Poems by Milton
On Time & On Shakespear | Kaleidoscope Poetry - Ultimate Study Guide 2025
Introduction to Poetry - Kaleidoscope
A poem is a composition in verse, usually characterised by concentrated and heightened language in which words are chosen for their sound and suggestive power as well as for their meaning, and using techniques such as rhythm and metre. To read and hear good poetry is to appreciate the subtleties of cadence and rhythm, the variety of pace and pattern and all that goes to make up the music of poetry.
Every poem that we read adds to, in some degree, our total conception of poetry.
Of the eight poets in this selection, four are from the classical tradition: Donne, Milton, Blake and Coleridge. The other four are closer to contemporary times: Yeats, A.K. Ramanujan, Emily Dickinson and Kamala Das.
Key Elements of Poetry
- Language: Concentrated, heightened, sound-focused for evocative effect.
- Techniques: Rhythm, metre, suggestive power to create musicality.
- Appreciation: Cadence, pattern, and the 'music' that elevates emotion and intellect.
- Traditions: Classical (e.g., Milton's epic grandeur) vs. Contemporary (e.g., Das's confessional intimacy).
Points to Ponder
- How does reading Milton alter your 'total conception of poetry' through its sublime vision?
- Compare classical and contemporary voices: What unites them in the 'music of poetry'?
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Poet: John Milton (1608-1674)
John Milton began writing poetry at the age of ten. After finishing his formal education at Cambridge, he read almost everything available in Latin, Greek, Italian and English. He was appointed Latin Secretary where he worked so hard that eyestrain, from years of late night reading, caused him to become totally blind at the age of forty-five. In the final years of his life he wrote (through dictation) Paradise Lost and Paradise Regained.
Key Style: Epic & Sublime
- Grand, elevated diction blending classical learning with Christian theology.
- Startling imagery of time, eternity, and human aspiration.
Life Highlights
- Polyglot scholar; blinded by devotion to republican cause and study.
- Dictated masterpieces post-blindness, embodying resilience.
Influence & Legacy
Shaped Romantic poets; embodies moral grandeur, influencing literature on time, fame, and divinity.
Milton's Worldview
Milton's Puritan zeal and classical humanism infuse poems with triumphant faith—Time as devourer yields to Eternity's embrace, mirroring his own trials of blindness and loss.
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On Time: Full Text & Summary
Detailed Stanza-by-Stanza Summary
Stanza 1: Time is urged to hasten its destructive course, devouring vanities and mortal dross with leaden slowness, yet gaining little as humanity loses trifles.
Stanza 2: Once Time entombs all evil and consumes itself, Eternity greets the blessed with intimate joy, flooding souls with divine truths that eternally shine.
Stanza 3: Souls, guided heavenward, ascend to God's throne, shedding earthly grossness, arrayed in stars, triumphing over death, chance, and Time itself.
Overall, the poem personifies Time as a greedy devourer defeated by eternal bliss, celebrating transcendence.
विस्तृत छंद-दर-छंद हिंदी सारांश
छंद 1: समय को अपनी विनाशकारी दौड़ तेज करने का आग्रह किया जाता है, व्यर्थताओं और मरणशील मैल को सीसे जैसी सुस्ती से निगलते हुए, फिर भी थोड़ा ही लाभ पाते हुए क्योंकि मानवता तुच्छ खोती है।
छंद 2: एक बार समय सभी बुराई को दफनाकर स्वयं को नष्ट कर ले, अनंत काल धन्यवादियों का स्वागत व्यक्तिगत आनंद से करता है, आत्माओं को दिव्य सत्यों से भरता है जो शाश्वत चमकते हैं।
छंद 3: आत्माएँ, स्वर्गीय मार्गदर्शन में, ईश्वर के सिंहासन पर चढ़ती हैं, पृथ्वी की मोटाई त्यागती हैं, तारों से सजकर, मृत्यु, संयोग और समय पर विजयी होकर बैठती हैं।
कुल मिलाकर, कविता समय को लालची निगलने वाले के रूप में व्यक्त करती है जो अनंत आनंद से पराजित होता है, उत्कृष्टता का उत्सव मनाती है।
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On Shakespear: Full Text & Summary
Detailed Stanza-by-Stanza Summary
Stanza 1: No need for stone monuments or pyramids to honor Shakespeare's bones; his fame requires no weak testament.
Stanza 2: In wonder, he builds a living monument through effortless verse that imprints profound lines on hearts.
Stanza 3: His poetry bereaves fancy, turning readers to marble in awe, entombing him in royal pomp that kings envy.
Overall, Shakespeare's immortality lies in his inspirational legacy, surpassing physical tombs.
