London by William Blake

Form: Four quatrains in ballad meter | Year: 1794

Full Text

I wander through each chartered street,
Near where the chartered 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-forged manacles I hear.

How the Chimney-sweeper's cry
Every blackening Church appalls,
And the hapless Soldier's sigh
Runs in blood down Palace walls.

But most through midnight streets I hear
How the youthful Harlot's curse
Blasts the new-born Infant's tear,
And blights with plagues the Marriage hearse.

Overview

Blake depicts a city where oppression is visible in every face and cry, linking political, religious, and social suffering.

Line-by-Line Analysis

Lines 1-4

The speaker walks through a controlled city and sees misery everywhere.

Lines 5-8

Suffering is internalized as “mind-forged manacles,” a psychological chain.

Lines 9-16

Blake connects child labor, militarism, and sexual exploitation to institutional violence.

Themes

Oppression
Urban misery
Institutional violence
Lost innocence

Literary Devices

Repetition: In every — Creates a relentless, suffocating rhythm.
Metaphor: mind-forged manacles — Captures internalized oppression.

Historical Context

Written during rapid industrialization in London, the poem criticizes social institutions and political power.