Reflections on William Blake's "The Lamb"
Reflections on William Blake's "The Lamb"
William Blake's poem, The Lamb, is one of the most enduring poems in the English language, and it is full of joy and Christian themes.
The poem The Lamb, by William Blake is a meditation poem written in 1789. It is about a physical object, an animal, but it addresses the much grander topics of God and creation. It asks rhetorical questions to a lamb in the first half and then answers the questions in the second half of the poem. The author begins the questions in the second voice, “Little Lamb, who made thee” and then ends in the first voice, “Little Lamb I’ll tell thee.” It is an inquisitive poem in which the author explains how a higher power has created something.
The style of this poem is peaceful. Its tone is joyous and earnest and even uses the word “rejoice!” It is sentimental in its deeply emotional themes of peace and spirituality.
Spiritual Themes
The themes of this poem are spirituality, creation, and peace. The theme is clearly stated with the use of the name of God and words and phrases like “bless thee” and “give thee life.” Christianity is full of allusions to lambs, such as agnus dei/lamb of God, Christ as the shepherd, and the lamb that “lays with the lion” as a sign of peace. The lamb has strong connotations with peace and meekness. Since it is common to capitalize a regular noun when it is used as a synonym for God, Blake capitalizes “Lamb” when he refers to Christ and says, “For he calls himself a Lamb.” He also states that “He [i.e., Christ] is called by thy name.” The familiar nativity story is recalled with the reference, “He became a little child.” The lamb is a traditional symbol of peace.
Blake refers back to his own poem and the symbol in his later 1794 poem The Tyger, where he contrasts the tender lamb to the fearful and dreaded tiger. The lamb is also traditionally a symbol of sacrifice, as in the slaughter of the sacrificial lamb. Of course, God sacrificed his own Son, His
William Blake's poem, The Lamb, is one of the most enduring poems in the English language, and it is full of joy and Christian themes.
The poem The Lamb, by William Blake is a meditation poem written in 1789. It is about a physical object, an animal, but it addresses the much grander topics of God and creation. It asks rhetorical questions to a lamb in the first half and then answers the questions in the second half of the poem. The author begins the questions in the second voice, “Little Lamb, who made thee” and then ends in the first voice, “Little Lamb I’ll tell thee.” It is an inquisitive poem in which the author explains how a higher power has created something.
The style of this poem is peaceful. Its tone is joyous and earnest and even uses the word “rejoice!” It is sentimental in its deeply emotional themes of peace and spirituality.
Spiritual Themes
The themes of this poem are spirituality, creation, and peace. The theme is clearly stated with the use of the name of God and words and phrases like “bless thee” and “give thee life.” Christianity is full of allusions to lambs, such as agnus dei/lamb of God, Christ as the shepherd, and the lamb that “lays with the lion” as a sign of peace. The lamb has strong connotations with peace and meekness. Since it is common to capitalize a regular noun when it is used as a synonym for God, Blake capitalizes “Lamb” when he refers to Christ and says, “For he calls himself a Lamb.” He also states that “He [i.e., Christ] is called by thy name.” The familiar nativity story is recalled with the reference, “He became a little child.” The lamb is a traditional symbol of peace.
Blake refers back to his own poem and the symbol in his later 1794 poem The Tyger, where he contrasts the tender lamb to the fearful and dreaded tiger. The lamb is also traditionally a symbol of sacrifice, as in the slaughter of the sacrificial lamb. Of course, God sacrificed his own Son, His