How the chimney ....... down palace walls. | London By William Blake | Eureka Study Aids

How the chimney-sweeper's cry
Every blackening church appals;
And the hapless soldier's sigh
Runs in blood down palace walls.

How the chimney .......... down palace walls.

Reference
(i) Poem: London
(ii) Poet: William Blake
Context
(i) Occurrence: Stanza 3/4 (Lines 9-12/16)

(ii) Content: This poem is about disease, misery, child labour and prostitution - basically everything that Blake feels is wrong about London. The speaker wanders through the streets of London and sees despair in the faces of the people he meets and hears fear in their voices. The woeful cry of the chimney-sweeper stands as a chastisement to the Church, and the blood of a soldier stains the outer walls of the monarch's residence. At night, the cursing of prostitutes corrupts the newborn infant and sullies the "marriage hearse". 

Explanation

     In these lines the poet laments over the cries of chimney-sweepers, inefficiency of churches and the sighs of soldiers. A chimney-sweeper is a worker employed to clean soot from chimneys. In Blake's day, this disgusting, dirty and dangerous job was usually reserved for children. This dangerous and exploitative job makes them cry. The job of a chimney sweeper and that of a church is same. The church is responsible to clean the people from sins, crimes and evils. However, the church itself is blackened. Thus the chimney-sweeper's cry and every blackening church appall the poet. The poet is also dismayed at the life of soldiers. The soldiers are drafted into war and have no choice but to serve their country. The walls of the palace of their country are stained with their sighs and blood. In short, both chimney-sweeper and the soldiers are in "forg'd manacles"; they are physically restrained by their seniors.

Notes Prepared By: Prof. Shahbaz Asghar