The Lamb by William Blake

Text:

Little Lamb, who make thee

Dost thou know who made thee,

Gave thee life, and bid thee feed

By the stream and o'er the mead;

Gave thee clothing of delight,

Softest clothing, wolly, 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, and He is mild,

He became a little child.

I a child, and thou a lamb,

We are called by His name.

Little Lamb, God bless thee!

Little Lamb, God bless thee!Little Lamb, who made thee?

Initial Reaction:

My initial reaction to the poem “The Lamb” is that the poem is an allusion to God and his followers. The lamb symbolizes all people created by God, and the creator that “gave [the lamb] life” represents God. Further, the poem stated, “He became a little child,” referencing the Bible story where God’s son, Jesus, came down from heaven to earth as a baby boy to save all people’s souls. Because the Bible states that God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are three in one, the reference to the baby Jesus is still a continued allusion to the Bible, which states that God is the creator of all things. In addition, the bright statements in the poem like “Gave thee clothing of delight” and “Gave thee such a tender voice” allude to God’s love for his creation.

Paraphrase:

Who created you, Little Lamb

Do you know who made you,

Gave you life and fed you

By the water;

Gave you beautiful clothing,

Soft, bright clothing;

Gave you a soft voice,

Made all the valleys rejoice?

Who created you, Little Lamb?

Do you know who made you?

Little Lamb, I'll tell you who made you;

Little Lamb, I'll tell you who made you:

He has the same name as you,

For He also calls himself the Lamb

He is humble, and he is kind,

He became a little child.

I am a child, and you are a lamb,

We are also given his name.

Little Lamb, God loves you!

Little Lamb, God loves you!

 SWIFTT:

SW: “The Lamb” is a lyrical poem that contains repetition throughout the stanzas. For example, in the first stanza, the words “who made thee?” are repeated twice at the beginning and end. Then, in the last stanza, the phrase, “I’ll tell thee” is repeated twice at the beginning, while the phrase, “Little, Lamb, God bless thee” is repeated twice at the end. The repetition of the phrases gives the poem a song-like quality. In addition, the repetition at the beginning of the poem forms a question that is answered by the repetitions in the last stanza of the poem. In addition, word choice, such as “Softest clothing” and “tender voice,” gives the poem a bright mood.

I: The poem uses earthy, bright imagery to represent the goodness and love of God for his creation. For example, the author writes, “Gave thee life, and bid thee feed/By the stream and o’er the mead.”

F: Alliteration can be seen throughout the poem as the narrator spoke to the “Little Lamb.” In addition, the Lamb symbolizes God’s son, Jesus, who is referenced to as the Lamb of God in the Bible.

T: The tone of the poem is soothing and spiritual, as the author uses simple, child-like diction to convey the message of the poem. The poem is written in question and answer form, and word choice like “By the stream o’er the mead,” “clothing of delight,” and “tender voice” contribute to the soothing tone of the poem. In addition, the imagery that the lamb’s creator “Gave [it] life, and bid [it] feed” alludes to God’s goodness and love, giving the poem a spiritual tone.

T: The theme of the poem is that God is good and kind, and he loves and takes care of his creation. The “Lamb” symbolizes God, and by stating that “He is meek, and He is mild,” the poem alludes to the Bible’s claims of God’s goodness and grace. Further, by stating that the lamb’s creator “Gave [it] life, and bid [it] feed,” the author is alluding to God’s care for his creation.

Conclusion:

My concluding thoughts on the poem do not differ greatly from my initial reaction. I still believe that the poem is an allusion to God and his followers. The lamb not only represents God’s children, but it also represents Jesus himself, for the poem stated, “He calls Himself a Lamb,” referencing the Bible, where Jesus is referred to as the Lamb of God. The “Little Lamb” symbolizes purity and innocence, symbolizing Jesus, the sinless, sacrificial lamb of the Bible. The child-like tone of the poem contributes to the biblical idea that Jesus loves all the little children. Like the Bible claims that God is good and loves all his creation, the poem states, “God bless thee!”