(19 October 1784 – 28 August 1859 / Southgate, London)

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Abou Ben Adhem

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


Anonymous Submission

Submitted: Monday, January 13, 2003


Read poems about / on: angel, peace, dream, night, light, god, love

Comments about this poem (Abou Ben Adhem by James Henry Leigh Hunt )

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  • Raana Sidiki (10/5/2012 11:31:00 PM)

    i had this poem in my course in Pakistan forty some years ago. the beauty of a classic is that it is relevant in almost all ages. and its true for this poem in these turbulent times. Ben means son of.

    32 person liked.
    8 person did not like.
  • David Christopher (4/20/2012 11:01:00 AM)

    Interesting poem. First came across it when I was in La Salle School (Jesselton) eons ago. Well worth revisiting from time to time...

    25 person liked.
    14 person did not like.
  • Pam Mcandrews (3/8/2012 7:06:00 PM)

    I memorized this poem at Princeton Junior High School in Youngstown, Ohio in the 1960's.
    My teacher was Mr. O'Neal, I think. I loved this poem! It was brought to mind at my Ladies Bible Study today as we contemplated the Lamb's Book of God. I was so excited to locate the whole poem on my first try! Thanks!

    31 person liked.
    13 person did not like.
  • Gail Cavanaugh (12/19/2011 8:09:00 AM)

    I had to memorize and recite this poem before my 4th grade class. I loved it! I remember the joy my male teacher had in reciting this poem to us. Just reading it brings tear to my eyes.

    33 person liked.
    8 person did not like.
  • Kanti Khanna (6/15/2010 6:30:00 AM)

    I learnt this poem 50 years ago in my school in Calcutta and it came back to me recently. I've always loved the sentiments behind it. What amaze me are the parallels in my life today. I have extreme love for God and would love to think that I had a special place in His heart. As it happens I belong to a spiritual university based on Mount Abu, Rajasthan, India. In Hindi the word Ben means sister and of course Adam we all know.

    33 person liked.
    10 person did not like.
  • Georgina Sanders (5/30/2010 2:13:00 AM)

    We had to learn this poem in our middle school. It has always been one of my favourite poems. Yesterday, I was talking about this poem with a friend and I realised had forgotten the lines. I had to look it up and am so glad I found it today. Thank you poemhunter! You've made my day. This poem brings back fond memories of school and my favourite teachers.

    31 person liked.
    7 person did not like.
  • Sheril Smith (5/25/2010 4:11:00 PM)

    I learned this poem in the 4th grade by my all-time favorite teacher, Miss Sue Taylor. She enhanced out learning by teaching us poetry and songs. I don't know what happened to her, but she left our school the following year. I think I learned more from her than any other teacher in my entire academic career. I, like other posters here, still have this poem committed to memory. If anyone knows how to get in contact with Ms. Taylor, please let me know. I'm on Facebook. By the way, I just came across this poem today on the Washington Post's online crossword puzzle. There's one answer I could surely answer!

    29 person liked.
    8 person did not like.
  • Joe Cornes (3/12/2010 2:42:00 PM)

    I was once again reminded of my early teens whilst reading Abou Ben Adhem, I was taken back to a sunny August in the early 1980’s, sitting in my class gazing dreamily out of the window, the sun on my face and listening to the note filled voice Mr Jack Tarr my eccentric English teacher. He would read it aloud as though he were an actor and sometimes, believe it or not! standing on his head up on his desk…True!

    28 person liked.
    11 person did not like.
  • Sameer Gardner (2/3/2010 1:33:00 AM)

    'Exceeding peace had made Ben Adhem bold, ' volumes can be written on this one line this is what poetry is all about

    31 person liked.
    10 person did not like.
  • Jozef Van Wyck (11/25/2009 4:09:00 PM)

    When I was a boy I used to listen to this poem recited by my Grandfather
    Raymond Henry Van Wyck complete with beautiful strains of brahms
    symphony recorded on a reel to reel. I memorized it yet it just is not the
    same without the background symphony playing and a toastmasters
    diction really putting you in a deep dream of sleep!

    30 person liked.
    13 person did not like.
Read all 30 comments »

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