'Twas the night before Christmas,
And all through the Inn,
Not a creature was stirring,
Except little Ben.
A trav'ler had told him
Of a beautiful sight ~
A manger, a mother,
A babe born that night.
The story had touched him,
Sunk deep in his heart,
And he thought of it, pondered it,
Savored each part.
The trav'ler had told of
A very great star,
And wise men had seen it
From countries afar.
And shepherds abiding that night
With their sheep,
Had heard angels tell
Of the new babe asleep.
All had followed the star
To the manger of hay,
And shepherds and wise men
Had knelt down to pray.
For the poor little babe
Was a tiny new King,
Bringing hope and great joy
To the children of men!
The wise men had brought for Him
Myrrh, Frankenscense, Gold,
And a shepherd boy offered
A wee lamb from his fold.
But what could a small boy
Like Ben give a King?
No rubies, no diamonds,
And he had no gold ring.
And none of Ben's own toys
Would do for a King.
Not the slingshort, the marbles,
The whistle, or string!
Ben slipped from his bed
And walked out through the yard.
The moon was aglow,
And how bright were the stars!
It seemed like the heavens
Were beaming with joy
At the news of the birth
Of the new baby boy.
Ben followed a path
To the back of the Inn.
"The Child lies back there,"
Said one of the men.
Then Ben saw the stable
In the dim lantern light.
He saw cattle and sheep there,
Bedded down for the night.
And there in a manger
Lay the new baby King,
With Mary and Joseph there,
Calm and serene.
Then Ben knew the gift
That he would impart,
And he softly whispered,
"I'll give you my heart."
Then he knelt by the manger
So crude for a King,
And worshipped the Holy One,
SAVIOUR OF MEN!
© Russell E. Coate
The song playing is
"
Away In A Manger"
Return to The Stories and Poems of Christmas
© 1999 - Cathy
