[1431] London

Guest poem sent in by Katherine E. Hudson <kehudson@>

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 every cry of every Man,
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 appalls;
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,
And blights with plagues the Marriage hearse.

 	-- William Blake

I was talking about this poem with a friend this evening and went to the
Minstrels site looking for it.  I was surprised by its absence, as I think
it's one of Blake's best-crafted efforts.

Though I like Blake a lot for his views, commitment, and occasional
memorable phrase (not to mention his art), I don't really think he was a
first-rank poet. But "London" hangs together beautifully in terms of
coherent and powerful imagery as well as rhyme and meter.  Two metaphors in
the poem are especially heart-rending:  "the hapless Soldier's sigh/ Runs in
blood down Palace walls" and "the youthful Harlot's curse/.  . . /Blights
with plagues the Marriage hearse."  (Though, bearing in mind the risk of
veneral disease, the latter may not be metaphor so much as acknowledgment of
reality.)

Much could also be said about how this poem expresses Blake's enduring
concern with issues of personal freedom and social justice--e.g.,
restrictive laws, hypocrisy in organized religion, poverty and the evils
that flow from it, including disease (testicular cancer was recognized in
Blake's time as an occupational hazard of chimney-sweeps) and prostitution.

Katherine E. Hudson

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From: Amit Chakrabarti <ac@>

I agree with most of the comments, except that Blake is one
of the <i>clearest</i> examples of a first-rank poet. Indeed,
Britannica opines that "Blake is now regarded as one of the
earliest and greatest figures of Romanticism."

--AC

From: "jim clark" <videoman6082@>

  "London" is probably William Blakes best remembered poem it takes us
on a dark fatalistic voyage through London's murky streets where through
the vision of Blake we witness hopelesness and despair on every corner
and in every face. It seems all are doomed in Blakes bleak 18th century
despair filled streets....

  Here a modern day mystic of the alternative London poetry scene the
unique Dave Russell performs this unforgetable version of this much
loved poem from the first video recording session I held with him in
1997 and from the soundtrack subsequently issued on his first CD
"Bacteria Schrapnel" in 1999....

  Heres the link to the page where you can listen to this and many other
classic poems set to music..


http://groups.msn.com/acousticmusiciansandpoetssoundarchive/poetrysounds.msnw?action"get_message&mview"0&ID_Message"561

  Regards.

  Jim Clark
  PS..Dont forget you can if you prefer listen to my sound poems at my
Yahoo "sound poetry" web groups (look in "files") heres that link..
  http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bloozman_uk/
  You can listen to this particular poem in my second yahoo "Soundpoemz"
sound poetry group heres that link..
  http://groups.yahoo.com/group/soundpoemz/

  All rights are reserved on this sound recording/copyright/patent Jim
Clark 1999

  London

  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 every cry of every Man,
  In every Infants cry of fear,
  In every voice: in every ban,
  The mind-forg'd manacles I hear

  How the Chimney-sweepers cry
  Every blackning Church appalls,
  And the hapless Soldiers sigh
  Runs in blood down Palace walls

  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