The Halo by Sarah Noble Ives
A child looks at a picture of an angel on the study wall, with white wings and a shining golden ring around her head, and asks Jimmy why she wears "that funny yellow thing." Jimmy laughs and explains that it is a "saint-hole," which all angels have, and that the Shining Way runs through it straight to her heavenly home; when the angel grows tired of the earth, she calls to God, He reaches down and pulls her through before one can count seven, and she disappears from sight because she has gone to Heaven. The child, finding this new and not fully understood, concludes that if they had a saint-hole too, they would go to Heaven as well.
By Sarah Noble Ives · Genre: Children's Poetry, Religious/Spiritual Poetry, Humorous Verse · 197 words
First lines
There's a picture of an angel, hanging on our study wall, / A lovely angel with white wings, and very grand and tall; / Around about her head there is a shining golden ring, / And I asked Jimmy why she wore that funny yellow thing; / And Jimmy laughed and said to me; "Why, silly, don't you know? / That's nothing but a saint-hole; all angels have them so. / The Shining Way runs through it, straight to her heavenly home, / And when she's tired of the earth, she calls to God to come; / He reaches down and pulls her through, before you can count seven, / And you can't see her any more, because she is in Heaven."
Similar titles
- A Halt For Provender by Sarah Noble Ives
- Baby by George Macdonald
- Petroleum And Turpentine by Hugh Lofting
- The Vegetable School by Hugh Lofting
- Luke 16 19 25 by John Newton
- Grace For A Child by Alice Meynell
Genres
- Children's Poetry — Written in accessible verse with simple language, rhyming couplets, and child-centered perspective that characterizes children's literature of the era.
- Religious/Spiritual Poetry — Central themes of angels, heaven, halos, saints, and divine intervention form the theological core of the narrative.
- Humorous Verse — Comic misunderstanding where 'halo' becomes 'saint-hole' and the absurd explanation create light, playful humor accessible to children.
- Narrative Verse — Structured as a brief story told in verse form with dialogue, rising action, and concluding reflection on desire for spiritual ascension.
Tags
children's poetry · angels · heaven · afterlife · halos · childhood innocence · Christian faith · moral instruction · divine intervention · whimsy · spiritual allegory · naivety
What this Textopian page supports
The Halo is listed on Textopian as a poem by Sarah Noble Ives, dated Date unknown.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Poem
- Author: Sarah Noble Ives
- Date: Date unknown
- Language: English
- Genres: Children's Poetry, Religious/Spiritual Poetry, Humorous Verse, Narrative Verse, Christian Literature
- Length: 197 words
- Structure: 1 section, 2 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Standard (8th-9th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for The Halo by Sarah Noble Ives
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
- Readability and classroom-planning context
- Passage-specific claims should cite the exact /read/ URL for the relevant chapter or paragraph