विस्तृत छंद-दर-छंद हिंदी सारांश
छंद 1: शेक्सपियर की हड्डियों को सम्मानित करने के लिए पत्थर के स्मारकों या पिरामिडों की कोई आवश्यकता नहीं; उनकी प्रसिद्धि को कमजोर प्रमाण की जरूरत नहीं।
छंद 2: आश्चर्य में, वह सहज कविता के माध्यम से जीवंत स्मारक बनाता है जो हृदयों पर गहन पंक्तियाँ अंकित करता है।
छंद 3: उनकी कविता कल्पना को हर लेती है, पाठकों को आश्चर्य से संगमरमर बना देती है, उन्हें राजसी वैभव में दफन करती है जिसकी राजा ईर्ष्या करें।
कुल मिलाकर, शेक्सपियर की अमरता उनकी प्रेरणादायक विरासत में निहित है, जो भौतिक समाधियों से ऊपर है।
Reprint 2025-26 | Notice the spelling of ‘Shakespear’ and of the words ‘easie’, ‘conceaving’.
Themes & Critical Analysis
Central Theme: Triumph over Time (On Time)
- Temporal decay vs. Eternal bliss: Time devours vanity, but divine truths endure.
- Personification: Envious Time as Cronos-like devourer, defeated by soul's ascent.
Central Theme: Immortality through Art (On Shakespear)
Physical monuments pale against living legacy; Shakespeare's verse inspires awe, outshining kings' tombs.
Milton's Grand Vision
- Classical allusions (Cronos, Delphic oracle) blend with Christian eschatology.
- Sublime diction evokes moral elevation and intellectual awe.
Critical Appreciation
Milton's poems exalt transcendence: 'On Time' envisions Eternity's kiss as antidote to mortality's dross, while 'On Shakespear' deifies art's enduring monument. Both employ elevated rhetoric to startle with divine possibility, reflecting Milton's blind yet visionary faith—timeless hymns to human potential.
Discussion Prompts
- How does Milton's blindness inform his defiant gaze toward Eternity?
- Does Shakespeare's 'live-long Monument' still hold in the digital age?
Understanding the Poems
On Time
1. Why has the poet pitted the flight of Time against the ‘lazy leaden-stepping hours’ and ‘the heavy Plummets pace’?
- To contrast Time's illusory haste with its sluggish reality, mocking its envy and ultimate futility against eternity.
2. What are the things associated with the temporal and what are associated with the eternal?
- Temporal: Falsehood, vanity, mortal dross, greed, envy.
- Eternal: Bliss, joy, truth, peace, love, divine goodness.
3. What guides human souls towards divinity? Who is the final winner in the race against Time?
- Heavenly guidance; Eternity triumphs, consuming Time itself.
On Shakespear
1. Why does Milton feel it is not necessary to put up a monument in stone for Shakespeare?
- Shakespeare's verse creates an eternal, living monument in readers' hearts, surpassing stone.
2. What does the ‘weak witness of thy name’ refer to?
- Physical monuments like pyramids—fragile compared to Shakespeare's fame.
3. How does Milton describe Shakespeare as the source of inspiration for all succeeding generations of poets?
- As a 'dear son of memory' whose 'Delphic lines' imprint deeply, bereaving fancy and inspiring awe.
4. What is the best tribute that posterity has bestowed on Shakespeare?
- The living monument of wonder and imitation in every heart that reads him.
Language Work
1. Archaic Spelling Variations
Milton's 17th-century English features flexible orthography, with 'e' for vowel length and contractions.
| Word | Modern Spelling | Milton's Era | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Time | time | Time | envious Time |
| Entombed | entombed | entomb’d | hast entomb’d |
| Climb | climb | clime | soul shall clime |
| Easy | easy | easie | easie numbers |
| Conceiving | conceiving | conceaving | too much conceaving |
| Shakespeare | Shakespeare | Shakespear | my Shakespear |
2. Etymology Study
Etymology traces word origins. For ‘entomb’d’: [late ME entoumbe(n) MF entombe(r)].
- Late Middle English origin.
- French roots from 1578; ~30% English words French-derived post-Norman Conquest (1066–1250/1400).
Try This Out: Imagery in Context
| Phrase | (i) Literal | (ii) Figurative |
|---|---|---|
| Heavy Plummets pace | Clock weight's slow drop | Time's dragging inevitability |
| Live-long Monument | Eternal structure | Shakespeare's enduring inspiration |
Task: Analyze 'individual kiss'—personal divine union vs. collective eternity.
Interactive Quiz - Test Your Understanding
10 MCQs on both poems, poet, themes, and language. Aim for 80%+ for mastery!
Suggested Reading
Core Milton Works
- Paradise Lost: Epic on fall and redemption.
- Paradise Regained: Christ's triumph over temptation.
Further Exploration
- On his Blindness: Sonnet on patient faith amid loss.
- Areopagitica: Defense of free speech, echoing poetic liberty.
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