JAMNABAI NARSEE SCHOOL

STANDARD 6
ENGLISH LITERATURE – POETRY
Abou Ben Adhem
- James Leigh Hunt
NAME: _________________________ STD: 6 DIV: _____ ROLL NO: ____

Answer the following with reference to the context:

I. “Abou Ben Adhem(may his tribe increase!)

Awoke one night from a deep dream of peace…”

1. Who has penned the above lines?

James Leigh Hunt has penned the above lines.

2. What does the poet mean when he says “may his tribe increase”?
The poet means that the number of good people like Abou Ben Adhem should increase in this
selfish and wicked world.

3. What did Ben Adhem see one night in his room, when he was awakened?
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 (bright) like a lily in bloom. He also saw an
angel writing something in a book of gold.

4.a. What did Ben Adhem ask the angel? What made him bold enough to do so?
Ben Adhem asked the angel what it was writing. The peace he felt in the presence of the vision
made him bold enough to ask the question.

4.b. How did the angel respond to this question?

The vision raised its head and with a look of sweet accord answered that it was writing the names
of those who loved the Lord.

5. Why did Abou Ben Adhem lower his tone when the vision gave him a reply?
Abou Ben Adhem lowered his tone when the vision gave him a reply because he was told that
his name was not on the list.

6. What did Abou Ben Adhem request the vision to do?

Abou Ben Adhem told the vision that since his name was not on the list, the name should be
written as the one that loves his fellowmen. The angel wrote this and vanished.

7.a. What happened the following night.

The following night, the vision appeared in Abou Ben Adhem’s room with a great wakening
light and showed him the names whom the love of God had blessed and to his surprise Ben
Adhem’s name led all the rest.
7.b. Mention two other words used by the poet to refer to the angel.
The two other words used by the poet to refer to the angel are ‘the vision’ and ‘the presence’.

8. What lesson do you learn from this poem?

From this poem I learn that devotion to God is directly related to one’s love for his fellow
beings. One cannot hate his fellowmen whom he has seen and love God whom he has not seen.
God resides in the core of every human being.

II. Identify the figures of speech in the following lines from the poem:
1. Awoke one night from a deep dream of peace.
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2. Making it rich, and like a lily in bloom.

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