Page:The poetical works of William Blake; a new and verbatim text from the manuscript engraved and letterpress originals (1905).djvu/173

Rh 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