London. Songs of Experience. William Blake. 1908. The Poetical Works

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William Blake (1757–1827). The Poetical Works. 1908.

Songs of Experience

London


I WANDER 1 thro’ each charter’d street,
Near where the charter’d Thames does flow,
And mark in every face I meet
Marks of weakness, marks of woe.

In every cry of every Man,	5
In every Infant’s cry of fear,
In every voice, in every ban,
The mind-forg’d manacles I hear.

How the chimney-sweeper’s cry
Every black’ning church appals;	10
And the hapless soldier’s sigh
Runs in blood down palace walls.

But most thro’ midnight streets I hear
How the youthful harlot’s curse
Blasts the new-born infant’s tear,	15
And blights with plagues the marriage hearse.

Note 1. 1, 2 charter’d] dirty MS. 3 And mark] And see MS. 1st rdg. del. 6 In every voice of every child MS. 1st rdg. del. 8 The german forged links I hear MS. 1st rdg. del.
9, 10

But most the chimney-sweeper’s cry

Blackens o’er the church’s walls MS. 1st rdg. del.

13–16 In the MS. this stanza was at first written:

But most the midnight harlot’s curse

From every dismal street I hear,

Weaves around the marriage hearse,

And blasts the new-born infant’s tear.

This was cancelled and followed by:

But most from every street I hear—

alt. successively to

… through wintry streets I hear

and