Nine Gold Medals & Abou Ben Adhem
Part 1 — Nine Gold Medals (David Roth)
About the Poem
David Roth is an American singer-songwriter. 'Nine Gold Medals' is based on a TRUE EVENT — a race at a SPECIAL OLYMPICS event.
The Story
Athletes from all over the world gather. They have TRAINED for months — for years. One race. One event. The prize: GOLD.
The Race Begins: The starting pistol FIRES. They EXPLODE from the blocks — 'each young man running with all his heart.' This is their MOMENT. 'Each man striving to set a new record — to be the best, to be the champion.'
The Fall: The SMALLEST runner STUMBLES. He falls to the ground. His dream — all those months of training — is OVER. 'He let out a cry of frustration and despair. / His dreams had been shattered. The race was over for him.'
What Happens Next — The MIRACLE: The OTHER EIGHT RUNNERS — the ones leading the race — STOP. They TURN BACK. They GO TO THE FALLEN RUNNER. They HELP HIM TO HIS FEET.
Together — ALL NINE — they LINK ARMS and WALK to the FINISH LINE. Together. As one.
The Victory: 'Nine gold medals were awarded that day. / No one who saw it would ever forget.'
'The poem is based on a TRUE STORY. The Special Olympics is for athletes with intellectual disabilities. The runners' act of solidarity transcended COMPETITION. It affirmed HUMANITY.'
Key Themes
- Compassion Over Competition: Winning is not the highest value. CARE is.
- The True Meaning of Sport: Sport is about HUMAN EXCELLENCE — and the MOST excellent thing a human can do is to HELP someone in need.
- We Rise Together: 'You can't win a race by leaving people behind. The truest victory is shared.'
Part 2 — Abou Ben Adhem (Leigh Hunt)
About the Poet
Leigh Hunt (1784–1859) was an English poet and essayist, a contemporary of Keats and Shelley.
The Poem
"Abou Ben Adhem (may his tribe increase!) / Awoke one night from a deep dream of peace..."
The Story
The Vision: Abou Ben Adhem wakes in the night. His room is FILLED WITH LIGHT — 'making it rich, and like a lily in bloom.' An ANGEL is writing in a BOOK OF GOLD.
The Question: Abou asks: 'What are you writing?' The angel answers: 'The names of those who LOVE THE LORD.' Is Abou's name there? The angel answers: 'NO.'
Abou's Response — Humble and Hopeful: Abou is NOT angry. He is NOT defensive. He says — quietly, humbly: 'I pray thee, then, / Write me as one that LOVES HIS FELLOW MEN.'
The Next Night: The angel returns — with a 'great wakening light.' It shows Abou the names of those 'whom love of God had blest.' And ABOU BEN ADHEM'S NAME 'LED ALL THE REST.'
What It Means
The poem is a statement about the RELATIONSHIP between love of GOD and love of HUMANITY:
- Abou's name WAS NOT among those who 'loved the Lord' — because he had not yet demonstrated his love through the highest form of worship.
- But when he asked to be listed as one who LOVED HIS FELLOW MEN, he was — in that very act — loving God. Because 'loving your fellow human beings IS loving God.'
- His name 'LED ALL THE REST' — meaning: Love of fellow humans is the HIGHEST form of love. It is how you truly love God.
Key Themes
- Love of Humanity = Love of God: The poem's central spiritual insight. 'To love your neighbour IS to love God.' Service to humanity is the truest worship.
- Humility: Abou doesn't ARGUE. He doesn't boast. He simply ASKS — with humility — to be recorded as one who loved people.
- The Book of Gold: The divine record. What is written there is what ULTIMATELY matters. 'And what is written there is: WHO DID YOU LOVE? HOW DID YOU SERVE?'
Literary Devices
- Symbolism: The ANGEL = divine messenger. The BOOK OF GOLD = the divine record of souls. The 'great wakening light' = revelation, truth.
- Contrast: Love of the Lord (abstract, devotional) vs. Love of fellow men (concrete, practical). The poem says: the SECOND IS the FIRST.
- Rhyme and Rhythm: Iambic pentameter. Simple, melodic, almost hymn-like. 'The form matches the message: simple, beautiful, profound.'
