One of my favorite poems, “The Lamb.”

“The Lamb”

By William Blake

(Before you read the poem, please know it is written in old English. In this poem, “vales” refer to valleys. Also, “mead,” in this case, is an archaic English word that means “a meadow.”)

Little Lamb who made thee

Dost thou know who made thee

Gave thee life & bid thee feed.

By the stream & o’er the mead;

Gave thee clothing of delight,

Softest clothing wooly 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 & he is mild,

He became a little child:

I a child & thou a lamb,

We are called by his name.

Little Lamb God bless thee.

(I don’t exactly know why I like this poem so much. Maybe it’s because of its simplicity. Maybe it’s because I like to envision William Blake contemplating the whole concept of the poem, and the “connectedness” of “a lamb” and “The Lamb.” Maybe it’s because of all of the symbolism or the way Blake “paints this picture.”

The “mission” of good poetry is to make us think. In this case, William Blake has accomplished that mission with me. How about you? Do you have any favorite poems? Let me know!