'London' by William Blake

LONDON

I wandered through each chartered street,

Near where the chartered Thames does flow,

A mark in every face I meet,

Marks of weakness, marks of woe.

In every cry of every man,

In every infant's cry of fear,

In every voice, in every ban,

The mind-forged manacles I hear:

How the chimney-sweeper's cry

Every blackening church appals,

And the hapless soldier's sigh

Runs in blood down palace-walls.

But most, through midnight streets I hear

How the youthful harlot's curse

Blasts the new-born infant's tear,

And blights with plagues the marriage-hearse.

The poetry of William Blake is remarkable for its use of brilliant imagery and the force of its rhythm. Critics hail him as the greatest precursor of the Romantic revival in English literature.
‘London’, one of the finest lyrics composed by Blake, is simple and forceful. The poet not only presents a picture of London but appeals to the emotions. The poet is highly critical of the social evils prevalent in London of his times.
In this picture of London the infant, the chimney sweeper, the harlot and others have a tale to tell. The poem points to the misery of the depressed and distressed. Blake becomes the champion of the poor and miserable. He criticizes the cruelty of the church and the government.
The poem runs into four stanzas it gives us a realistic picture of life. In the first stanza the poet talks of his walking through the streets controlled by corporation, the streets where the Thames River flows. The poet sees signs of sufferings and sadness on the face of every person he meets. The repetition of the words “mark..marks…marks…” emphasizes the seriousness of the poem.
In the second stanza the poet talks about the rules, which are like chains that imprison the poor. The poet hears these chains made by man to deny freedom to his fellowmen. He hears them in each and every cry uttered by man and in the infant’s cry of fear.
In the third stanza the poet moves from general to particular. The poet points out to the miserable life led by the chimney sweeper. These small boys clean the chimneys which are full of soot. It is a dangerous job. Their cries appeal to the heart of the poet. Blake calls the church blackening. The church is expected to be helpful to the poor. But it is a friend of the rich and suppresses the poor. As a result the chimney sweepers suffer and cry.
In the last stanza the poet throws light on the social evil of prostitution. At midnight the curses and cries of young prostitutes are heard in the streets of London. Many young girls in London neither have money nor any source of livelihood. They turn into harlots – they themselves suffer and then in turn curse the tradition of marriage and married people. They do not want children to be born either to themselves or to others.
The poem is a masterpiece of development, ending with an explosive phrase – “the marriage hearse”. This phrase gives to the poem the most powerful closing line of any song by Blake.
Thus, the poem is a realization of the tragedy of human life itself. Blake displays indignation for the ruling class and sympathy for the poor. Blake had a tragic realization of the restrictions which imprison and kill the living spirit of man, which he shows in this poem.