Analysis of Sonnet 16
John Milton 1608 (Cheapside) – 1674 (Chalfont St Giles)
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.
Scheme | ABBACBAADEFDEF |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 1101011111 11111011101 0111011111 1111011111 111110010 1101110101 11011111 1101110101 1101011111 1011111111 1111111111 1101011101 01111010011 1101110101 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 635 |
Words | 116 |
Sentences | 3 |
Stanzas | 1 |
Stanza Lengths | 14 |
Lines Amount | 14 |
Letters per line (avg) | 34 |
Words per line (avg) | 8 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 474 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 114 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 27, 2023
- 36 sec read
- 57 Views
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"Sonnet 16" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/23874/sonnet-16>.
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