O loss of sight, of thee I most complain! Blind among enemies, O worse than chains, dungeon or beggary, or decrepit age! Light, the prime work of God, to me is extinct, and all her various objects of delight annulled, which might in part my grief have eased. Inferior to the vilest now become of man or worm; the vilest here excel me, they creep, yet see; I, dark in light, exposed 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 than half.

Summary

In this quote, the speaker laments the loss of their sight and bemoans the crippling consequences it has caused. They consider the inability to see as a worse state than being physically restrained, impoverished, or aged. The absence of light, a divine creation, has extinguished their ability to perceive and derive pleasure from the various wonders of the world. They feel utterly diminished and deem themselves inferior even to the lowest forms of life that can still observe their surroundings. The speaker further expresses the suffering they endure, constantly exposed to deception, contempt, abuse, and injustice without any autonomy in their life. Ultimately, they feel as if they are only half alive, with their lack of sight rendering them more dead than alive.

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