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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The Præparative. |
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 | The poetical works of Thomas Traherne |  |
107
The Præparative.
My Body being dead, my Limbs unknown;
Before I skill'd to prize
Those living Stars, mine Eys;
Before or Tongue or Cheeks I call'd mine own,
Before I knew these Hands were mine,
Or that my Sinews did my Members join;
When neither Nostril, foot, nor Ear,
As yet could be discern'd, or did appear;
I was within
A House I knew not; newly cloath'd with Skin.
Before I skill'd to prize
Those living Stars, mine Eys;
Before or Tongue or Cheeks I call'd mine own,
Before I knew these Hands were mine,
Or that my Sinews did my Members join;
When neither Nostril, foot, nor Ear,
As yet could be discern'd, or did appear;
I was within
A House I knew not; newly cloath'd with Skin.
Then was my Soul my only All to me,
A living endless Ey,
Scarce bounded with the Sky,
Whose Power, and Act, and Essence was to see:
I was an inward Sphere of Light,
Or an interminable Orb of Sight,
Exceeding that which makes the Days,
A vital Sun that shed abroad his Rays:
All Life, all Sense,
A naked, simple, pure Intelligence.
A living endless Ey,
Scarce bounded with the Sky,
Whose Power, and Act, and Essence was to see:
I was an inward Sphere of Light,
Or an interminable Orb of Sight,
Exceeding that which makes the Days,
A vital Sun that shed abroad his Rays:
All Life, all Sense,
A naked, simple, pure Intelligence.
I then no Thirst nor Hunger did perceiv;
No dire Necessity
Nor Want was known to me:
Without disturbance then I did receiv
The tru Ideas of all Things,
The Hony did enjoy without the Stings.
A meditating inward Ey
Gazing at Quiet did within me ly,
And all things fair
Delighted me that was to be their Heir.
No dire Necessity
Nor Want was known to me:
Without disturbance then I did receiv
The tru Ideas of all Things,
The Hony did enjoy without the Stings.
A meditating inward Ey
Gazing at Quiet did within me ly,
And all things fair
Delighted me that was to be their Heir.
108
For Light inherits Beauty; Hearing, Sounds;
The Nostril, sweet Perfumes;
All Tastes have secret Rooms
Within the Tongue; the Touching feeleth Wounds
Of Pain or Pleasure; and yet I
Forgat the rest, and was all Sight or Ey,
Unbody'd and devoid of Care,
Just as in Hev'n the Holy Angels are:
For simple Sense
Is Lord of all created Excellence.
The Nostril, sweet Perfumes;
All Tastes have secret Rooms
Within the Tongue; the Touching feeleth Wounds
Of Pain or Pleasure; and yet I
Forgat the rest, and was all Sight or Ey,
Unbody'd and devoid of Care,
Just as in Hev'n the Holy Angels are:
For simple Sense
Is Lord of all created Excellence.
Being thus prepar'd for all Felicity;
Not præpossest with Dross,
Nor basely glued to gross
And dull Materials that might ruin me,
Nor fetter'd by an Iron Fate,
By vain Affections in my earthy State,
To any thing that should seduce
My Sense, or els bereav it of its Use;
I was as free
As if there were nor Sin nor Misery.
Not præpossest with Dross,
Nor basely glued to gross
And dull Materials that might ruin me,
Nor fetter'd by an Iron Fate,
By vain Affections in my earthy State,
To any thing that should seduce
My Sense, or els bereav it of its Use;
I was as free
As if there were nor Sin nor Misery.
Pure nativ Powers that Corruption loath,
Did, like the fairest Glass
Or spotless polisht Brass,
Themselvs soon in their Object's Image cloath:
Divine Impressions, when they came,
Did quickly enter and my Soul enflame.
'Tis not the Object, but the Light,
That maketh Hev'n: 'Tis a clearer Sight.
Felicity
Appears to none but them that purely see.
Did, like the fairest Glass
Or spotless polisht Brass,
Themselvs soon in their Object's Image cloath:
Divine Impressions, when they came,
Did quickly enter and my Soul enflame.
'Tis not the Object, but the Light,
That maketh Hev'n: 'Tis a clearer Sight.
Felicity
Appears to none but them that purely see.
A disentangled and a naked Sense,
A Mind that's unpossest,
A disengaged Breast,
A quick unprejudic'd Intelligence
Acquainted with the Golden Mean,
An eeven Spirit, quiet, and serene,
Is that where Wisdom's Excellence
And Pleasure keep their Court of Residence.
My Soul get free,
And then thou may'st possess Felicity.
A Mind that's unpossest,
A disengaged Breast,
A quick unprejudic'd Intelligence
109
An eeven Spirit, quiet, and serene,
Is that where Wisdom's Excellence
And Pleasure keep their Court of Residence.
My Soul get free,
And then thou may'st possess Felicity.
| The poetical works of Thomas Traherne | |