"The Lamb" is a poem by William Blake, published in Songs of Innocence in 1789.
The Lamb[]
Little Lamb who made thee
Dost thou know who made thee
Gave thee life & bid thee feed.
By the stream & o'er the mead;
Gave thee clothing of delight,
Softest clothing wooly bright;
Gave thee such a tender voice,
Making all the vales rejoice!
Little Lamb who made thee
Dost thou know who made thee
Little Lamb I'll tell thee,
Little Lamb I'll tell thee!
He is called by thy name,
For he calls himself a Lamb:
He is meek & he is mild,
He became a little child:
I a child & thou a lamb,
We are called by his name.
Little Lamb God bless thee.
Little Lamb God bless thee.
Analysis[]
William Blake's 'The Lamb' analysed.
"The Lamb" is the counterpart poem to Blake's poem, "The Tyger," in Songs of Experience. Blake wrote Songs of Innocence as a contrary to the Songs of Experience – a central tenet in his philosophy and a central theme in his work.[1] Like many of Blake's works, the poem is about Christianity. The lamb is a common metaphor for Jesus Christ, who is called "The Lamb of God" in John 1:29 (referred to in
This poem has a simple rhyme scheme: AA BB CC DD AA AA EF GG FE AA. It is divided into 2 6-line stanzas each framed by a repeated refrain (the AA couplets).
In the 1st stanza, the speaker asks the lamb who his creator is; the answer lies at the end of the poem. Then follows a physical description of the lamb, seen as a pure and gentle creature. In the 2nd stanza, the speaker - a child - compares both himself and the lamb with the infant Jesus. In the last two lines, the speaker identifies the creator as God.
Recognition[]
The Lamb, Allen Ginsberg et al
"The Lamb" was made into a song by Ralph Vaughan Williams. It was also set to music by Sir John Tavener, who explained: "The Lamb came to me fully grown and was written in an afternoon and dedicated to my nephew Simon for his 3rd birthday."
American poet Allen Ginsberg also set the poem to music, on his 1969 recording of the Songs of Innocence and of Experience.[2]
See also[]
The Lamb by William Blake ~ poem with Text
References[]
- ↑ Kazin, Alfred. "Introduction". The Portable Blake. The Viking Portable Library. 41–43.
- ↑ Songs of Innocence and Experience by William Blake, tuned by Allen Ginsberg, Penn Sound. Web, May 20, 2019.
External links[]
- Audio / video
- About
- "A Short Analysis of William Blake's 'The Lamb'" at Interesting Literature
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