William Blake - London - Analysis

About Author - 

William Blake was an English poet, born in London in. He was very influenced by the bible from his childhood. He taught his wife to read and write, and also his engraving job. He was also influenced by the political event of his times like the American Revolution (1775) & the French Revolution (1794).

Blake's well-known poetry collections are the Song of Experience (1794) & the Song of Innocence (1789).

The theme of the Poem- 

London is a poem from the romantic era from Blake's collection - the Song of Experience.

In the 18th century, with the rise of Romantic poetry in English literature, poets such as Dryden, Pope, and Swift concentrated on public themes often satirizing the politics, morals, and manners of the time. Poetry now had a theme of personal feeling and a greater sensitivity to nature and the countryside. 

London - Line-by-Line Analysis- 

I wander 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 the first stanza, the poet fixates that he is walking down a street that is controlled and rigid. (Chartered). Near the street chartered Thames river is also flowing. This gives us that the poet is walking on some street in the city of London. He further tells us about the people, there is mark of weakness and sadness on every face he met. The first stanza sets up the tone of melancholy which is further explored in the next stanzas.

In every cry of every Man,

In every Infants cry of fear,

In every voice: in every ban,

The mind-forg'd manacles I hear 

    

    In the second stanza, we get an insight into the people the poet watches. He hears mind-forged manacles in every voice, every men's and infant's cry. The manacles refer to some kind of chain which are keeping the people of London imprisoned and are not real but forged in their own minds. The 'ban' here refers to the law and restrictions which further intensifies the strength of the chain. 

How the Chimney-sweepers cry

Every blackning Church appalls, 

And the hapless Soldiers sigh

Runs in blood down Palace walls 

    In the third stanza, the poet refers to the cries of the chimney sweepers, the poorest of the society and who were often orphans. They are tormented and rebuked by every blackening church. The poet further criticizes the people in palaces who make soldiers their victims and fight useless wars spilling the blood of soldiers.  

But most thro' midnight streets I hear

How the youthful Harlots curse

Blasts the new-born Infants tear 

And blights with plagues the Marriage hearse 

 

In the last stanza of the poem, the poet says that he is most tormented by the curse of the youthful harlot in the midnight streets. The girl who was yet a youth was sent to prostitution and is now cursing at an infant crying very loudly. The poet doesn't state if the child is of the harlot but the lines depict the hardened heart of the Harlot and the society towards a crying innocent.
In the last line, the poet says that the Harlot has blighted the marriage hearse. She has damaged her marriage by having sold her body before it. He also called marriage a hearse i.e., death,
William Blake targets society, church, prostitution & marriage through the poem London.