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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| I. | Thoughts. I. |
| II. |
| III. |
| IV. |
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 | The poetical works of Thomas Traherne |  |
Thoughts. I.
1
Ye brisk Divine and Living Things,Ye great Exemplars, and ye Heavenly Springs,
Which I within me see;
Ye Machines Great,
Which in my Spirit God did Seat,
Ye Engines of Felicitie;
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Who all possesseth that he understands;
That ye are pent within my Brest,
Yet rove at large from East to West,
And are Invisible, yet Infinite;
Is my Transcendent, and my Best Delight.
2
By you I do the Joys possessOf Yesterdays-yet-present Blessedness;
As in a Mirror Clear,
Old Objects I
Far distant do even now descrie
Which by your help are present here.
Ye are your selvs the very Pleasures.
The Sweetest, last, and most Substantial Treasures.
The Offsprings and Effects of Bliss
By whose Return my Glory is
Renewd, and represented to my View:
O ye Delights, most Pure, Divine, and True!
3
Ye Thoughts and Apprehensions areThe Heavenly Streams which fill the Soul with rare
Transcendent Perfect Pleasures.
At any time,
As if ye still were in your Prime,
Ye Open all his Heavenly Treasures.
His Joys accessible are found
To you, and those Things enter which Surround
The Soul. Ye Living Things within!
Where had all Joy and Glory been
Had ye not made the Soul those Things to Know.
Which Seated in it make the fairest Shew?
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4
I know not by what Secret PowerYe flourish so: but ye within your Bower,
More Beautifull do seem,
And better Meat
Ye daily yeeld my Soul to eat,
Then even the Objects I esteem
Without my Soul. What were the Skie,
What were the Sun, or Stars, did ye not lie
In me! and represent them there
Where els they never could appear!
Yea What were Bliss without such Thoughts to me,
What were my Life, what were the Deitie?
5
O ye Conceptions of Delight!Ye that inform my Soul with Life and Sight!
Ye Representatives, and Springs
Of inward Pleasure!
Ye Joys! Ye Ends of Outward Treasure!
Ye Inward, and ye Living Things!
The Thought, or Joy Conceived is
The inward Fabrick of my Standing Bliss.
It is the Substance of my Mind
Transformd, and with its Objects lind.
The Quintessence, Elixar, Spirit, Cream.
Tis Strange that Things unseen should be Supreme.
6
The Ey's confind, the Body's pentIn narrow Room: Lims are of small Extent.
But Thoughts are always free.
And as they're best,
So can they even in the Brest,
Rove ore the World with Libertie:
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In any Kingdom, into Bosoms see.
Thoughts, Thoughts can come to Things, and view,
What Bodies cant approach unto.
They know no Bar, Denial, Limit, Wall:
But have a Liberty to look on all.
7
Like Bees they flie from Flower to Flower,Appear in Evry Closet, Temple, Bower;
And suck the Sweet from thence,
No Ey can see:
As Tasters to the Deitie.
Incredible's their Excellence.
For ever-more they will be seen
Nor ever moulder into less Esteem.
They ever shew an Equal face,
And are Immortal in their place.
Ten thousand Ages hence they are as Strong,
Ten thousand Ages hence they are as Yong.
| The poetical works of Thomas Traherne | |