Question

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."

Read the lines given above and answer the following question.

Explain with reference to context.

Answer 1

These lines have been taken from Abou Ben Adhem written by Leigh Hunt. In this poem the poet has describe the spiritual experience of Abou who was a pious man. One night Abou awoke from a deep dream of peace. He saw an angel writing something in a golden book. He asked the angel what he wrote. The angel replied that he was writing the names of those who loved God, but Abou’s name was not there. Abou requested the angel to write his name in the list of those who loved their fellowmen. The next night the angel come -again and showed Abou the names of those whom God had blessed. Abou was surprised to see that his name was written on top.

In these lines the poet tells us how Abou spoke to the angel. As there was too much peace Abou was not afraid. He became bold and asked the angel what he wrote. The angel raised his head and looked at Abou in a friendly way. He replied that he was writing the names of those who loved God.