London

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.

In every cry of every Man,
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
Every black'ning Church appalls,
And the hapless Soldier's sigh
Runs in blood down Palace walls.

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

by William Blake (1757-1827) , "London", from Songs of Innocence and Experience, in Songs of Experience, no. 18, published 1794

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive)

by William Earl Averitt (1948-) , "London", 1970 [TBB and piano], from Two Songs of William Blake, no. 2.
by William Bolcom (1938-) , "London", 1956-81 [soloists, madrigal group, chorus, orchestra], from Songs of Experience, Volume Two, no. 11.
by (Edward) Benjamin Britten (1913-1976) , "London", op. 74 no. 2, from Songs and Proverbs of William Blake, no. 2.
by John Charlton Crawford (1931-) , "London", published 1965 [bass voice, string quartet], from Three Songs of Experience, no. 3.
by Sergius Kagen (1909-1964) , "London", published 1954.
by (Thomas) Timothy Lenk (1952-) , "London", c1977 [tenor, bass-baritone, flute (piccolo), clarinet, bass clarinet, and violin], from Songs of Innocence and Experience, no. 11.
by Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958) , "London", 1957, published 1958 [voice and oboe], from Ten Blake Songs, no. 4.

FRE French (Guy Laffaille)

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