The Little Black Boy - William Blake
/The Little Black Boy - William Blake/
A Child’s Reflection on Racial Identity and Divine Love
Original (Line 1): My mother bore me in the southern wild,
English (Line 1): My mother bore me in the southern wild,
Original (Line 2): And I am black, but O! my soul is white;
English (Line 2): And I am black, but O, my soul is white;
Original (Line 3): White as an angel is the English child,
English (Line 3): White as an angel is the English child,
Original (Line 4): But I am black as if bereav’d of light.
English (Line 4): But I am black, as if deprived of light.
Original (Line 5): My mother taught me underneath a tree,
English (Line 5): My mother taught me beneath a tree,
Original (Line 6): And sitting down before the heat of day,
English (Line 6): And there, at dawn before the day grew hot,
Original (Line 7): She took me on her lap and kissèd me,
English (Line 7): She took me on her lap and kissed me,
Original (Line 8): And pointed to the east, began to say:
English (Line 8): Pointing to the east, she began to say:
Original (Line 9): ‘Look on the rising sun: there God does live
English (Line 9): “Look at the rising sun: there God resides
Original (Line 10): And gives his light, and gives his heat away,
English (Line 10): And freely bestows his light and heat,
Original (Line 11): And flowers and trees and beasts and men receive
English (Line 11): Received by flowers, trees, beasts, and humankind,
Original (Line 12): Comfort in morning joy in the noonday.
English (Line 12): Bringing comfort in the morning, joy at midday.
Original (Line 13): And we are put on earth a little space,
English (Line 13): We are placed on earth for a short span,
Original (Line 14): That we may learn to bear the beams of love,
English (Line 14): So we might learn to endure love’s bright beams,
Original (Line 15): And these black bodies and this sun-burnt face
English (Line 15): And these dark bodies and this sun-browned face
Original (Line 16): Is but a cloud, and like a shady grove.
English (Line 16): Are but a cloud, like resting under shade.
Original (Line 17): For when our souls have learn’d the heat to bear
English (Line 17): For when our souls have learned to bear such heat,
Original (Line 18): The cloud will vanish; we shall hear his voice,
English (Line 18): The cloud will fade; we shall hear God’s voice,
Original (Line 19): Saying: ‘Come out from the grove, my love & care,
English (Line 19): Saying, “Come forth from the shade, my loved one,
Original (Line 20): And round my golden tent like lambs rejoice.’
English (Line 20): And around my golden tent, rejoice as lambs.”
Original (Line 21): Thus did my mother say, and kissèd me,
English (Line 21): So my mother spoke, and then she kissed me,
Original (Line 22): And thus I say to little English boy.
English (Line 22): And so I speak now to this little English boy.
Original (Line 23): When I from black and he from white cloud free,
English (Line 23): When both he and I are freed from our clouds of black and white,
Original (Line 24): And round the tent of God like lambs we joy:
English (Line 24): And around God’s tent we frolic like lambs:
Original (Line 25): I’ll shade him from the heat till he can bear
English (Line 25): I will shield him from the heat until he, too, can endure
Original (Line 26): To lean in joy upon our father’s knee;
English (Line 26): Leaning joyfully upon our father’s knee;
Original (Line 27): And then I’ll stand and stroke his silver hair,
English (Line 27): And then I shall stand to stroke his silver hair,
Original (Line 28): And be like him and he will then love me.
English (Line 28): And be like him, and he will show me love.”
Note: Some editions contain 28 lines, while others combine lines 27 and 28. The poem is in the public domain.
William Blake’s “The Little Black Boy,” from his 1789 collection Songs of Innocence, addresses themes of identity, race, and divine love. The titular character, a Black child, shares what his mother taught him: that one’s outward appearance, whether dark or fair, represents merely a ‘cloud’ or temporary covering. True essence and unity reside in the spiritual domain, where all souls bask in the same divine light.
The child’s mother speaks of enduring the sun’s heat—symbolic of love or God’s brightness—so that people might learn to bear and then rejoice in it. In this way, the poem overturns societal prejudices by emphasizing that color differences are fleeting in comparison to the eternal unity of souls. Central to this unity is the image of God as a nurturing father figure, inviting all children—regardless of appearance—to gather like lambs around his “golden tent.”
Throughout the poem, there is a tension between earthly distinctions (black vs. white) and a transcendent sameness. The narrator expresses a wish to guide and protect the little English boy until both can stand together, fully embraced in God’s love. This vision reflects Blake’s strong spiritual convictions, challenging the conventional hierarchies of his era and affirming a broader, inclusive spirituality.
In highlighting motherly wisdom, childlike innocence, and mutual care across racial lines, “The Little Black Boy” calls into question social structures that pit individuals against one another based on external differences. By contrasting earthly perceptions of color with heavenly acceptance, Blake suggests that true understanding and unity emerge only when humanity recognizes the divine spark in every soul.
Key points
1. Blake emphasizes that skin color is a transient, outer ‘cloud’ of the soul.
2. A mother’s nurturing counsel highlights spiritual unity over earthly division.
3. God’s light is universal, inviting all children to rejoice equally.
4. The poem advocates for compassion, mutual care, and an embrace of diversity under divine love.
