This poem by William Blake explores themes of racial equality through the perspective of a black boy. The boy describes being born in the wilderness to his mother, who teaches him about God and helps him understand that though his skin is dark, his soul is white. The mother uses the rising sun and God's light as metaphors to represent divine love that sees past superficial qualities like skin color. The boy hopes that when he and a little English boy are free from earthly "clouds" like their bodies, they can rejoice together in God's presence and the English boy will then love him as brothers.