Read the poem 'London' by William Blake and answer the question given below :

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 Infants cry of fear,
In every voice: in every ban,
The mind-forg'd manacles I hear

How the Chimney-sweepers cry
Every blackning Church appalls,
And the hapless Soldiers sigh
Runs in blood down Palace walls

But most thro' midnight streets I hear
How the youthful Harlots curse
Blasts the new-born Infants tear
And blights with plagues the Marriage hearse

While wandering through the streets of London, the poet :

Question

Read the poem 'London' by William Blake and answer the question given below :

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 Infants cry of fear,
In every voice: in every ban,
The mind-forg'd manacles I hear

How the Chimney-sweepers cry
Every blackning Church appalls, 
And the hapless Soldiers sigh
Runs in blood down Palace walls

But most thro' midnight streets I hear
How the youthful Harlots curse
Blasts the new-born Infants tear 
And blights with plagues the Marriage hearse

While wandering through the streets of London, the poet :

Accepted Answer

While wandering through the streets of London, the poet is acutely aware of the signs of pain, misery, and sorrow in the faces of the people. This is the correct interpretation because the first stanza explicitly states: "And mark in every face I meet / Marks of weakness, marks of woe." The poet is actively observing and noting the suffering etched onto the faces of everyone he encounters. This direct observation forms the foundation of the entire poem, setting the stage for the subsequent descriptions of societal ills.

Here's why the other options are incorrect:

*   **Option 2: is appalled by the soot that is blackening the Church.** While the poem mentions "Every blackning Church appalls," this is a specific observation related to the hypocrisy and corruption of the Church. It's not the *primary* focus of the poet's wandering experience. The poet's overall experience is broader, encompassing the suffering of all people, not just the visual impact of a blackened church. The line is about the *effect* of the chimney-sweepers' plight on the Church's image, not the poet's primary emotional state while wandering.

*   **Option 3: observes the unlucky soldiers blood on the palace walls.** The poem states "And the hapless Soldiers sigh / Runs in blood down Palace walls." This is a powerful image, but it's a symbolic representation of the soldiers' suffering and the corruption of the monarchy, not a literal observation the poet is making *while* wandering. It's a metaphorical extension of the general misery, not the core of his experience.

*   **Option 4: lays emphasis on the sanctity of marriage.** The poem actually *undermines* the sanctity of marriage. The line "And blights with plagues the Marriage hearse" suggests that marriage is corrupted and diseased, leading to death and despair. The poet is highlighting the *destruction* of marriage by societal ills, not emphasizing its sanctity. The harlot's curse and the infant's tear are directly linked to the corrupted state of marriage, indicating a societal breakdown rather than a celebration of its sanctity.