The Lamb

William Blake  

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!

This poem alludes largely to Christian beliefs and utilizes repetition to reinforce the idea of the Lamb.  The rhetorical question in the beginning of the poem, "Little Lamb, who made thee?"  refers to God, and the fact the He made not only the lamb, but also Jesus who came to be known as the Lamb of God.  Around the time that Jesus was crucified, lambs were slaughtered in temples in Jerusalem, and this was believed to take away the sins of those who participated in the feast.  Jesus' sacrifice for the sins of the people earned him the name of Lamb of God.  Throughout the poem,  the word Lamb is capitalized to refer to Jesus and all that he has done.  It also refers to his being born as a child, and his eventual fate to become the Lamb of God.