Piping down the valleys wild, Piping songs of pleasant glee, On a cloud I saw a child, And he laughing said to me: 'Pipe a song about a Lamb.' So I piped with merry cheer; 'Piper, pipe that song again.' So I piped; he wept to hear.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- A divine child asks the speaker to sing about a lamb, bringing joy to the speaker but tears to the child.
- In plain terms
- A child on a cloud asks for a song about a lamb that makes the singer happy and the child cry.
- What can you take from it?
- Simple, innocent songs can evoke deep emotion.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Why does the child weep at a merry song?
- What does the lamb symbolize here?
Another view
The child's weeping is ambiguous and could imply sadness rather than joy.
More from William Blake
They suppose that Woman's Love is Sin; in consequence all the Loves & Graces with them are Sin.
Permalink to quote #35 And I made a rural pen, And I stained the water clear, And I wrote my happy songs Every child may joy to hear.
Permalink to quote #37 Active Evil is better than Passive Good.
Permalink to quote #34
Related quotes
Music is for me like a beautiful mosaic which God has put together. He takes all the pieces in his hand, throws them into the world, and we have to recreate th…
Jean SibeliusJean Sibelius quote #2 God is the perfect poet, Who in his person acts his own creations.
Robert BrowningRobert Browning quote #2 I do not make films primarily for children. I make them for the child in all of us, whether we be six or sixty. Call the child 'innocence'. The worst of us is …
Walt DisneyWalt Disney quote #22