The poetical works of Thomas Traherne faithfully reprinted from the author's original manuscript together with Poems of Felicity reprinted from the Burney manuscript and Poems from Various Sources: Edited with preface and notes by Gladys I. Wade |
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| 5. | § 5. POEMS FROM MEDITATIONS ON THE SIX DAYS OF THE CREATION. |
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 | The poetical works of Thomas Traherne |  |
§ 5. POEMS FROM MEDITATIONS ON THE SIX DAYS OF THE CREATION.
First Day.
Hail, sacred Light, which highly dost excel,And dost our Sorrows and our Fears dispel!
When first appearing thou didst strike the Sight
With darting Beams, all glorious fair and bright,
And wondrous charming, Oh! how great and full
Of sparkling Glory! Oh! how beautiful!
How sweet thy Shine! How ravishing thy Rays!
Proclaiming loud thy great Creator's Praise,
When marvellously he had now decreed,
That Day should Night, and Night should Day succeed;
That this His Works and Wonders might display,
And shadow forth his own eternal Day;
Whilst that should temper the Day's increasing Drought,
Moisten the Air, and make the Earth to sprout.
He gave the Word, and Day did straight appear,
Till Day at length declin'd, and Night drew near.
Night, which hovering with her sable Wing,
Doth Ease and Rest to wearied Mortals bring.
Thus Nights and Days, and Days and Nights do fly,
Returning in their Course successively;
Each with its Comforts, though of diff'rent kinds,
Both for our active and our drooping Minds.
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By Day and Night let's bless our Lord and King,
The King of all the World, in whom we move
And live, and are, the mighty God above.
Amen.
Second Day.
Hark how God's Word the Waters does command,That they forthwith obey, and parted stand!
Two different ways, how does it them divide?
Some upwards mount, and some again subside.
In Vapours part ascend, the Clouds to fill,
Part to refresh the Earth, in Rain distill.
Mark how his Voice doth cut the Flames of Fire,
What whist'ling Winds do blow, and then retire;
How through the Air his pointed Arrows fly,
And how his Thunder rattles in the Sky:
He thunders, and the proudest Atheist quakes;
From Heaven roars, and Hell's Foundation shakes.
His Voice the Mountains and the Rocks doth rend,
And tallest Cedars fall at his Command.
Which yet to lowly Shrubs no Hurt will bring;
These, and their humble Valleys, laugh and sing.
Sing, O ye Valleys, whom the Lord doth crown;
On you he drops his welcome Blessings down.
When I perceive it rain in timely Showers,
I see on you he fruitful Favours pours:
But when from Clouds a watry Torrent spins,
Methinks Heav'n weeps for our unwept-for Sins.
And when on high I spy his beauteous Bow,
By this he does his Truth and Mercy show.
Oh that I could to him make some Return,
And that I cannot do it better, mourn!
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Tears for my Sins, which for them loudly call;
And that my Thoughts, as Vapours, may arise,
And mount to thee, my God, above the Skies;
To own my Guilt, and Pardon supplicate,
And never cease thy Praise to celebrate.
Amen.
Third Day.
Lo here, within the Waters liquid WombThe unborn Earth lay, as in native Tomb;
Whilst she at first was buried in the Deep,
And all her Forms and Seeds were fast asleep.
Th' Almighty Word then spake, and streight was heard,
The Earth her Head up from the Waters rear'd.
The Waters soon, as frighted, fled apace,
And all were swiftly gather'd to one Place.
See now the Earth, with Life and Verdure crown'd,
Spring from her Bed, gay, vigorous, and sound:
Her Face ten thousand Beauties now adorn,
With Blessings numberless from Plenty's Horn.
Here, there, and ev'ry where they richly flow,
For us Almighty Bounty them does strow.
The Hills and Dales, the Lawns and Woods around,
God's Wisdom, Goodness, and his Pow'r resound.
Both far and near his Wonders they proclaim.
How vilely then is wretched Man to blame,
If he forget to praise that liberal Hand,
Out-spread from Sea to Sea, from Land to Land?
Amen.
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Fourth Day.
1
Thou Lamp of God, and spacious World's vast Light,Of thee how shall I sing? of thee how write?
For here I find the Danger is,
With Bards of old, the Way to miss.
Of thee a God, they strangely wond'ring made,
And to thy Fire devoutly Homage paid.
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The ancient Bards did see, and do, no more.But I a brighter Sun than thee adore.
The Sun, I mean, that gave thee Light,
A Sun ten thousand times more bright.
Ah! who can thee sufficiently admire,
O God, my Sun, or thee enough desire?
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Hail, thou faint Image of th' Eternal Sun!Oh that with thee my Race I now could run!
Oh that I could with thee obey!
