UP Board Class 12th
Hello, Dear readers,
Today, I will be discussing all the important points of “On His Blindness”. I ensure you will get a complete idea to write the summary, central idea and explanation of the stanza orderly. You will be able to write the specification and figure of speech used in this poem too.
After reading this page you will find the secret to score outstanding marks in the board examination. Let’s get started
Layout: On His Blindness
- About the poet
- Context and background of the poem
- Stanza-wise explanation
- Summary of the Poem
- Central Idea of the Poem (English and Hindi)
- Quotation
- Specification (Theme and figure of speech)
- Bonus Learning segment
About the Poet: John Milton
John Milton was born on 9 December 1608 at Bread Street, City of London, United Kingdom. He was an English poet and intellectual who served as a civil servant for the Commonwealth of England under its Council of State and later under Oliver Cromwell. He got education from Christ’s College Cambridge, St Paul’s School and the University of Cambridge. His famous works are Paradise Lost, Lycidas etc.
About the Poem “On His Blindness”
On His Blindness is a personal sonnet of Milton in which he expressed deep sorrow on his premature loss of sight. He thinks that he has nothing to offer in the glory of his God.
Soon he realizes that God is a king of the kings He does not need any gifts, service or talent of His creature. In the end, he gets consolation from himself.
Stanza 1
When I consider, how my light spent are;
Ere 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, lest he returning chide,
Reference: These lines have been taken from the poem ‘On His Blindness’ composed by ‘John Milton’
Context: The poet expresses his grief at the loss of his eyesight because he will not be able to serve God by his talent of writing poetry due to his blindness.
Explanation
Milton is shocked and grieved at his premature blindness. He became blind when he was only 44 year of age. After the loss of his eyesight, the world become very wide and dark for him.
God has bestowed upon him the poetic talent. However, it has become useless now as he cannot composed poem in the absence of his eyesight. Without being able to use his poetic talent, he died mentally and spiritually. He cannot live without expressing himself in poetry. Though, he wants to serve God, he feels helpless.
Keywords and Quick Points
- Poet grieves at the loss of his eyesight
- He cannot serve God by his poetic talent because the world is dark and his talent is useless
- He expresses his strong wills to serve God but now feels helpless
Disability is the inability to ability.
Vikas Khanna
Stanza 2
“Doth God exact day-labour, light denied?”
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 mild yoke, they serve him best.
Context: The poet realises that he should cheerfully endure the misfortune of life and accept them as the will of God.
Explanation
The poet draws attention to god’s cruel denial of light to him. He finds fault with god’s dispensation. But, after pondering over the matter patiently, Milton realises that he should not complain against God. He realises that God never does injustice to his worshippers.
God does not expect anything from a man in the turn of his gift. The man, who surrender before him and the cheerfully endures the misfortunes of life and take them as the will of God is a true worshipper.
Keywords and Quick Points
- In the beginning, he finds flaws in the justice of God, later he realises he should not complain against God.
- God can never be injustice to His Worshipers
- God never expect any thing from man in return
- The true worshiper is who surrender himself before God and accept all the misfortune as the decision of his Maker.
Worship is a way of seeing the world in light of God
Abraham Joshua
Stanza 3
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.”
Context: The poet expresses his complete faith in God. In this Stanza he glorifies the power and kingly empire of his Maker.
Explanation
The poet realises the supremacy of God and his will. He is the king. At his command, thousands of angels are running constantly all over the universe. They do not take any rest and travel from one place to another in the service of God.
There are others also, who only stands at his door and wait for his commands. The poet recognises himself with those servants because he is unfit for work due to the loss of his eyesight. He further says that those, who are unable to do work and calmly submit to God’s will, also render Him genuine service.
Keywords and Quick Points
- The realisation of supremacy of God
- Those who only stand and accept God’s command also serve Him
- Those who are not able to do anything but calmly submit to God’s will is a true worshiper in the eye of the creator too.
Submitting to God’s wills is the absolute freedom from man’s slavery
Unknown
Summary of “On His Blindness”
John Milton’s poem “On His Blindness” is an autobiographical sonnet during which Milton meditates on his own loss of sight. The first half of his life, Milton had been able to see the world perfectly, but his late-night reading and writing helped ruin his eyesight.
within the first few lines of the poem, Milton reflects on losing his sight prematurely and describes how his world has become totally dark. For Milton, this is often particularly concerning because he now wonders how he will serve God, his master.
