Lyric Poem · Life

Sonnet 13

by John Milton

Reading room

1XIII

2To Mr. H. Lawes, on his Aires.

3Harry whose tuneful and well measur'd Song

4First taught our English Musick how to span

5Words with just note and accent, not to scan

6With Midas Ears, committing short and long;

7Thy worth and skill exempts thee from the throng,

8With praise enough for Envy to look wan;

9To after age thou shalt be writ the man,

10That with smooth aire couldst humor best our tongue

11Thou honour'st Verse, and Verse must send her wing

12To honour thee, the Priest of Phoebus Quire

13That tun'st their happiest lines in Hymn or Story

14Dante shall give Fame leave to set thee higher

15Then his Casella, whom he woo'd to sing

16Met in the milder shades of Purgatory.

17Note: 9 send] lend Cambridge Autograph MS.

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“Sonnet 13” by John Milton — quilloak.com/poems/sonnet-13-milton

Quick facts

Poem: Sonnet 13
Poet: John Milton
Length: 17 lines
Form: Lyric Poem
Themes: Life

Craft notes

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Measured from the text on this page, not copied from a summary. Counts are approximate: syllables and rhymes come from the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary, which models General American English, so dialect, older pronunciation, and performance can all change what you hear.

Shape: 17 lines · 4 stanzas of 1–14 lines
Line length: Lines run 9-11 syllables (median 10), consistent with pentameter. No single length dominates, which is normal once elision and contraction are in play.

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Author record: John Milton1608–1674
Source record: PoetryDBSonnet 13 by john-milton, PoetryDB transcription
Display decision: Full text · United States · reviewed 2026-07-18
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Lyric Poem Life

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