**When I consider how my light is spent**
When I consider how my light is spent,
Ere half my days, in this dark world.
And that one Talent which is lost,
Lodged with me useless, though my soul more bent,
To serve therewith my Maker, and present
My true account, lest he return and chide.
“Doth God exact day‑labour, light denied?”
I ask, but patience to prevent that murmur 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.”
### Summary of the Elegy
This elegy, written by John Milton in 1651, is a brief meditation on the loss of vision and the acceptance of divine will.
In the opening lines the poet reflects on how his sight has been diminished, leaving him to rely on faith.
He questions whether God expects him to work with his own limited sight, but learns that divine acceptance does not demand human effort.
He realizes that the universe is governed by a higher order and that those who bear his mild yoke serve God best, irrespective of personal talents.
The poem ends with a quiet acceptance that higher powers guide all, and that it is only to stand and wait that is truly noble.
The elegy is not a formal poem with a strict meter; it is a simple reflection of a complex and difficult feeling.
### Quotes to be Used
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.