As Milton ponders this question, “Patience,” personified here as a living person, interjects his thoughts and softly reminds him that God doesn’t need Milton to do anything. In fact, Patience (personified) tells him that the simplest thanks to serv God simply accept the life as God wills.
Finally, Milton is reminded that God has many angles who voluntarily and continuously serve and worship Him. More importantly, Milton should wait patiently and trust that God will know the simplest thanks to use himself (and his blindness).
Hindi Translation: On His Blindness
जॉन मिल्टन की कविता “ऑन द ब्लाइंडनेस” एक आत्मकथात्मक गाथा है, jisme wah अपनी दृष्टि के नुकसान पर gauro fikr karte हैं। अपने जीवन की pahle hisse me, मिल्टन पूरी तरह से दुनिया को देखने में सक्षम थे, लेकिन उनके देर रात तक पढ़ने और लिखने ने उनकी आंखों की रोशनी को बर्बाद करने में मदद की।
कविता की पहली कुछ पंक्तियों के भीतर, मिल्टन समय से पहले अपनी दृष्टि खोने पर प्रतिबिंबित करता है और बताता है कि उसकी दुनिया पूरी तरह से अंधकारमय हो गई है। मिल्टन के लिए, यह अक्सर विशेष रूप से संबंधित होता है क्योंकि वह अब सोचता है कि वह भगवान, मालिक की सेवा कैसे करेगा।
जैसा कि मिल्टन ने इस सवाल का जवाब दिया, “धैर्य,” (यहां एक जीवित व्यक्ति के रूप में व्यक्त किया गया) अपने विचारों को व्यक्त करता है और धीरे-धीरे उसे याद दिलाता है कि भगवान को कुछ भी करने के लिए मिल्टन की आवश्यकता नहीं है। वास्तव में, धैर्य (व्यक्ति) उसे बताता है कि भगवान की सेवा के लिए सबसे सरल धन्यवाद hai . भगवान jisko jis halat me rakhe usi me rah kar woh ishwar ki Ibadat kare yahi use pasand hai aur.
अंत में, मिल्टन को याद दिलाया जाता है कि भगवान के infinite Angels (farishte) हैं जो apni स्वेच्छा से और निरंतर सेवा करते हैं और उनकी पूजा करते हैं। इससे भी महत्वपूर्ण बात, मिल्टन को धैर्य से इंतजार करना चाहिए और भरोसा करना चाहिए कि भगवान usse (और उनके अंधापन) ko bhi ibadat samajh kr accept karega.
Note: Hindi version is a machine translation, not professionally translated. so you are recommended to go through the English Version.
Central Idea Of “On His Blindness”
There is no better way to thank God for your sight than by giving a helping hand to someone in the dark
unknown
Through “On His Blindness” Milton attempts to spread a spiritual message among the readers that mankind is helpless before the will of God. They ought to embrace/ accepts the order or will of their creator/ sustainer.
They must accept wholeheartedly all the conditions (ups and downs) in which God desires to put them in. God’s kingdom is princely where million of millions angel offer their service voluntarily and continuously.
He does not need any kinds of help of his creature. He simply accepts the true gratitude of us which is the best service of God.
Specifications
Alliteration: my days in this dark world and wide
Metaphor: though my soul more bent / To serve therewith my Maker. The author compares his soul to his mind.
Personification/Metaphor: But Patience, to prevent / That murmur, soon replies
Paradox: They also serve who only stand and wait.
Message of the Poem may be
- There is no flaw in the system of God’ creation
- The Almighty Maker does not expect anything in return from us.
- Slavery of God is the best form of freedom
- The supremacy of God is highlighted
- Gratitude is the best form of worship
There is no unique postures, times, and limitations that restrict our access to God.
Ravi Zacharias
Keywords to identify the Reference
- …Ere half my days in this dark world
- …though my soul more bent;To serve therewith my Maker,
- …That murmur, soon replies: “God doth not need
- …They also serve who only stand and wait