 

Home  English Literature Solutions

Questions Answers of Abou Ben Adhem by Leigh Hunt

 06 Nov,
2020

Structured Questions Answers from Abou Ben Adhem by Leigh

Hunt
QUESTION AND ANSWERS from Abou Ben Adhem

Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow :

1. 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,

1. Who was Abou Ben Adhem? What is meant by 'may his tribe increase'?

Answer

Abou Ben Adhem was an 8th century Sufi mystic of royal lineage from Balkh. He loved his tribesmen who
treated him as their spiritual leader and pioneer. They followed his teachings based on great ideals and
values such as peace, mutual harmony, and service of the deprived and downtrodden. May his tribe
increase', used as a parenthesis here, basically implies a wish for the growth of people who followed his
teachings and adopted the path shown by
him.

2. Describe the phrase that has been used by the poet to describe the great charm of the
angel?

Answer

In this stanza, the poet uses the phrase "like a lily in bloom, to describe the great charm of the angel. This
is an example of Simile. In this figure of speech, something is compared with some other thing of a
different type. Here, the poet compares the charm of the heavenly angel with the beauty of a blooming lily,
which is a flower.
3. Describe the imagery of the scene.

Answer

The imagery of the scene depicted in this stanza is profound and suggestive. The opening line introduces
Abou Ben Adhem with a parenthesis that signifies his tall spiritual stature, faithfulness and devotion to
great ideals and values. It is followed by the descriptions of his moonlit room and the otherworldly charm of
the angel through images that are fascinating and comprehensible.

4. What does the last line mean here?

Answer

It means that Abou Ben does not react like a common human, to the presence of the angel. As he
champions the great value of peace and has great faith in God. He has done no wrong and so is not scared
or frightened at the presence of the angel in his room. He is a brave person who can even face the most
unusual things in life.

5. Give the significance of the book of gold' in the poem.

Answer

The book of gold' basically signifies a divine book of records including the names of all people who love
God. Its significance lies in the fact that it keeps the list of only those people who love God with pure-
hearted devotion and dedication. When Abou Ben Adhem is told by the angel that his name is not there on
the list of people who love God, he is not worried. He is confident that the book of gold keeps the record of
those also who love their fellow men or the humankind. This implies that the book of gold is not a straight
record of people who love God, but one that lists people who love and follow the greatest ideals that lead
one to the path of God.

2. 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."

1. What does the words 'presence' and 'vision' refer to here? What made Abou bold?

Answer

In this stanza, the words 'presence' and 'vision' refer to the presence of the angel and his vision. Use of
these words indicates that the appearance of the angel is so illuminating or dazzling that it can't perhaps
be felt quite tangibly as in case of some human being. Abou's unflinching dedication to the great ideal of
peace made him bold.

2. What is the vision doing? Why is Abou Ben curious? What does he say to the vision?

Answer

The vision is writing something in a book of gold. Abou Ben is curious as he wants to know what the vision is
writing in the book of gold. After this Abou questions the vision, "What writest thou?" or what are you
writing?

3. Why does the vision raise its head? What did you note about its nature?

Answer

The vision raises its head to reply to Abou's question when he enquires about what it is writing in the book
of gold. The vision has a sweetness and composure when it faces Abou. This indicates that it is not
perturbed or disturbed by Abou suddenly intervening in its work.

4. What does the vision reply to Abou? What made Abou low?

Answer

The vision replies that it is writing in the book the names of those who love the Lord, i.e., God. When the
vision says that Abou's name is not one of them, it makes Abou low. He probably feels slightly disheartened
at this revelation because he is genuinely devoted to God.

5. What does Abou request to the vision? What happens next?

Answer

After coming to know that his name was not on the list. Abou maintains his calm and requests the vision to
write his name as someone who loves God's fellow men. After this, the angel writes something in the book
and disappears without saying anything but also reappears the next night. ]

3. 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.

1. What happens after the angel disappeared? What did it show Adhem?

Answer

After disappearing from Abou's room, the angel does not come back immediately. Instead, it revisits Abou
next night with awakening light that rouse Adhem from sleep. When it reappears, it shows Abou the names
of those people who have been blessed with the love of God.

2. Describe the effect of "a great wakening light".

Answer

The phrase "a great wakening light" essentially implies an extremely powerful and luminous light capable
of wakening the world. Here. the word 'wakening is used to signify a state of supreme consciousness or
complete awakening of senses. Following the reappearance of the vision, Abou experiences this state.

3. How can you look at the extract as the climax in the poem?

Answer

The climax comes in the concluding line when the angel shows Abou the list of those who are blessed with
divine love. As the use of the phrase 'And lo!' suggests, Abou is visibly surprised to see his name on top of
the list. This gives an unexpected twist to the poem, but it's like poetic justice in the context of a great man
 with such pure, unadulterated devotion.

4. What did you understand about the character of Abou Ben Adhem?

Answer

Abou Ben Adhem is a perfect personification of faith in its purest and most practical form. He has no
pompous perception about his great deeds and he is most concerned about the weal and welfare of his
people. The poet himself acknowledges his virtues in the end as he comes to be regarded as the blessed
one.

5. What message does the poem bring?

Answer

The poem clearly brings it to the fore that true love for God lies in the spirit of selfless service of the
humankind. A number of people perform rituals and prayers to express their faith in God. However, God
blesses and loves those people more who love and practically adopt the greatest of ideals and values.
Thus, in this poem, the stress is on following the practical rather than dogmatic aspects of faith.

Tags English Literature Treasure

    

 Previous Post Next Post



Echoes Solutions

Reverie Solutions

Treasure Trove Solutions

The Tempest Workbook Answers

The Merchant of Venice Workbook Answers

Selina Concise Solutions for Class 10

ML Aggarwal Solutions for Class 10

ML Aggarwal Solutions for Class 9

ABOUT US

ICSE Rankers is a free educational platform for ICSE and ISC k-12
students.

Copyright © 2022 ICSE Rankers All Right Reserved

About Us Privacy Policy Contact Us