William Blake · first published 1789
The Lamb
Meaning, complete text, stanza guide, vocabulary, techniques and an explained quiz.
What the poem means
The speaker answers a child's question about creation by connecting the lamb's gentleness with Christ and with the child who speaks.
The first stanza gathers signs of care—food, wool and a tender voice—before the second turns question into catechism and blessing. The repeated blessing closes in confidence, though its simplicity becomes more searching when read beside Blake's darker poems.
The poem
Spelling and punctuation follow the checked source edition. Stanza links connect the text to the guide and quiz.
Stanza 1. 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 woolly bright; Gave thee such a tender voice. Making all the vales rejoice: Little Lamb who made thee Dost thou know who made thee
Stanza 2. 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.
Stanza guide
Stanzas 1–2
Stanza 1 asks who made and cared for the lamb; stanza 2 answers through the shared name of lamb, child and Christ. Repetition makes the exchange sound teachable and sung, while the circular answer rests on faith rather than proof.
Return to stanza 1 ↑Vocabulary
- thee
- you, used as an object in older English
- mead
- a meadow or grassland
- meek
- gentle and not aggressive
Literary techniques
Repetition
“Little Lamb” and the central question recur
The refrain creates a childlike song while fixing attention on creation.
Symbolism
the lamb
The animal suggests innocence and also Christ in Christian tradition.
Rhetorical question
“who made thee”
The questions invite wonder before the speaker supplies a doctrinal answer.
Study check
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