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Darkness Quote by Milton

“Samson Agonistes" Blind among enemies, O worse then chains, Dungeon, or beggery, or decrepit age! Light the prime work of God to me is extinct, [ 70 ] And all her various objects of delight Annull'd, which might in part my grief have eas'd, Inferiour to the vilest now become Of man or worm; the…” quote by Milton
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““Samson Agonistes" Blind among enemies, O worse then chains, Dungeon, or beggery, or decrepit age! Light the prime work of God to me is extinct, [ 70 ] And all her various objects of delight Annull'd, which might in part my grief have eas'd, Inferiour to the vilest now become Of man or worm; the vilest here excel me, They creep, yet see, I dark in light expos'd [ 75 ] To daily fraud, contempt, abuse and wrong, Within doors, or without, still as a fool, In power of others, never in my own; Scarce half I seem to live, dead more then half. O dark, dark, dark, amid the blaze of noon, [ 80 ] Irrecoverably dark, total Eclipse Without all hope of day! O first created Beam, and thou great Word, Let there be light, and light was over all; Why am I thus bereav'd thy prime decree? [ 85 ] The Sun to me is dark And silent as the Moon, When she deserts the night Hid in her vacant interlunar cave. Since light so necessary is to life, [ 90 ] And almost life itself, if it be true That light is in the Soul, She all in every part; why was the sight To such a tender ball as th' eye confin'd? So obvious and so easie to be quench't, [ 95 ] And not as feeling through all parts diffus'd, That she might look at will through every pore? Then had I not been thus exil'd from light; As in the land of darkness yet in light, To live a life half dead, a living death, [ 100 ] And buried; but O yet more miserable!””

Milton

About This Quote

Source Poem: Samson Agonistes, 1671

The speaker laments profound spiritual darkness, feeling trapped by inner turmoil and external oppression, yearning for divine illumination.

In simple terms: Feeling trapped in darkness, longing for light.

Key Takeaway

Seek inner light despite external darkness.

Themes

spiritual struggle despair hope light oppression

Mood

somber hopeful contemplative

Type

poetic theological existential

When to use this quote

  • prayer in hardship
  • meditating on suffering
  • writing personal lament
  • discussing religious doubt
  • art therapy

Key Concepts

theology existentialism poetic lament

Questions to Reflect On

  • What inner light can you nurture in dark times?
  • How does acknowledging darkness empower you?
A Different Perspective

Hope may feel distant when darkness dominates perception.

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