I am yet only in the middle of my life and I have been turned totally blind.

It is barely a terrible
suffering, and seriously handicaps me in the accomplishment of my lifes mission. God graciously
bestowed on me a rare gift, poetic talent. If I now make no use of it because of my blindness God
would certainly scold me. This would mean courting physical, mental and spiritual death.

John Milton
I would be nowhere. But I wonder why should have God made me blind when he expects me to
render as much work and of as good quality as I could be expected to do had my eyes to serve
Him. But I err, I am mistaken. It is my foolishness to doubt and suspect God, the lord of lords.
Whatever he does is right and good. Does God still expect me to carry out his orders and obey
his commands though I have been deprived of my eyesight? God had endowed me with poetic
talent- a rare gift, but how I can serve him now when I have been rendered blind? Will not
therefore God keeping in view my blindness expect any service from me? Of course, if he does
look for work and service from me even now, it would certainly be an act of injustice and
unkindness.
But I forget. It is my sheer foolishness to think so. God does not require the service of man nor
does He take back the gift, one bestowed by Him on man. He is almighty and supreme. It is
therefore a folly on my part to think that he requires my services. Indeed they serve him most
who patiently and without a grumble resigns themselves to His will endure all spiritual, mental
and physical sufferings which God may inflict on them. A little calm and careful thinking leads me
to believe that the question of disservice to God does not arise at all. Of course he is Omnipotent,
all powerful and Lord of lords and King of kings. He has countless divine servants, angels etc, to
carry out His commands on land, water and air in the twinkling of an eye. Therefore if I am blind
and unable to do any service to Him, I should only remain loyal to Him. It must be remembered
that even silent attendance is also a kind of service to Him.
By unanimous consent 'On His Blindness' is Miltons best sonnet in which English poetic art
attains a sublime height. Actually it is not a mere poem. It is the inner voice of a man who has
resigned himself entirely to the will of God and depends only on His mercy and justice. This

sonnet bears Italian structure. It proves clearly that Miltons faith in God is unshakeable. It is a
sonnet which touches the poets personally. The sonnet tells us that Milton became blind when
he had run only half the race of his life. He was only 44 when he became totally blind. He was
broken down with grief, disappointment and despair. His only hope was his faith in the mercy,
kindness and justice of God. The poem gives us a glimpse of Miltons philosophy of life. The
sonnet is replete with abundant pathos. It reflects the personal grief and despair of a poet of
Miltons eminence. The poet was known to possess a noble and lofty character and his conduct
was akin to his nature and temperament. He therefore does not lose heart or weep like an
ordinary man. He endures suffering with fortitude and bears the loss of his eyesight in a
courageous and manly way. Incidentally, this sonnet solves an age-old question. The problem is,
does God require the service of man? Milton employs patience to solve this riddle. The answer is
that those who resign themselves unquestioningly to the will and wishes of God are his best
servants. This idea is repeated with ample emphasis twice in this sonnet.
Like the outstanding characteristic of all great and good poetry, this sonnet has a universal
appeal, far from being a mere poem. It is barely a divine message of the afflicted people of the
world, to mankind as whole, that has unbounded faith in Gods mercy and generosity. The poem
is rich in noble ideas, sublime thoughts and unbounded bliss. It raises Milton very high in public
estimation and makes him immortal. Milton has used two very effective poetic devices in this
poem: allegory and personification. An allegory is a story in which events and characters stand
for some other situation and people. In this poem the poet persona I may represent all the
human beings having eyes spiritually in darkness. Personification on the other hand is a
technique in which abstract concepts and qualities such as love, hatred, and jealousy are
represented as person. In this sonnet Milton has personified patience which speaks to him and
rescues him from his dilemma. If we look at the form of this sonnet, we shall find it different from
the Shakespearian or Italian sonnet. The rhyme scheme is abba abba cde cde but the division
between sestet and the octave is not neat as in an Italian sonnet. The sentence of the sestet
begins in the line of the octave itself.
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The sonnet On His Blindness is perhaps one of the best and most popular of Miltons
sonnets. It is indeed a pearl in the ocean of English literature. It is a great sonnet of lofty
tone and noble theme. It was written in 1655. Milton had started losing his eyesight from
the year 1645. After some years he lost his eyesight completely. He was about 44 years
at that time, when we remember that his great words Paradise Lost and Samson
Agonists has not yet been written.
Strength of mind, power of will and determination, patience; all these traits stood him in
good stead when blindness slowly came over his.

What made him so sad was that the gist of poetry which had been given to him could not
be used to advantage when he was suffering from blindness.
Here Milton bows down in humble submission to the will of God. The tone of patience and
humility has perfectly mingled with that of great dignity. The poem is a human document,
a revelation of the struggle in Miltons own soul. It starts with a note of regret. Then there
is a mood of doubt and questioning which however melts in the final attitude of complete
resignation. The beauty and exaltation of moral feeling raise the poem to a great height.
The poem is full of allusions to the bible.
The extreme simplicity of the language is its peculiar attractive. Two lines are wholly,
several others are nearly, monosyllabic. It is a sonnet of Petrarchan type. But there is no
division between the octave and the sestet-which is the characteristic of Italian or
Petrarchan sonnet. There is a break in the middle of the eighth line.
The poets subsequent submission charms the readers. The monologue is simply
fascinating. The league used is both easy and catchy. The metre, note and cadence is
perfect.