"Little Lamb who made thee
Dost thou know who made thee"
The speaker begins the poem with a question about the nature of creation, that will then be discussed and answered through the rest of the poem. These lines become a refrain in the poem and are repeated at the end of stanza one.
"For he calls himself a Lamb:
He is meek and he is mild,
He became a little child."
Here, the speaker is talking about Jesus, who is associated with a lamb and a child. These two comparisons emphasize the meekness, gentleness, and innocence of Jesus.
"I a child"
The speaker reveals that he is a child himself. As such, we might think that he is naive and innocent. This being said, he is asking pertinent and wise questions about the nature of creation and religion. This line can also be interpreted as the speaker calling himself a child of God.