ICSE Class 10 Poems and Short Stories Abu Ben Adhem (Leigh Hunt)

Synopsis

The poem ‘Abou Ben Adhem’ is written by poet Leigh Hunt. He is a renowned English poet, writer and essayist. Hunt claims that true worship manifests through acts of love and service towards one’s fellow men and women. The title of the poem is appropriate as the legend of Abou Ben Adhem was picked up by the poet from a French book. The poet has written an enlightening poem based on the spirit of brotherhood. Abou was a pious man. He was declared a saint after his death. He gave up a luxurious life to follow the voice of his conscience and devoted himself to God so that he could serve his fellow men and teach them about peace and harmony. He was the leader of his tribe and helped them greatly. He was an eighth-century Sufi mystic. This poem narrates an incident which involves an angel. It serves to teach children about the quality of loving all humans and about universal brotherhood. All the people have the spark of the divine within, and by acknowledging that spark, one demonstrates the love of God.

The poet describes the scene when the protagonist came across a divine visitor in his room. He mentions ‘May his tribe increase’ in brackets right in the first line in order to signify his wish for the growth of people who follow God and his teachings.

One night, Abou Ben Adhem awoke from his sleep while he was having a peaceful dream. His room was lit by the moonlight. An angel appeared in his room. Its appearance made the room look luminous and lively. It was beautiful just like a lily blooming. The poet has made use of direct comparison in this line in order to convey the positivity Abou felt after he observed the angel sitting in his room. The angel was not just idyllically sitting idly but was writing something. The book in which he was writing was a book containing the names of people who love God and is referred to as the ‘book of gold’.

In natural cases, in a similar situation, a person would be scared and the first response would be fear; however, Adhem was not scared. This is the poet’s way of conveying that if one has not done any wrong or has never committed a sin, then there is no place for fear. He bravely went up to the angel and asked him what he had been writing or noting in the book. Angels are very pleasant and poised characters. Their presence is an indication that everything around will be for good. Therefore, when Adhem raised a concern about what the angel was writing, the angel rose and looked at Adhem with a very kind and charming expression. He then answered him in an affirming sweet voice stating that he was writing the names of people who loved God. When Adhem acknowledged this, he was curious to know if his name was included in the list. He, therefore, immediately asked the angel if his name was included in the list of people who loved God. However, the angel replied in the negative stating that his name was not on the list. This was a little saddening for Adhem as he expected his name to be on the list. His voice became low which conveys that he was slightly disheartened. However, he did not lose any hope and cheerfully responded again requesting the angel to mention his name in a list of people who love their fellow men. He considered it to be a divine deed to love humans who are created by God and follow him dearly.

The angel reappeared with bright luminous light the next night. The light was so bright that it wakened Adhem. This time the angel showed Adhem the names of people who were blessed with the love and affection of God. God loved and hence blessed these people. The first name on that list was Abou Ben Adhem’s. He was leading everyone on the list. This indicated that he was God’s most favourite and his work for human welfare had been recognised and considered by God. It was surprising but also rewarding for him. He is delighted to see that his name leads the list. Here, the poet describes how prayers never go in vain. The same happened with Adhem. He had requested to mention his name in the list of people who loved God’s fellow men. This was his love for his brothers. The angel acknowledged and accepted his request. The reappearance of the angel justifies that good thoughts and deeds are always valued by God.

Short Answer Questions

1. What is meant by ‘may his tribe increase’?
   Ans. ‘His tribe’ refers to people who treated Abou Ben Adhem as their spiritual leader. He was an epitome of goodness and righteousness. They embraced his teachings based on great ideals and values. He worked for human welfare and served others teaching them to live in peace and harmony. The phrase ‘may his tribe increase’ implies the progress and development of these people should grow.
   
   
2. What happened one night? What did Abou Ben Adhem see?
   Ans. One night when Abou Ben Adhem was in a deep dream of peace, he was suddenly awakened. He saw that his room was illuminated with moonlight. He also observed that there was an angel sitting in this bright light. The angel was writing something in the book of gold.
   
   
3. What was the angel doing? How did he look?
   Ans. The angel appeared in Adhem’s room one night. The room was filled with bright moonlight. The angel was writing something in a book of gold. There was a pleasant and illuminated atmosphere in the room. It looked like a lily blooming in an affluent environment.
   
   
4. What was Adhem’s request?
   Ans. When Adhem learned that his name was not on the list of people who loved God, he was slightly disheartened. He did not lose hope and requested the angel to mention his name in the list of those who loved their fellow beings. He did so because he wanted to reach the Almighty and he knew that his deeds would help him do so.
   
   
5. When and why did the angel appear again?
   Ans. The angel reappeared the following night. This time the angel had a light that was so bright that the poet describes it as ‘great wakening’. It woke Adhem and the angel showed him the list of people who were loved by God.
   
   
6. Where and how did Adhem lead the others on the list?
   Ans. The next day the angel reappeared and this time showed the names of those whom God had blessed. Abou’s name was now above all the other names on the list. God loves those who love all other human beings. Abou loved and served his fellow beings. Thus, his name appeared at the topmost position on that list.
   
   
7. Name and explain the figures of speech:
   I. Making it rich, and like a lily in bloom
   Ans. Simile
   Direct comparison is made. The room’s brightness is compared with the brightness of a blooming lily.
   
   Awoke one night from a deep dream of peace
   Ans. Alliteration
   The sound of the consonant ‘d’ is repeated for greater poetic effect.
   