And oh that I did never stray!
But with thee always keep within my Line,
And with thee always in his Service join.
4
Thy influential Heat all Places warms,And every Creature feels thy living Charms.
The Fields do laugh, the Woods do sing,
The Hills do dance, the Valleys spring.
The Fields and Groves, the Meads and Pastures live
By Heat, which God to thee at first did give.
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5
The Plants, and Birds, and Beasts do all conspireIn this; and thee do eagerly Desire.
Nothing we meet with here below,
But what by thee doth live and grow.
Oh! how thou dost with Youth and Vigour fill
Thy Subject Earth, which Lifeless would be still!
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Me with new Life from God thou dost inspire,That seeing thee I burn with rapt'rous Fire.
Thou art the Glory of thy Lord:
Thou art the Image of his Word:
And I with thee now praise my LORD and thine,
That he my Sun, may ever on me shine.
Amen.
Fifth Day.
The Waters now are truly living made,But how is this? Th' Almighty Word has said;
He said, Now let the Waters living be.
Th' admiring Angels then did Wonders see.
For streight the mighty Product of the Deep,
As if awaken'd from their watry Sleep,
Did now in numerous Shoals themselves display,
And made appear a Fifth more glorious Day,
Fairer than any that had gone before.
Oh! who can God sufficiently adore,
Who this Day gen'rated so rich a Store?
A Day most fair! when his Almighty Skill
Did all the Seas, and Lakes, and Rivers fill.
Armies of Birds out of the Waters rise,
And soaring mount towards the smiling Skies.
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There living Castles mighty things declare;
And swiftly rolling through the spacious Main,
This Day proclaim, with all their finny Train.
O let not Man forget with these to raise
Both Heart and Voice to his great Maker's Praise.
Amen.
Sixth Day.
1
When first the teeming Waters had brought forthTheir Births, from East to West, from South to North,
Fish fill'd the Sea, and Fowls the Air,
The Earth alone remaining bare.
For though it had been furnish'd out so well,
Yet no Inhabitant on Earth did dwell.
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The Earth was all throughout as Eden fair;How fine, how goodly were the Plants she bare?
But yet no Animal was seen,
Nothing with Sense on Earth had been.
Till now th' Almighty did from Heaven look,
And into Being living Forms bespoke.
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The pregnant Earth a second time did bear,Not Herbs, nor Shrubs, nor Trees did now appear,
As at the first, from her to spring;
But nobler Births did to her cling.
With Life and Sense endu'd, these from her came,
Compleatly good, and naught in them to blame.
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4
The harmless Lion with the Lamb did play,And Leopards on the Sheep did never prey:
There nothing was that did destroy:
There nothing was that did annoy:
But all was love, and perfect Harmony;
All did the Maker's Goodness testify.
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But still the Heir was wanted to appear,Till God at length was pleased to draw near:
And as the Earth his Feet did touch,
The blooming Earth did streightway blush;
Her Dust a lovely red did richly die:
No Tyrian Stain could with it ever vie.
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And from this ruddy Earth there did ariseA beauteous Form, such as no mortal Eyes
Have ever yet on Earth beheld,
Since hither we have been expell'd,
From Eden's glorious East, with Beasts to dwell
In this vile World, which Sin has made an Hell.
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The Beasts and Birds did all admiring stand,So fair a Shape to view, which God's own Hand
Had just produc'd with Art divine,
In which all Beauties did combine.
And, lo! a rushing Breath from Heaven came,
Which kindled presently the vital Flame.
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8
The noble Godlike Form was then proclaimedThe King of Earth, and God's Vicegerent nam'd.
His Subjects him did recognise,
Whose Glory did them all surprise.
It was God's Glory which on him did rest,
And with majestick Awe did him invest.
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Whilst infinitely greater Majesty,And Awe, and Dread, and justest Sov'reignty,
In his Creator does appear;
Enough to challenge ev'ry where
The utmost Duty Angels or Men can pay,
The strictest Service, and without Delay.
10
For shame then, O my guilty Soul, beginTo weep, lament, and wash away thy Sin.
Begin before it be too late;
Beg Pardon for thy Faults so great;
Repent, amend thy Life, amend thy Ways,
He's blest that his Creator's Will obeys.
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And since to please thee nothing I can doWithout thy Grace, thy Grace do thou bestow,
O God, that furnish'd I may be
With sufficient Strength from thee,
To conquer all Temptations that arise
To whatsoever sort of Sin, or Vice.
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12
That thankful, holy, happy I may be,May please thee here, and to Eternity
May bless thee with a cheerful Voice,
And with the Saints, who all rejoice
To warble forth thy Praises, may
Enjoy thee in an everlasting Day.
Amen.
| The poetical works of Thomas Traherne | |