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.
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.
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!
Very pleasant read this poem of deep philosophy! 5 Stars!
he 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.
A wonderful poem with matchless philosophy. Loved reading it again.
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.