Abou Ben Adhem

BY LEIGH HUNT

Poem Class 7th, Tulip Series

Abou Ben Adhem (may his tribe increase!)

Awoke one night from a deep dream of peace,

And saw, within the moonlight in his room,

Making it rich, and like a lily in bloom,

An angel writing in a book of gold:—

Exceeding peace had made Ben Adhem bold,

And to the presence in the room he said,

"What writest thou?"—The vision raised its head,

And with a look made of all sweet accord,

Answered, "The names of those who love the Lord."

"And is mine one?" said Abou. "Nay, not so,"

Replied the angel. Abou spoke more low,

But cheerly still; and said, "I pray thee, then,

Write me as one that loves his fellow men."

The angel wrote, and vanished. The next night

It came again with a great wakening light,

And showed the names whom love of God had blest,

And lo! Ben Adhem's name led all the rest.

Introduction of poem

“Abou Ben Adhem” is a narrative poem by Leigh Hunt in which he attempts to capture the spirit of brotherhood and fraternity with a hint of spiritual satisfaction. Leigh Hunt was an English essayist, critic, poet, and writer who was a sincere admirer of Thomas Gray and William Collins. This poem is based on the Arabian lore which tells the story of the Islamic month of Nous Sha’aban during which God opens the golden book of mankind and chooses those who love him to meet with him in the coming year. Hence, we see a magical encounter of an angel with Abou Ben Adhem.

Summary of the poem (Stanzawise)

Stanza 1

Abou Ben …….. his fellow men.

The poem Abou Ben Adhem by Leigh Hunt conveys a message that love for fellow beings is more important than love for God. In the opening lines of the poem, the poet wishes that may people like Abou, increase in the world. Such people are instrumental in spreading love and brotherhood in the world. One-night Abou woke up from a deep peaceful sleep.

‘Deep dream of peace’ gives a supernatural impact to the poem. The phrase is an example of alliteration, which is a figure of speech, where the consonant ‘d’ is repeated in ‘deep dream’.

It also symbolises that people like Abou sleep in peace because of their divine behaviour and character.

As he woke up by the light of the moon and the angel present in his room, he saw the angel, writing in a book of gold. The room seemed to be rich by the divine lights.

The poet uses personification in ‘making it rich’ and also a simile in the phrase ‘like a lily in bloom’. The poet describes the beauty of the room by these two figures of speech. He compares the beauty of the room to the beauty of a lily, which is in the process of blooming. ‘book of gold’ symbolises two things. First, that the owner is a divine messenger and second that the contents of the book are also divine.

The presence of the angel along with its light further enhances the already richly lit room of Abou. The peace and serenity made Abou bold as he was already a virtuously brave man and led a noble and pious life. He then boldly asks the angel what it was writing. To answer this question, the angel raised its head. It looked sweet and kind. It answered that the names of those who love God were beng listed. To this, Abou again asked if his name was there in the list. The angel’s negative reply made Abou feel sad and low.

Because of his optimism, he quickly overcame that lowliness and humbly requested his name to be written in a list of people who loved their fellow men.

Stanza 2

The angel wrote ……. led all the rest.

The next four lines of the poem are describing the next night when the angel reappeared. The light which the angel came with on the second night was brighter, than the night before. The angel that night showed Abou the names of those who are loved by God and thus blessed by Him. In this list, Abou found his name on the top.

The short second stanza of the poem is a message to the readers. The reappearance of the angel, with a list where Abou’s name was at the top, proves that even God loves those who love His creation more than Him.

Thinking about the poem

Question 1. What is the “it” of the poem’s fourth line?

Answer. The speaker is referring to his bedroom.

Question 2. In the second line of this poem, the words “deep,” “dream,” and “peace” rhyme. What is the literary term for this repetition of interior vowel sounds within a short section?

Answer. The literary term is assonance.

Question 3. In your own words, what question does Abou ask the angel in his room?

Answer. Abou asks the angel what it is writing in its book of gold.

Question 4. What is the angel’s reply to Abou’s question? How does Abou react?

Answer. The angel tells Abou that he is writing the names of those who love the Lord, and reveals that Abou’s name was not on this list. Abou then asks the angel to write him down as one who “loves his fellow man.”

Question 5. Why do you believe, at the end of this poem, Abou’s name “led all the rest” on the list of those who God had blest? What is Hunt trying to tell his reader by ending his poem this way?

Answer. Leigh Hunt seems to infer that God loves most not those who worship him best, but those who love and care for all men most.