Resources
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External Resources
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The Turbulent 17th Century — A brief history of the 17th century in England, focusing on the Civil War.
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John Milton's Biography — A detailed biography of Milton, with links to additional resources, from the British Library.
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"When I consider how my life is spent" Out Loud — A reading of "When I consider how my life is spent"
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Milton's "Cambridge" Manuscript — A digital copy of the so-called "Cambridge" manuscript, where the first known copy of "When I consider how my life is spent" appears.
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Milton's 1673 Poems — The complete text, along with an image of the title page, of Milton's 1673 Poem's, the book in which "When I consider how my life is spent" was first published.
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LitCharts on Other Poems by John Milton
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