The poem ‘The Lamb’ by William Blake is a short verse that describes the author’s attitude towards the little lamb that metaphorically symbolizes everything in the world that is calm, humble, and inoffensive. The title of the poem ‘The Lamb’ contributes to the reader’s understanding of the poem by explicitly naming its main character. This paper aims to analyze the poem ‘The Lamb’ by William Blake using the method of explication.
The speaker is physically absent from the plot of the verse, he is behind the scenes, observing life and its manifestations. Interestingly, the poem is dedicated to the author’s values and spiritual awareness, as well as his sensibilities. The age and sex of the author could hardly be determined from his speech, although the reader may assume that the speaker is a young or middle-aged man, as the poem was written in the earlier periods of Blake’s poetic career.
The poem does not refer to any particular episodes from the past or future and is likely describing the situation in which the author observes the little lamb. Interestingly, the events are developing in the present, and there is a feeling of being present in the moment of the author’s inner dialogue with the lamb. This feeling is supported by the calm and soothing tone the author uses. Interestingly, the author compares the little lamb with Jesus Christ and through this comparison, the poem becomes like a prayer: “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”. There is no specific set of time and place, which adds to the atmosphere of being present in the moment created by the author.
Reading the poem aloud allows paying more attention to the consonants, and repetitions that the author uses to emphasize the central message of the verse. The paraphrase reveals the main message of the poem, that is the author sees himself, the lamb, and the God as a single transcendental unity: “I, a child, and thou a lamb,/ We are called by his name”. Therefore, the central theme of the poem is the author’s reconnection with divine power, and this idea is presented through the metaphoric comparison of a lamb with the God, who created it.
The language of a poem is rather intense and concentrated, and the reader should make several efforts to finally understand the main message of the author. At the same time, the message is too simple for a deeper analysis, which gives a hint that the poem could be better perceived when read aloud. The poem can bring joy to the reader, as it describes the pleasant terrain of God’s world, the gentle and quivering creature – a lamb, a part of nature, and its serene upland. At the same time, the critic may notice that the author oversimplifies the central message, making it difficult to understand his emotions and thoughts about God and meekness. The historical context of the poem adds to its understanding since it is widely known that William Blake describes animal qualities such as vulnerability and innocence, and notes that animals are often victims of the cruelty prevailing in the world.
Thus, the poem ‘The Lamb’ was analyzed using the method of explication. The author uses metaphor and comparison to share with the reader his understanding of the divine, which probably lies in meekness and submission to the laws of fate. At the same time, William Blake experiences a sentimental admiration for the innocence of God’s creatures, in an atmosphere of all-pervasive chaos and cruelty characteristic of God’s plan. Even though the lamb is in the apparent safety and beauty of the surrounding world, the historical context of the author’s other works about animals allows us to catch the hidden meaning behind the idyllic map.
Work Cited
William Blake. (2022). Poetry Foundation. Web.