London by William Blake - STANZA WISE EXPLANATION

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STANZA WISE EXPLANATION

Stanza - 1

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.

The speaker in the first stanza states that he walked through the streets of London near the River Thames and whomsoever he meets, he finds a sign of weakness and unhappiness in their face.

Stanza - 2

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, the speaker explains the mental and physical state of the people. he states that every sound he hears, whether its the cry of a man or the cry of the child, he realizes that the people are trapped in every way - mentally as well as physically.

 Stanza - 3

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 speaker talks about the ruining life of the people. He states that the distress of these people ruined this place.

Stanza - 4

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 fourth stanza, the speaker states what he hears the most at night. At night when he walks around, he hears the sound of young prostitutes swearing, which ruins the innocence of the newly born babies who hear that swearing. 

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