How shall the summer arise in joy, 26
Or the summer fruits appear ?
Or how shall we gather what griefs destroy,
Or bless the mellowing year,
When the blasts of winter appear ?
London
I wander thro' each charter'd street, i
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 9
Every black'ning Church appalls ;
And the hapless Soldier's sigh
Runs in blood down Palace walls.
But most thro' midnight streets I hear 13
How the youthful Harlot's curse
Blasts the new born Infant's tear.
And blights with plagues the Marriage hearse.
Engraved on a single plate, with some important changes from the first
draft of this poem found on p. 109- (reversed) of the MS. Book. This plate is
among the number reprinted by Gilchrist (Z-y^, ii. end).
I, 2 charter'd] dirty MS. Book. 3 And mark] And see MS. Book
istrdg. del. ; A mark WMR (corrected, however, in some later editions), EY,
WBY. 6 In . . . fear] In every voice of every child MS. Book istrdg.
del. 8 The . . . hear] The german forged links I hear MS. Book 15/
rdg. del. 9 How] But most etc. MS. Book 15^ rdg. del. It would appear
to have been Blake's first intention to close the poem with this stanza.
10 Blackens o'er the churches walls MS. Book istrdg. del. 14 Harlot's]
No apostrophe in orig. ; harlots' Wilk. ; harlot's rest. 13-16 In the MS.
Book 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.'
K 3
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Songs of Experience
131