Analysis

On his Blindness, John Milton
(Sometimes a part of the verse is repeated in brackets, to show when multiple literary devices are used in one part of a verse.)
" When I consider how my light is spent (When I consider how my light is spent) (is spent)
Ere half my days in this dark world and wide, (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,
"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.” 


Yellow: A pun, which is a play on words. Here, "light" can mean both the author's eyesight and the light of day.
Blue: Enjambment/run-on-lines, where the sentence is unfinished and the meaning is incomplete when the verse ends.
Light Blue: A paradox, which is an apparent contradiction. Here, the author speaks about how he spends his days, yet his light is gone before half of his days are over.
Purple: A metaphor, which is a comparison without like or as. Here, the author compares his lack of sight to an imaginary world with a lack of sight.
Red: An alliteration, where two or more words that are close to each other start with the same letter,
Pink: A personification, where a non-human thing is given human aspects. Here, Patience is not a human, but it represents the virtues that the author strives to achieve.


(poetry.com, 2011)