Concetti Chiave
- The poem uses the lamb as a metaphor for innocence and childhood, with a simple, sing-song style and easy language.
- The lamb symbolizes happiness and freedom, paralleling the instinctual life of children.
- The poem anticipates themes of the French Revolution, associating the lamb with goodness and brotherhood before industrialization.
- God, a lamb, and a child are compared, all representing innocence, goodness, and sweetness.
- The symbolism draws on Christ, the Lamb of God, highlighting themes of sacrifice and innocence.
Metaphor of Innocence
Just to the title we can understand that Blake spoke about the children. The lamb is a metaphor of innocent, childhood. It sounds like a sing-song, with rimes, simple and childlike. Easiness is made by the choice of the words.
The lamb is happy ‘cause it lives free and in the country, following its instinct: like children.
Symbolism and Revolution
In the second part we have an anticipation of the French revolution: the brotherhood, country= good.
Human life is made up good and evil. The child sees only the good. The lamb is the symbol of the goodness à songs of innocent.
It is free and it is the symbol of the brotherhood à society before the industrial time.
There is a comparison: god was compared with the innocence of a lamb and child. They represent innocence, goodness, sweetness.
It could stand both as a real animal as a symbol of perfect innocence oh childhood. Real is caused by natural setting. The characters are pure not mixed with civil elements and corruption.
The symbolism is based on the image of Christ, the Lamb of God, who was personified in human child.
The three protagonists (lamb, god and child) have a common element. Sacrifice as lambs were traditionally used for sacrifice, as Christ, son of God, he was sacrificed and children were innocent victim of the society.
Piccolo agnello, chi ti ha creato?
Tu sai chi ti ha creato?
Ti ha dato la vita e ti ha detto di mangiare
Presso le correnti e sopra i prati
Ti ha dato abiti di piacere
I più soffici possibili, di lana, luminosi;
ti ha dato una voce così tenera,
che fa risuonare tutte le valli?
Piccolo agnello, chi ti ha creato?
Tu sai chi ti ha creato?
Piccolo agnello te lo dico io
Piccolo agnello te lo dico io
Egli si chiama col tuo nome
Perché lui stesso si chiama agnello
Egli è docile e è mansueto
È diventato un bimbo
Noi ci chiamiamo col suo nome
Piccolo agnello, Dio ti benedica!
Piccolo agnello, Dio ti benedica!
Domande da interrogazione
- What is the central metaphor in Blake's work, and what does it represent?
- How does Blake's work anticipate the themes of the French Revolution?
- How are the lamb, God, and the child interconnected in Blake's symbolism?
The central metaphor in Blake's work is the lamb, which represents innocence and childhood. It symbolizes purity, goodness, and the natural, uncorrupted state of being, akin to the innocence of children.
Blake's work anticipates the themes of the French Revolution through the symbolism of brotherhood and the ideal of a society untainted by industrialization. The lamb symbolizes a pre-industrial society characterized by innocence and goodness, reflecting revolutionary ideals of equality and fraternity.
In Blake's symbolism, the lamb, God, and the child are interconnected through the theme of innocence and sacrifice. The lamb is a symbol of Christ, the Lamb of God, and represents the purity and innocence of a child. All three share the common element of sacrifice, highlighting their roles as innocent victims within society.
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