A woman has two smiles that an angel might envy, the smile that

Hear the words of Thomas Chandler Haliburton, who with poetic reverence declared: “A woman has two smiles that an angel might envy, the smile that accepts a lover before words are uttered, and the smile that lights on the first born babe, and assures it of a mother’s love.” In these words, he captures the sacred power of womanhood—the tender fire that binds hearts and generations together. For in these two smiles, there is contained the mystery of love itself: the joining of souls, and the birthing of life.

The origin of this reflection lies in humanity’s most ancient bonds. Before kings and empires, before the building of temples and cities, there were only two sacred unions that shaped human destiny: the union of lovers, and the bond of mother and child. Both are expressed not first in words, but in the silent language of the smile. The smile of acceptance before love’s first kiss, and the smile that greets the fragile life of an infant—these are more divine than speech, for they speak from the very soul.

The first smile, Haliburton tells us, is the smile of love unspoken, when a woman accepts a lover without the need for words. It is the acknowledgment of desire, trust, and surrender to a shared destiny. This moment has inspired poets through the ages, from the Songs of Solomon to the courtly verses of the troubadours. A single glance, a single smile, has often sealed the beginning of journeys greater than armies or kingdoms. For in that expression lies the power to join two lives into one.

The second smile is yet greater, for it comes at the dawn of new life—the smile of the mother upon her firstborn child. This smile is not passion, but unconditional love. It assures the babe, still trembling from the passage into the world, that it is safe, it is wanted, it is loved. This smile, Haliburton says, even the angels might envy, for no celestial being can know the earthly, flesh-bound miracle of a mother’s love. In that look, eternity and mortality are joined.

History gives us countless echoes of these truths. Consider Mary, the mother of Christ, who must have smiled upon her infant son in the manger, her face shining despite poverty and uncertainty. That smile, humble and radiant, bore within it both suffering and salvation. Or think of Cleopatra, whose smile captivated Caesar and Antony, altering the fate of empires. In both passion and motherhood, the smile of woman has shaped the turning of history itself.

What Haliburton teaches us is that these two smiles are not mere expressions, but revelations of the divine within humanity. They are moments when the veil is lifted, and the eternal is glimpsed in the mortal. They show us that love is not first in words, but in presence; not first in declarations, but in gestures that bind souls together in silence.

Therefore, beloved, let this be your lesson: honor the smiles of women, for they are not trivial nor passing, but sacred gifts. If you are a lover, cherish that first smile that welcomed you; if you are a child, remember the smile that first assured you of love. And if you are a woman, treasure these smiles within yourself, for they are not only beautiful—they are powerful, shaping the destiny of those who behold them. Truly, as Haliburton said, even the angels might envy them.