A POEM by Paul Curtis,
BASED ON THE STORY by
Charles Dickens “A
CHRISTMAS CAROL”
VERSE 5 – SWEET YOUNG
BELLE
Again Scrooge saw
himself a young man but older
A man in the prime of
life but His face was harsher
It did not wear the
rigid lines that his own face did
But there were signs
of avarice that could not be hid
He was not alone, but
sat beside a girl young and fair
Tears filled her eyes
and light sparkled on them there
“It matters little,”
she said, softly. “Very little to you”
“Another idol has
displaced me clearly in your view
And if it can cheer
and comfort you in time to come
As I would have tried
to do, then your idol is welcome
I have no just cause
to grieve. For what you have done”
“What Idol?” he
demanded she replied “A golden one.”
The younger Scrooge
turned away from the girl smartly
“This is the great
hypocrisy of life!” he said sharply
“There is nothing on
which it is so hard as poverty
Yet condemns pursuit
of wealth with such severity”
“You fear the world
too much,” she answered, gently
“All your other hopes
have merged together singly
I have seen your
nobler aspirations fall off one by one
Until now Gain
possessed you as it has now done?”
“What then? Even if I
have grown much wiser,” he said
“I am not changed
towards you.” She shook her head
“Am I?” his question
hung unanswered in the air
For a few moments she
sat thoughtfully silent there
She said, “Our
contract is an old one made long ago
Made when we were both
poor and content to be so,
Until in good season
we could” she continued softly
“Improve our worldly
fortune by our patient industry”
You are changed. For
when our contract was made
You were another man
entirely Ebeneezer I’m afraid
“I was a boy,” he said
impatiently. “We were children”
“But you are different
now to what you were then
Your own feelings tell
you that this is indeed true
With all this
understood Ebeneezer I can release you.”
“Have I ever sought
release?” Angrily he turned on her
She returned in equal
measure “In words? No. Never.”
“In what, then?” “In a
changed nature and a spirit altered
In another different
atmosphere of life” she answered
“In everything that
made my love of value in your sight
And In everything that
made your love of me feel right
Tell me Ebeneezer If
this had never been between us,”
The girl said looking
mildly at him but with steadiness
“Would you seek me out
and try to win me now? Ah, no!”
He seemed to agree
with her but he tried not to show
After a moment’s
thought “You think not?” he countered
“I would gladly think
otherwise if I could,” she answered
“Heaven knows. When I
have learned a Truth like this
I know how strong and
irresistible it must be to resist.
But if you were free
to-day, to-morrow, yesterday,
Can I believe you
would choose a dowerless girl, say?
You who weigh
everything by gain would not rebuff
In choosing her, if
for a moment you were false enough
To your one guiding
principle to do so, do I not know
That your repentance
and regret would surely follow?”
Then she said sadly “I
do; and I release you Ebeneezer
With a full heart, for
the love of him you once were.”
He was about to speak;
but with her head turned away
She resumed. “You may
have pain in this yes you may
But only for the
briefest time, and then it will seem
Its memory will be
dismissed as an unprofitable dream
From which it happened
well that you had awoken.
So may you be happy in
the life you have chosen.”
Then she left him, and
he stood gazing at the floor
“Spirit!” said
Scrooge; “I beg you show me no more!
Conduct me home, why
do you delight to torture me?”
The ghost then
exclaimed “One more shadow to see!”
“No more!” cried Scrooge!
“I don't wish to see it!
Show me no more! I beg
of you oh merciful spirit”
VERSE 6 – MATRONLY
BELLE
Despite his appeals
the spirit would have none
And they were once
again removed and it was done
They were then in
another scene and place, in a room
Not very large or
handsome, but a comfort filled room
Near to the winter
fire sat the beautiful girl again
Though not so young
the signs of beauty still remain
Scrooge recognized
Belle the instance that he saw her
Though she was a
comely matron sat with her daughter
There were other
children all making the noise of forty
All was happy the
mother and daughter laughed heartily
The scene was then
disturbed by a knocking at the door
And such a rush
immediately ensued across the floor
Then the flushed and
boisterous group returned rather
Louder than ever, just
in time to greet their father
Who came home attended
amid the great excitements
By a man laden with
Christmas toys and presents
Then the shouting and
struggling began in earnest
Under the onslaught
the poor porter did his best
To stand his ground
and to repel their advances
As they tried to
separate him from his packages
A good time was had by
all in the family parlor
As the noise was
lowered to an acceptable roar
“Belle,” said the
husband, turning to his wife smiling,
“I saw an old friend
of yours this afternoon darling”
“Who was it?” she
asked “Guess!” was his only reply
“Oh I don’t know,” she
said exasperated “How can I?”
“Just Guess Belle” The
laughing husband urged her
“Oh I really don’t
know” Belle began in despair
Then almost in the
same breath as she shook her head
And laughing as he
laughed she suddenly said
“Mr. Scrooge” and
laughed again “Oh I don’t know”
“Mr. Scrooge it was. I
passed by his office window
As it was not
shuttered and he had his candle lit
I could see him clear
and was curious I must admit
His partner Marley
lies on the point of death, I hear
And there he sat quite
alone I do believe my dear”
“Spirit!” said Scrooge
his voice breaking slightly
“Remove me from this
place.” He said pleadingly
“The shadows are of
things that have been you see,”
“That they are what
they are, do not blame me!”
“Remove me!” Scrooge
exclaimed, “I cannot bear it!”
He turned round to the
Ghost “Remove me please spirit
Then he turned upon
the ghost “Haunt me no longer”
As he noticed the
spirits light was glowing stronger
Scrooge seized the
extinguisher cap from the spirit
And tried to put out
the light that shone bright from it
The spirit was covered
but he could not dim the light
Which now spilled upon
the ground both left and right
He was overcome by
exhaustion and a sense of doom
And was vaguely aware
of being in his own bedroom
He gave the cap a
final squeeze to push the spirit deep
Then he reeled to his
bed and sank into a heavy sleep
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