My mother groaned, my father wept
Into the dangerous world I leapt
Helpless, naked, piping loud
Like a fiend hid in a cloud
Struggling in my father's hands
There is no compromising; disease, starvation and squalor were what made up the lives of the majority of the population. Note that the child ‘leapt’, though not for joy. It suggests awareness and agency from the moment of birth.
Infant Sorrow