Star Over Bethlehem: Christmas Stories and Poems
A reproduction in one unique volume of three of Agatha Christie’s rarest and most sought-after books – Star Over Bethlehem, The Road of Dreams and Poems.The most popular detective story writer of all time turns her hand to the subject of Christmas.In a manger in Bethlehem, an angel offers Mary a vision of things to come… and a chance to change it all.A naughty little donkey learns the meaning of love as he carries a very special mother and child safely to Egypt.Mrs Hargreaves wanted to like people, but didn't really know how. Then she reached out to touch a stranger, and her eyes were opened to love.Here, in this charming gift edition, Agatha Christie’s stories and poems capture the true meaning of Christmas.This special collector’s edition contains a wealth of Agatha Christie rarities – not only all the stories, poems and illustrations from her long out-of-print book Star Over Bethlehem (1965), but also a reproduction of all her rare poetry from the two collections The Road of Dreams (1924) and Poems (1973).
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STAR OVER BETHLEHEM
including
THE ROAD OF DREAMS
and
POEMS
by
Agatha Christie
Copyright
Published by HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd
1 London Bridge Street
London SE1 9GF
Star over Bethlehem first published in Great Britain by Collins 1965
Poems first published in Great Britain by Collins 1973
The Road of Dreams first published in Great Britain by Geoffrey Bles 1924
Copyright © 1924, 1965 and 1973 by Agatha Christie Mallowan. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
ISBN 978-0-00-728421-4
EPub Edition © 2010 ISBN: 9780007423804
Version: 2017-04-13
Contents
Copyright
Star Over Bethlehem’s Contents
A Greeting
Star over Bethlehem
A Wreath for Christmas
The Naughty Donkey
Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh
The Water Bus
In the Cool of the Evening
Jenny by the Sky
Promotion in the Highest
The Saints of God
The Island
Poems’s Contents
Volume I
A Masque from Italy
The Prologue: Sung by Columbine
Pierrette Dancing on the Green
The Song of Pierrot by the Hearth
Epilogue: Spoken by Punchinello
Ballads
Dreams and Fantasies
Other Poems
Volume II
Things
Places
Love Poems and Others
The Lament of the Tortured Lover
Verses of Nowadays
STAR OVER BETHLEHEM
STAR OVER BETHLEHEM
and other stories
by
Agatha Christie Mallowan
Decorations by
Elsie Wrigley
For Hydie
A Greeting
Praise to the Yule Log!
Leap, Flames, merrily.
Hail to the Wassail Bowl!
Bubble,Wine, rosily!
In the Manger lies the Child;
Asses, Oxen, braying, lowing,
Cackling Hens and Cocks a’crowing.
Overfull the Inn to-night,
Up above a star shines bright,
Shepherds kneel beside their fold,
Wise Men bring their gifts of Gold,
Angels in the Sky above
Trumpet forth God’s gift of Love.
Waken, children, one and all,
Wake to hear the trumpet call,
Leave your sleeping, ’tis the Day,
Christmas, glorious Christmas Day!
Star over Bethlehem
Mary looked down at the baby in the manger. She was alone in the stable except for the animals. As she smiled down at the child her heart was full of pride and happiness.
Then suddenly she heard the rustling of wings and turning, she saw a great Angel standing in the doorway.
The Angel shone with the radiance of the morning sun, and the beauty of his face was so great that Mary’s eyes were dazzled and she had to turn aside her head.
Then the Angel said (and his voice was like a golden trumpet):
‘Do not be afraid, Mary....’
And Mary answered in her sweet low voice:
‘I am not afraid, Oh Holy One of God, but the Light of your Countenance dazzles me.’
The Angel said:‘I have come to speak to you.’
Mary said:‘Speak on, Holy One. Let me hear the commands of the Lord God.’
The Angel said: ‘I have come with no commands. But since you are specially dear to God, it is permitted that, with my aid, you should look into the future....’
Then Mary looked down at the child and asked eagerly:
‘Into his future?’
Her face lit up with joyful anticipation.
‘Yes,’ said the Angel gently.‘Into his future . . . Give me your hand.’
Mary stretched out her hand and took that of the Angel. It was like touching flame – yet flame that did not burn. She shrank back a little and the Angel said again:
‘Do not be afraid. I am immortal and you are mortal, but my touch shall not hurt you. . . .’
Then the Angel stretched out his great golden wing over the sleeping child and said:
‘Look into the future, Mother, and see your Son. . . .’
And Mary looked straight ahead of her and the stable walls melted and dissolved and she was looking into a Garden. It was night and there were stars overhead and a man was kneeling, praying.
Something stirred in Mary’s heart, and her motherhood told her that it was her son who knelt there. She said thankfully to herself: ‘He has become a good man – a devout man – he prays to God.’ And then suddenly she caught her breath, for the man had raised his face and she saw the agony on it – the despair and the sorrow . . . and she knew that she was looking on greater anguish than any she had ever known or seen. For the man was utterly alone. He was praying to God, praying that this cup of anguish might be taken from him – and there was no answer to his prayer. God was absent and silent. . . .
