1"TheLamb"isapoembyWilliamBlake,publishedinSongsofInnocencein1789.LikemanyofBlake'sworks,thepoemisaboutChristianity.Thewholecollectionispervadedwithabreathofsimplicityandfancy.
Poeticstructure
1rhymescheme:AABBCCDDAAAAEFGGFEAA
“TheLamb”hastwostanzas,eachcontainingfiverhymedcouplets.2Thelayoutissetupbytwostanzaswiththerefrain:"LittleLambwhomadethee?Dostthouknowwhomadethee?"
Inthefirststanza,thespeakerwonderswhothelamb'screatoris;theanswerliesattheendofthepoem.Herewefindaphysicaldescriptionofthelamb,seenasapureandgentlecreature.Inthesecondstanza,thelambiscomparedwiththeinfantJesus,aswellasbetweenthelambandthespeaker'ssoul.Inthelasttwolinesthespeakeridentifiesthecreator:God.
Rhetoricaldevices
1Thepoembeginswiththequestion,“LittleLamb,whomadethee?”Thespeaker,achild,asksthelambaboutitsorigins:howitcameintobeing,howitacquireditsparticularmanneroffeeding,its“clothing”ofwool,its“tendervoice.”2Inthenextstanza,thespeakerattemptsariddlinganswertohisownquestion:thelambwasmadebyonewho“callshimselfaLamb,”onewhoresemblesinhisgentlenessboththechildandthelamb.
Repetitioninthefirstandlastcoupletofeachstanzamakestheselinesintoarefrain,andhelpstogivethepoemitssong-likequality.Theflowingsoftvowelsoundscontributetothiseffect,andalsosuggestthebleatingofalamborthelispingcharacterofachild’schant.
Theme
1ThelambisacommonmetaphorforJesusChrist,whoisalsocalledthe"TheLambofGod"
2Blakeinthesongsofinnocence，withchildishlife'spointofview，showsafullofloveandkindness,compassionandhappyworld.Thepoemhasjust20lines,butdepictsthecharacterofgentlenessvividly.3Thepoet’sdescriptionaboutthelamb’skindnessandgentleness,aimstoexpresstheirfeelingoflifeandnature,andtheyearningfortheuniverseandharmoniousunderstanding.4Henotonlysingspraiseofgentlelamb,butalsothemysticalpowerthatcancreatethelamb.HeretheGod,JesusandtheLambarejusttheonething.
TheTyger
Tyger!︳Tyger!︳burning︳bright
Inthe︳forests︳ofthe︳night,Whatim︳mortal︳handor︳eye
Could︳framethy︳fearful︳symmetry?
Analysis:Inthethisverse,theauthorcomparesthefiercenessofatigertoaburningpresenceindarkforests.Hewonderswhatimmortalpowercouldcreatesuchafearfulbeast.
*Line1isanexampleofsynecdoche(提喻,aliterarydeviceusedwhenapartrepresentsthewholeorthewholerepresentsapart.Inline1"Tyger!Tyger!burningbright"alludestothepredator'seyes.
