Analysis of When I Consider How My Light Is Spent
John Milton 1608 (Cheapside) – 1674 (Chalfont St Giles)
When I consider how my light is spent,
Ere half my days, in this dark world and wide,
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;
“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. 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.”
Scheme | ABBACBBADEFDEF |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 1101011111 1111011101 0111011111 1111011111 111110010 1101110101 110111101 1101110101 1101011111 1011111111 1111111111 1101011101 0111010011 1101110101 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 648 |
Words | 117 |
Sentences | 6 |
Stanzas | 1 |
Stanza Lengths | 14 |
Lines Amount | 14 |
Letters per line (avg) | 34 |
Words per line (avg) | 8 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 473 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 113 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on May 01, 2023
- 35 sec read
- 111 Views
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"When I Consider How My Light Is Spent" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 19 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/23905/when-i-consider-how-my-light-is-spent>.
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