Kelompok 8 - William Blake – The Lamb

 Kelompok 8

Nillah Selvy M.
Nurul Hikmah I.

William Blake – The Lamb  

William blake was an English poet, painter, and printmarker. Largely unrecognised during his lifetime, Blake is now considered  a seminal figure in the history of the poetry and visual arts of the romantic age. His prophetic poetry has been said to form “what is in proportion to its merits the least read body of poetry in the English language. His visual artisty led one contemporary art critic to proclaim him “far and away the greatest artist Britain has ever produced. In 2002, Blake was placed at number 38 in the BBC’s poll of the 100 Greatest Britons. Although he lived in london his entire life (except for three years spent in Felpham), he produced a diverse and symbolically rich ceuvre, which embraced the imagination as “the body of God” or “human existence itself” (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Blake).

William Blake wrote many poems, one of them is The Lamb. In this poem, he shows about religion issue. We can see from the last sentence of the poem “little lamb, God bless thee!”. In Christian, Yesus is called as the lamb of God in Yohanes 1:29 and 1:36. It refers to Yesus as the main victim and be perfect to redeem the sins. Lamb takes a big role in Christian and Jewish (http://www.gotquestions.org/Indonesia/Yesus-anak-domba-Allah.html) . Why lamb be the symbol of Yesus? Because lamb is the only one of animal or thing which can’t able to be possession by a spirit.

Little Lamb, who made thee?

Dost thou know who made thee?

Gave thee life, & bid hee feed

By the stream & o’er the mead;

Gave thee clothing of delight;

Softest clothing, woolly, bright;

Gave thee such a tender voice,

Making all the valest rejoice?

            Little Lamb, who made thee

Dost thou know who made thee?

This stanza told the reader how God treats the lamb. He gives many happiness of his live, such as giving the mead and the stream. Not only that, He also gives the bright and soft wool and tender voice. The first stanza is the center on the question of the creator. This stanza consists of 10 lines. Now, let’s step to the second stanza.

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!

            Little Lamb, God bless thee!

This second stanza is the answer of the first stanza. It has 10 lines. The poet explains that lamb is created by the Lord. He also discribes that God same with lamb, because he is meek and mild. God calls himself as lamb “Lamb of God”. Blake bless the lamb because he feels like talking to the Lord. By creating this poem, he feels that he has close relation with God.

In conclusion, blake made this poem because he thinks that God is in lamb. Lamb is a symbol of God, because it is the only one of animal that can’t be possession by spirit. He make the similirities between
God and lamb.This poem takes moral issue of religion.