The Poems of William Blake
The Chimney Sweeper
What are the two meanings of "weep! weep! weep! weep!" in line 3? Which meaning does the speaker intend, and which meaning is the reader aware of that the speaker is unaware of?
What are the two meanings of "weep! weep! weep! weep!" in line 3? Which meaning does the speaker intend, and which meaning is the reader aware of that the speaker is unaware of?
Weep of course means to cry but it is also meant to intimate the word "sweep". This tells us that a mere infant was forced to sweep chimneys. I think that the reader's first reaction is to the "weep" of a mere baby crying.