The Lamb by William Blake

1. Original Text
Little Lamb, who made 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, woolly, 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!
2. Initial Reaction
                My first reaction to this poem was that William Blake was praising the beauty and tenderness of the lamb. Blake seems to see the lamb as something of beauty and that the one that created the lamb is a man who called himself a lamb. During that line, Blake seems to be referring to Jesus Christ and how he was born a child from Mary and that he created the lamb itself so that the lamb must be blessed by God, Himself.
3. Paraphrase the Poem
Small lamb, who created you?
Do you know who made you?
Gave you life, and made you food?
Next to water and close to grain;
Gave you a great fleece,
Fully clothing, wool-like, and a pure white;
Gave you a sweet voice,
Making everyone happy?
Small lamb, who made you?
Do you know who made you?

Small lamb, I’ll tell you,
Small lamb, I’ll tell you.
He is called by your name,
Because He calls Himself a lamb.
He is humble and gentle;
He was born as a small child.
I’m a child, and you’re a lamb,
We are called by the same name as His.
Small lamb, God has blessed you!
Small lamb, God has blessed you!

4. SWIFTT

SW = Syntax/Word Choice

            A very obvious interesting word choice would have to be Blake’s constant use of He, Himself, and God, to emphasis the presence of a greater being and a higher power that created him. Blake also uses the word “little” multiple times so that it would seem that the title itself should have been “Little Lamb”. It may be that the reason he does so is to figuratively emphasize that the lamb is such a small creature but still has a certain beauty to it because it was created by God.

I = Imagery

Blake uses some words to allow the reader to imagine what he is describing in the poem with better clarity. The first example of this is when Blake describes where the lamb lives “by the stream” and such. The next example and the strongest instance of imagery would when Blake describes the lamb by talking about the “clothing” that surrounds it. Blake writes that it has the “softest clothing, woolly, bright”, which allows readers to picture a little, fluffy lamb.

F = Figurative Language

            There is some figurative language in the poem, mostly when Blake talks about Jesus. When Blake talks about Jesus, he writes that “He is meek, and he is mild”, but he doesn’t really mean that God himself is a humble and soft being, but is rather tying together the “little lamb” and Jesus as a shepherd. Another example of figurative language would be the mild personification Blake uses by asking the lamb a question but never really expecting it to answer back.

T = Tone

            The tone of the poem is that of curiosity and jubilance both at the topic of the beauty of the creation of the lamb and the wonderment of God. Blake writes about who had created such an amazing being such as the lamb. He also is amazing by the creation and the power the name itself has because the Creator had named Himself the same.

T = Theme

            The theme of the poem is the praising of the creation by God. Blake is rejoicing at the creation of the lamb and the beauty that God was about to mold. He also is also describing Jesus as a lamb and symbolizing Christianity as a religion that represents meekness, gentleness, and peace. The theme is of poem is of Jesus and how he is like the lamb and therefore the child as well.

5. Conclusion

            My initial interpretation of the poem was incorrect in some aspects. The first being that the narrator of the poem is actually a child who is foolishly asking a lamb who made him and how it could be so beautiful and peaceful. The poem is about how the child connects himself to the lamb because Christ himself called himself a lamb and became a child himself. The poem is about the connection of the child to God and all other creations made by God.