Feb 03, 2010 2:53 PM GMT
Abou Ben Adhem (may his tribe increase!)
Awoke one night from a deep dream of peace,
And saw, within the moonlight of 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 who love of God had blessed,
And lo! Ben Adhem's name led all the rest.
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I don't think of this as a religious piece in the sense that it advocates what religion to follow or how to worship, or even what is ok or not. Instead I think it advocates what a religion should be; demonstrating that the most important thing in life is how you treat your fellow men. I myself am not religious, but I think the greatest deed any of us can do is to treat all men and women with dignity and respect.
Awoke one night from a deep dream of peace,
And saw, within the moonlight of 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 who love of God had blessed,
And lo! Ben Adhem's name led all the rest.
=========================================================
I don't think of this as a religious piece in the sense that it advocates what religion to follow or how to worship, or even what is ok or not. Instead I think it advocates what a religion should be; demonstrating that the most important thing in life is how you treat your fellow men. I myself am not religious, but I think the greatest deed any of us can do is to treat all men and women with dignity and respect.