19 pages • 38 minutes read
William BlakeThe Lamb
Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 1789A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Further Reading & Resources
Related Poems
“The Tyger” by William Blake (1794)
Several of Blake’s poems in Songs of Innocence have counterpoint poems in his follow-up collection, Songs of Experience. “The Tyger” is Blake’s dark counterpart to “The Lamb,” focusing on a similar theme of the mystery of creation. However, the divine love of the Creator is absent from “The Tyger,” wherein the Creator wields his “dread” power to craft a creature of “fearful symmetry.” Likewise, the speaker of “The Tyger” views this God not with childlike wonder but with awe and terror. The poems reveal contrasting views of creation, allowing Blake to explore the multiplicity of the natural world through two visionary lenses: utopian and apocalyptic.
“Spring” by William Blake (1789)
“Spring” appears in Blake’s collection Songs of Innocence alongside “The Lamb.” The poem is notable because it is another one of Blake’s pastoral poems, featuring a bucolic setting with images of animals and children celebrating nature’s beauty. Like “The Lamb,” the poem’s speaker is a child, and in the final stanza, this speaker kisses a “Little Lamb,” signaling a romantic, albeit innocent union between the human and animal worlds. The poem thus explores a similar theme to “The Lamb” but through a romantic, as opposed to didactic, lens.
“The Shepherd” by William Blake (1789)
“The Shepherd” is another pastoral poem in Songs of Innocence. Like “The Lamb,” the poem takes place in an idyllic setting and focuses on the theme of divine love, this time by representing God as a shepherd who watches over his flock.
Further Literary Resources
William Blake is notable not only as a poet but as an artist, illustrator, and engraver. The William Blake Archive collects and exhibits Blake’s artistic output, serving as an indispensable resource for scholars of the poet’s work. Blake created “illuminated manuscripts” of each of his poetic collections, pairing his poems with engraved images that illustrate and add meaning to the poems. The archive contains the illustrations for Blake’s poem “The Lamb” and the other poems in Songs of Innocence, providing a unique glimpse into Blake’s imagination.
“William Blake’s Most Beautiful Letter: A Searing Defense of the Imagination and the Creative Spirit” by Maria Popova
This article by Maria Popova, published on The Marginalian website, contextualizes and presents one of William Blake’s most important letters, in which he outlines his aesthetic and spiritual vision. Blake wrote the letter in 1799 on the occasion of receiving criticism from a customer, Reverend John Trusler, who commissioned Blake to illustrate some of his moralistic writings but disparaged Blake’s inventive renderings. Blake defends his aesthetic choices with wit and passion, the letter serving as a personal manifesto on Blake’s art and imagination. Popova introduces Blake’s letter by highlighting how artistic “geniuses” like Blake frequently face disapproval in their lifetimes due to their unorthodox vision but find recognition in future generations.
The Finding Blake project is a collective of Blake enthusiasts (among them filmmakers, researchers, writers, and artists) who explore Blake’s influence on contemporary literature, art, politics, and philosophy. The website features articles from writers in a wide array of academic and artistic disciplines reflecting on Blake’s legacy in their respective fields.
Listen to Poem
British stage and film actor Sir Ralph Richardson (1902-1983), known as one of the greatest British actors of the mid-20th century alongside Laurence Olivier and John Gielgud, gives voice to William Blake’s poem “The Lamb.”
Related Titles
By William Blake
