The Lamb

Blake’s poem “The Lamb” comes from his poetry collection Songs of Innocence, which he contrasted with his follow-up collection titled Songs of Experience. He wrote the books with the purpose of illustrating “Two Contrary States of the Human Soul,” with the Songs of Innocence representing the soul in an “unfallen world,” a state of blissful peace in which humanity is unified with God and free of social and political corruption. “The Lamb,” with its child-speaker and pastoral setting, typifies the worldview of innocence that Blake contrasts with the fearful, corrupted consciousness of experience.

For Blake, the consciousness of innocence represents spiritual purity and freedom from the strictures of society. The lamb, acting as the poem’s symbol of innocence, wears “clothing of delight” (Line 5) and vocalizes with “such a tender voice” (Line 7). The creature thus embodies peace, happiness, and benevolence—the compassionate qualities that Blake likewise attributes to the divine Creator. The state of innocence is free from the demands of society, as the Creator “bid [the lamb] feed” (Line 3), giving it just one commandment. The lamb does not struggle with scarcity or competition—markers of humans’ degradation of the natural world—but rather lives in a state of serenity with its bountiful surroundings.