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Poetry in English: John Milton

Portrait of Milton
John Milton is an English poet, polemicist, man of letters, private schoolmaster and civil servant.  He is born in London on December the 9th, 1608, and dead in the same city on November the 8th, 1674.  He writes in English, Latin, Greek and Italian.  He is politically active, publishing works against censorship, monarchy and the influence of the Church over the State; and in favour of divorce and republic.  His political prominence earns him an appointment as Secretary for Foreign Tongues in 1649, but also a brief imprisonment and a burning of his writings in 1660.

His mostly known works are:
  • Poetry: Poems (1645), Paradise Lost, Paradise Regained, Samson Agonistes, Poems (1673), Individual Poems.
  • On Religion: Of Reformation, Of Prelatical Episcopacy, Animadversions, The Reason of Church-Government, Apology for Smectymnuus, Of True Religion.
  • On Divorce: Doctrine and Discipline of Divorce, Judgement of Martin Bucer Concerning Divorce, Tetrachordon, Colasterion.
  • On Politics: Of Education, Areopagitica, The Tenure of Kings and Magistrates, Eikonoklastes, Defensio pro Populo Anglicano, Defensio Secunda, A Treatise of Civil Power, The Ready and Easy Way.
  • On History: The History of Britain.
Digital Libraries that offer available works of John Milton:
Sonnet XVI, from the book 'Poems' (1645), is a sonnet that reflects into the lost of sight by Milton around the age of 45, and is also known as 'On his blindness':

When I consider how my light is spent,
  E're half my days, in this dark world and wide,
  And that one Talent which is death to hide,
  Lodg'd with me useless, though my Soul more bent
To serve therewith my Maker, and present
  My true account, least he returning chide,
  Doth God exact day-labour, light deny'd,
  I fondly ask; But patience to prevent
That murmur, soon replies, God doth not need
  Either man's work or his own gifts, who best
  Bear his milde yoak, they serve him best, his State
Is Kingly. Thousands at his bidding speed
  And post o're Land and Ocean without rest:
  They also serve who only stand and waite.

Maurice Peckman has put this poem partially to music, and Samuel Peckman has made it available at YouTube:



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