The Little Candle by Ruth Collie
"The Little Candle" is a short inspirational poem by Ruth Collie built around a single sustained metaphor: a small flame's power to dispel darkness, both literal and figurative. It opens with a domestic scene—a child's dark bedroom made bearable by one small candle—and a frightened baby comforted by a night-light left burning on a shelf. From this simple image, Collie widens her lens to the larger darknesses of adult life: a long, difficult road made bearable by a friend's handclasp and a genuine smile; grief and hardship dispersed by love, as if the sun or moon itself broke through. The poem then turns inward, from physical and emotional darkness to intellectual and spiritual darkness—the mind "groping" for truth, finding itself rich merely for glimpsing a little light. Collie frames this longing for light as universal: everyone desires some "tiny candle" to sustain their spirit's fire, whatever form that flame takes—faith, companionship, hope, or insight. The poem closes on a note of encouragement and exhortation, offering the reassurance that no darkness, however vast, is strong enough to extinguish even the smallest candle. The final image calls on the reader to "hold aloft" their own candle regardless of circumstance—"shine or rain"—so that others still lost in darkness might take heart from its light. In brief compass, the poem functions as a devotional meditation on resilience and quiet generosity: it suggests that comfort, truth, and hope are transmitted not through grand gestures but through small, steady acts of light-bearing—a night-light for a child, a kind word for a struggling friend, a flicker of insight for a searching mind—and that sustaining one's own small flame is itself a form of service to others still groping in the dark.
By Ruth Collie · First published 1929 · Genre: Poetry, Children's Literature, Inspirational Literature · 225 words
First lines
Your room, you say, is very dark to-night! A little candle -- and / you've lots of light! Your baby pleads, "Don't leave me by myself. " / You place a night-light on a little shelf, and baby smiles and feels / quite comforted, and thus companioned, snuggles into bed. The road / seems very dark and long to you; the hand-clasp of a friend, a smile / that's true, and that grim darkness is dispersed by love and brightly / shines the sun or moon above. The mind that gropes in darkness for / the truth, and sees a little light is rich, forsooth. A little light / is what we all desire, a tiny candle for our spirit's fire. Here is / a helpful thought I read to-day for us who grope and stumble on our / way; there's not enough of darkness round about to put the smallest / waxen candle out! So hold aloft your candle, shine or rain, that / those in darkness may take heart again.
What this Textopian page supports
The Little Candle is listed on Textopian as a poem by Ruth Collie, dated 1929 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Poem
- Author: Ruth Collie
- Date: 1929 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Poetry, Children's Literature, Inspirational Literature, Allegory, Self-Help
- Length: 225 words
- Structure: 1 section, 1 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Easy (6th Grade)
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- Work identity for The Little Candle by Ruth Collie
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
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Genres
- Poetry — Written in verse form with rhyming couplets and rhythmic meter, employing traditional poetic devices and formal structure throughout.
- Children's Literature — Features simple, accessible language and domestic imagery of comforting a child at bedtime, with themes of security and reassurance appropriate for young audiences.
- Inspirational Literature — Functions primarily as an uplifting message designed to encourage readers facing darkness and hardship, offering hope and emotional support through metaphorical wisdom.
- Allegory — Uses extended metaphor of light and candles to represent abstract concepts including hope, love, truth, spiritual guidance, and human connection across multiple scenarios.
Tags
children's literature · picture book · religious fiction · Christian themes · faith · kindness · hope · sharing · generosity · service · community · moral lesson