Summary

“London, 1802” begins with the speaker calling out to Milton, presumably the late poet John Milton, exclaiming that he should still be alive and that England needs him now more than ever. They refer to the country as “a fen/of stagnant waters” and claim the modern day England has forsaken the morals, or “dower/of inward happiness,” that were present during Milton’s era (2, 4-5). They go on to refer to humanity as selfish, and call once more for the poet to return, “and give us manners, virtue, freedom, power” (8).

In the ninth line of the poem, the speaker begins to praise Milton, saying his “soul was like a Star” and he had “a voice whose sound was like the sea” (9-10). They then go on to praise the way in which Milton lead a life of purity and happiness, traveling “on life’s...