Poems by John Milton

John Milton (1608–1674) was an English writer of prose and poetry, as well as a civil servant for the Commonwealth of England under Oliver Cromwell. He is best known for Paradise Lost (1667), an epic poem written in blank verse.

Although he was blind by his mid-forties, he continued to write by dictating to his daughters and others who would help. Despite the difficulties of this method, he wrote the 10,000 lines of Paradise Lost by dictation.

Milton’s friend Andrew Marvell composed a poem, “On Mr. Milton’s ‘Paradise Lost’,” describing his reaction to the blind poet’s central work. You may listen to a brief excerpt from Paradise LostI, performed by Ian Richardson, in the video below.

John Milton, date and artist unknown, published in Little Journeys to the Homes of English Authors, 1916.

Milton poems hosted here

“On His Blindness”

“Lycidas”

Sonnet VII (followed by more biographical info & other Milton resources)

More about Milton

Read Milton’s letter “Of Education”: his thoughts on what the ideal education would be

Blackwell Publishing (now owned by Wiley) offers a scholarly magazine called the Milton Quarterly Journal that publishes articles on all things Milton. Not many poets can boast of being the feature subject of an entire magazine, especially 400 years after their death! You may be able to access this journal for free if your local library, college, or university has a subscription to it (check the catalog or ask the reference librarian).

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When will you read Milton’s writing in Excellence in Literature?

British Literature—E4.5 Focus text: Paradise Lost  — I recommend The Major Works by John Milton from Oxford World’s Classics, as it contains both his prose and poetry.