   
8. How many lists were brought by the angel? What did they comprise?
   Ans. The angel brought two lists to Abou Ben Adhem on two occasions. The first list had the names of people who loved God, and the second list had the names of people who were loved by God. Abou Ben Adhem’s name was not on the first list, but due to his love for humans, he was at the first place on the second list. Both lists were honourable, but being loved by God is a greater privilege than loving God.

Long Answer Questions

1. As per the poem ‘Abou Ben Adhem’, what is true devotion to God?
   Ans. The poem ‘Abou Ben Adhem’ depicts that true devotion to God is found in love for one’s neighbour. It is only when you love your fellow men, you become worthy to be loved by God. This poem is a celebration of humanistic ideals. Abou is a simple soul. On realising that his name is not on the list of those who love God, he tells the angel that he loves his fellow men. The twist in the story takes place the next night when the angel returns with another list having the names of those who have been blessed by the love of God. Abou’s name topped the list of those who were loved by God. This reveals that love towards fellow human beings is the best means to receive the blessings of God. The theme of this poem is true devotion to God.
   
   
2. What moral can be extracted from this poem?
   Ans. Abou Ben Adhem reminds us of Christ's answer to the lawyer who wanted to know the greatest of God's commandments. Christ commanded the Jews to love God with their whole heart and to love fellow human beings like themselves. This poem is with regards to the second commandment. It beautifully sheds light on the principle of loving fellow men. It also reiterates the fact that we cannot claim the love of God, whom we can't see, if we don't love our fellow men whom we can see. It has a moral that God loves those who love their fellow men. It is relevant in today's time as people are losing the human touch and lack empathy and compassion for each other.
   
   
3. Explain the element of supernaturalism used in the poem.
   Ans. The term supernatural refers to something above reason which cannot be explained by science or the laws of nature. It can be seen as relating to God, spirit, guardian angels and other supernatural beings. The poem also has mystical references. The use of certain phrases like ‘deep dream of peace’, ‘lily in bloom’, ‘book of gold’, ‘the presence in the room’, ‘the vision’ and ‘great wakening light’ adds to the supernatural quality of the poem. Abou Ben Adhem’s room lit up like a lily in bloom—the moonlight brightening the room, the angel writing in a book of gold, the vision with a sweet face of kindness and the angel coming again with a great wakening light seem magical and unbelievable. Thus, the episode is beyond earthly life and can be seen as belonging to the realm of the supernatural.
   
   
4. Does the angel justify the description given around it?
   Ans. In the poem ‘Abou Ben Adhem’, the poet has created a spiritual theme where Abou has an encounter with an angel one night. The poet describes the angel to be a divine messenger. Abou’s room was full of bright light because of the angel’s presence and its face has an unparalleled sweetness. It seems to have been sent by God to test Abou. When Abou asked the angel a question, his face has a look of kind and sweet accord. The angel in Abou’s room had a book of gold in its hand. The book contained the names of people who loved God.
   The poet has maintained a very positive feeling about the angel throughout the poem. The atmosphere around it also justifies the same.
   
   
5. What kind of person was Abou Ben Adhem? Describe his character with an example.
   Ans. Abou Ben Adhem was a pious and god-fearing person. He was a noble, selfless and virtuous man who always thought about the well-being of others. The number of noble, selfless and virtuous people like Abou Ben Adhem should increase in this selfish and wicked world.
   Initially, he was saddened by the fact that his name was not included in the list of people who loved the Almighty. He, however, knew that the way to reach God’s heart was by serving mankind. He, therefore, requested to be mentioned in the list of people who loved all men created by God.
   It was a matter of delight for Abou to see that his name led the list of those whom God blessed with his love and affection. It satisfied him to have received the love of God although his name was not on the list of those who had loved the Lord.
   
   
6. Was Abou Ben Adhem frightened to see the angel? Why?
   Ans. One night when Adhem was awakened from a deep dream of peace, he saw that his room was filled with moonlight making it appear rich and bright like a lily in bloom. He also saw an angel writing something in a book of gold. A deep dream of peace shows his meditative state of mind. Adhem was not scared. This is the poet’s way of conveying that if one has not done any wrong or has never committed a sin, then there is no place for any fear.
   The exceeding peace Abou felt within him and the calm presence of the angel made him bold enough to ask him a question. He asked the vision what it was writing in the book of gold. The angel said he was writing the names of people who loved the Lord.
   
   
7. What is the significance of ‘the book of gold’?
   Ans. One night when Ben Adhem was awakened from a deep dream of peace, he saw that his room was filled with moonlight making it appear rich and bright like a lily in bloom. He also saw an angel writing something in a book of gold. The ‘book of gold’ is an aspect of supernaturalism because it comprised a list which contained the names of people who loved God. The book of gold may have pages and a binding of gold to symbolise a divine book held by an angel as well as the godliness of people who love the Lord.
   
   
8. Why was Adhem not happy with the angel’s reply? What did Adhem ask him to do?
   Ans. Abou felt a little bit low and was shocked on knowing that his name was not among those who loved God. He wasn’t depressed or disappointed as he cheerfully and humbly requested the angel to write his name in the list of people who love their fellow men. He expected his name to be in the book of gold which contained the names of the ones who loved the Lord. So, the angel agreed to write his name. The following night, the vision appeared in Ben Adhem’s room with a great wakening light and showed him the names of those whom God had blessed with his love and affection. To his surprise, his name led all the rest.