library.SCOTCH: The Poetry of William Blake: The Lamb

'The Lamb' by William Blake

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!

BlakeSongSettings. (2010). The Lamb with Commentary by Jeff Gillett. Retrieved from http://web.archive.org/web/20160418182040/http://blakesongsettings.co.uk/index.php/the-poems/119-the-lamb
The speaker in this poem is a child. When he asks the lamb, 'Dost thou know who made thee?' he clearly believes that he knows the answer (although his answer is withheld in the first stanza).
Aubrey, B. (2001). Critical Essay on "The Lamb". In J. Smith & E. Thomason (Eds.), Poetry for Students (Vol. 12). Detroit: Gale.
It is easy to dismiss "The Lamb" as a sentimental or naive poem. Simple in its structure and vocabulary, it leaves no difficulties of interpretation. Unlike some of the Songs of Innocence, it does not force the reader to consider ironies or ambiguities involved in the state of innocence.
Bussey, J. (2001). Critical Essay on "The Lamb". In J. Smith & E. Thomason (Eds.), Poetry for Students (Vol. 12). Detroit: Gale.
Many of the poems in Songs of Innocence and Experience are to be read together for contrast. For example, "The Lamb" considers
the nature of divine creation and parallels the dark and mysterious poem "The Tyger." "The
Lamb" is often considered representative of Songs of Innocence because it celebrates nature and life as created by a loving God.

Gilbert, F. (2013, August 10). William Blake's 'The Lamb' analysed [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HAX_Adn8smY