What is the rhyme scheme, meter, and stanza form for the poem "The Lamb" by William Blake?
The Lamb
Little Lamb, who made thee?
Dost thou know who made thee?
Gave thee life, and bid thee feed
By the stream and o'er the mead;
Gave thee clothing of delight,
Softest clothing woolly 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 callèd by thy name,
For He calls Himself a Lamb:
He is meek, and He is mild;
He became a little child:
I a child, and thou a lamb.
We are callèd by His name.
Little Lamb, God bless thee.
Little Lamb, God bless thee.
Lyric: subjective, reflective poetry with regular rhyme scheme and meter which reveals the poet’s thoughts and feelings to create a single, unique impression.
William Blake, “The Lamb,”
It ranges between acatalectic trochaic tri-meter and catalectic trochaic tetrameter. The regular alternation of the beat and offbeat gives a harmonious vibe of chanting.
The poem "The Lamb" by William Blake has a rhyme scheme of AABB, meaning that the last word of each line in the first and second stanza rhyme with each other. The meter of the poem is mostly trochaic, consisting of stressed syllables followed by unstressed syllables. The stanza form of the poem is a lyric couplet, with two stanzas comprising four lines each, making it a quatrain.
To determine the rhyme scheme, meter, and stanza form of the poem "The Lamb" by William Blake, we need to analyze its structure.
Rhyme scheme:
The rhyme scheme is the pattern of rhyme that occurs at the end of each line in a poem. In "The Lamb," Blake uses a simple rhyme scheme of AABB. This means that the first and second lines of each stanza rhyme with each other, as do the third and fourth lines.
Meter:
Meter refers to the rhythmic pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line of poetry. In "The Lamb," Blake uses a combination of iambic and trochaic meter. An iambic pattern consists of alternating unstressed and stressed syllables, while a trochaic pattern begins with a stressed syllable followed by an unstressed syllable. Here's an analysis of the meter in each line:
- Little Lamb, who made thee? (trochaic tetrameter)
- Dost thou know who made thee? (iambic pentameter)
- Gave thee life, and bid thee feed (iambic tetrameter)
- By the stream and o'er the mead; (iambic tetrameter)
- Gave thee clothing of delight, (iambic tetrameter)
- Softest clothing woolly bright; (trochaic pentameter)
- Gave thee such a tender voice, (iambic tetrameter)
- Making all the vales rejoice? (iambic tetrameter)
Stanza form:
A stanza is a group of lines in a poem that are separated from other groups by a space. In "The Lamb," each stanza consists of two couplets (two lines) with a rhyme scheme of AABB. The poem has a total of two stanzas.
Therefore, the rhyme scheme is AABB, the meter varies between trochaic tetrameter and iambic pentameter, and the stanza form consists of two couplets.