The poem "On his Blindness" is composed by which of the following poets?

Concept: A poem is attributed to a poet by matching its title, form, and biographical or thematic content against the documented body of work and life of that poet — not by genre or era alone.

Application: "On his Blindness" (opening line: "When I consider how my light is spent") is a Petrarchan sonnet written by John Milton after he had gone completely blind. It reflects Milton's personal anguish over the loss of his sight and his eventual conclusion that God does not require visible "work" from every servant, captured in the closing line "They also serve who only stand and wait." Milton, the 17th-century English poet also known for the epic "Paradise Lost" and its sequel "Paradise Regained," is the documented author of this sonnet.

Cross-check: For contrast, the other named poets do not share this biographical hook or this title anywhere in their own body of work:

• P.B. Shelley (Romantic era, early 19th century) wrote lyrics like "Ode to the West Wind"; blindness is not a subject he wrote on.

• John Keats (Romantic era, early 19th century) wrote odes such as "Ode to a Nightingale"; he never lost his sight and left no sonnet on the subject.

• Robert Frost (American, 20th century) wrote poems like "The Road Not Taken"; he did not lose his eyesight and this sonnet is not among his poems.

Milton's documented biography and 17th-century body of work match this sonnet's period, form, and content.