How are the lamb, the child, and Christ connected?

The lamb, the child, and Christ are mentioned or alluded to several times in Songs of Innocence and Experience.

The lamb and the child are both common symbols for Jesus Christ. John the Baptist refers to Jesus as "The Lamb of God." In Christian art throughout the ages, Jesus is often depicted as a baby or a young child. Infancy and childhood represent innocence and being free of sin. William Blake was very spiritual and most of his poems deal with Christian faith to some degree. Blake had religious visions when he was a child and although he was a devout Christian, he had his own views on the religion, some of which were unorthodox at his time. Blake was opposed to the strict abstinence of his time. He also felt that childhood should be a time of joy and discovery, and that children should be outside playing instead of attending strict schools. Jesus was very important to Blake as the mortal iteration of God and a spiritual guide in his life.

In the first poem of Songs of Innocence and Experience, "Introduction," Blake introduces the child, symbol of innocence and of Jesus, enjoying interacting with nature: "On a cloud I saw a child." The child is on a cloud to give him spiritual presence, and to put him outside with nature, where Blake felt children ought to be. The cloud also symbolizes Heaven, since Heaven is supposed to be up above the earth like the clouds. Then the same poem introduces the lamb, a symbol of Jesus: "‘Pipe a song about a Lamb!’" (said by the child). In this quote, the word "lamb" is capitalized. This capitalization indicates that it is not just any lamb, it is the Lamb of God. The words "God," "Bible," and pronouns or words that symbolize God or Jesus are always capitalized.

The next poem, "The Shepherd," also mentions the lamb. The shepherd in this poem is Jesus, and the sheep are His followers.

The poem "The Lamb" in Songs of Innocence is very important. In this poem, the narrator is talking directly to the lamb, asking it if it knows who made it. Of course the answer is that God made everything and all creatures. This is the poem that clearly indicates the link between Jesus, the lamb, and the child in the following lines:

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.

You can see that the pronouns are capitalized and the word "lamb" is capitalized, which shows that this passage is referring to God/Jesus (Blake believed in the Holy Trinity— that God, Jesus, and the Holy Ghost are three aspects of one being).

I hope this explains the connection between the lamb, the child, and Jesus. If you want to learn more about Blake and Songs of Innocence and Experience , .