"Abou Ben Adhem" is a poem by Leigh Hunt, a key figure of the Romantic movement in England. The poem focuses on an event in the life of the Sufi saint Ibrahim bin Adham (anglicized to Abou Ben Adhem). Ben Adhem encounters an angel, who is writing a record of those who love God. Learning his name isn't on this list, Ben Adhem instructs the angel to mark him down as one who loves his "fellow men." The next night, the angel returns with a second list: those who are blessed by God. Ben Adhem's name is at the top this time, suggesting that God favors those who love their fellow human beings—indeed, that love for other people is the best way to express love for God. Hunt is not particularly well-known for his poetry, and is better remembered for his role in facilitating the work of other poets at the time (such as Keats and Shelly). "Abou Ben Adhem" is one of a handful of Hunt's poems still commonly read.
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The Full Text of “Abou Ben Adhem”
1Abou Ben Adhem (may his tribe increase!)
2Awoke one night from a deep dream of peace,
3And saw, within the moonlight in his room,
4Making it rich, and like a lily in bloom,
5An angel writing in a book of gold:—
6Exceeding peace had made Ben Adhem bold,
7And to the presence in the room he said,
8"What writest thou?"—The vision raised its head,
9And with a look made of all sweet accord,
10Answered, "The names of those who love the Lord."
11"And is mine one?" said Abou. "Nay, not so,"
12Replied the angel. Abou spoke more low,
13But cheerly still; and said, "I pray thee, then,
14Write me as one that loves his fellow men."
15The angel wrote, and vanished. The next night
16It came again with a great wakening light,
17And showed the names whom love of God had blest,
18And lo! Ben Adhem's name led all the rest.
The Full Text of “Abou Ben Adhem”
1Abou Ben Adhem (may his tribe increase!)
2Awoke one night from a deep dream of peace,
3And saw, within the moonlight in his room,
4Making it rich, and like a lily in bloom,
5An angel writing in a book of gold:—
6Exceeding peace had made Ben Adhem bold,
7And to the presence in the room he said,
8"What writest thou?"—The vision raised its head,
9And with a look made of all sweet accord,
10Answered, "The names of those who love the Lord."
11"And is mine one?" said Abou. "Nay, not so,"
12Replied the angel. Abou spoke more low,
13But cheerly still; and said, "I pray thee, then,
14Write me as one that loves his fellow men."
15The angel wrote, and vanished. The next night
16It came again with a great wakening light,
17And showed the names whom love of God had blest,
18And lo! Ben Adhem's name led all the rest.
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“Abou Ben Adhem” Summary
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“Abou Ben Adhem” Themes
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Faith, Love, and Humanity
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Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “Abou Ben Adhem”
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Lines 1-5
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:— -
Lines 6-10
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." -
Lines 11-14
"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." -
Lines 15-18
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.
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“Abou Ben Adhem” Symbols
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The Book of Gold
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“Abou Ben Adhem” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language
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Apostrophe
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Alliteration
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Simile
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Caesura
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Assonance
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Consonance
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Polysyndeton
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Enjambment
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End-Stopped Line
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Parallelism
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“Abou Ben Adhem” Vocabulary
Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.
- Abou Ben Adhem
- Tribe
- Exceeding
- Writest
- Thou
- Accord
- Cheerly
- Blest
- Lo!
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Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “Abou Ben Adhem”
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Form
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Meter
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Rhyme Scheme
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“Abou Ben Adhem” Speaker
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“Abou Ben Adhem” Setting
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Literary and Historical Context of “Abou Ben Adhem”
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More “Abou Ben Adhem” Resources
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External Resources
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Read Other Poems and a Biography of Hunt — Further resources provided by the Poetry Foundation.
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The Funeral of Shelley Painting — A painting by Louis Fournier that depicts Leigh Hunt at his friend and fellow Romantic poet Percy Shelley's funeral. Hunt is the second from the left of the main figures by the body.
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Hunt's Essays — A collection of essays published by Leigh Hunt.
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The Manuscript of "Abou Ben Adhem" — An image of the poem as written by Hunt.
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A Reading of "Abou Ben Adhem" — A good reading of the poem (accompanied by an unsettling animation).
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