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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| 1. | §1. POEMS FROM CENTURIES OF MEDITATIONS. |
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| VII. |
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 | The poetical works of Thomas Traherne |  |
211
§1. POEMS FROM CENTURIES OF MEDITATIONS.
I
[In Making Bodies Lov could not Express]
In Making Bodies Lov could not ExpressIt self, or Art; unless it made them less.
O what a Monster had in Man been seen,
Had evry Thumb or Toe a Mountain been!
What Worlds must He devour when he did eat?
What Oceans Drink! Yet could not all His Meat
Or Stature, make Him like an Angel Shine;
Or make His Soul in Glory more Divine.
A Soul it is that makes us truly Great,
Whose little Bodies make us more Compleat.
An Understanding that is Infinit,
An Endles, Wide, and Everlasting Sight,
That can Enjoy all Things and nought exclude,
Is the most Sacred Greatnes may be viewd.
Twas inconvenient that His Bulk should be
An Endless Hill; He nothing then could see:
No figure hav, no Motion, Beauty, Place,
No Color, feature, Member, Light, or Grace.
A Body like a Mountain is but Cumber.
An Endless Body is but idle Lumber.
It Spoils Convers, and Time it self devours,
While Meat in vain, in feeding idle Powers.
Excessiv Bulk being most injurious found,
To those Conveniences which Men hav Crownd.
His Wisdom did His Power here repress,
GOD made Man Greater while He made Him less.
212
II
[His Power Bounded, Greater is in Might]
His Power Bounded, Greater is in Might,Then if let loos, twere wholy infinit.
He could hav made an Endless Sea by this.
But then it had not been a Sea of Bliss.
Did Waters from the Centre to the Skies
Ascend, twould drown whatever els we Prize
The Ocean bounded in a finit Shore,
Is better far becaus it is no more.
No Use nor Glory would in that be Seen,
His Power made it Endless in Esteem.
Had not the Sun been bounded in its Sphere,
Did all the World in one fair flame appear
And were that flame a real Infinit
Twould yeeld no Profit Splendor nor Delight.
Its Corps confind, and Beams extended be
Effects of Wisdom in the Dietie.
One Star made infinit would all Exclude.
An Earth made infinit could nere be viewd.
But one being fashioned for the others sake,
He bounding all, did all most usefull make:
And which is best, in Profit and Delight
Tho not in Bulk, they all are infinit.
III On News.
1
News from a forrein Country came,As if my Treasure and my Wealth lay there:
So much it did my Heart Enflame!
Twas wont to call my Soul into mine Ear.
213
The Approaching Sweet:
And on the Thresh hold stood,
To entertain the Unknown Good.
It Hoverd there
As if twould leav mine Ear.
And was so Eager to Embrace
The Joyfull Tidings as they came,
Twould almost leav its Dwelling Place,
To Entertain the Same.
2
As if the Tidings were the Things,My very Joys them selvs, my forrein Treasure,
Or els did bear them on their Wings;
With so much Joy they came, with so much Pleasure.
My Soul stood at the Gate
To recreat
It self with Bliss: And to
Be pleasd with Speed. A fuller View
It fain would take,
Yet Journeys back would make
Unto my Heart: as if twould fain
Go out to meet, yet Stay within
To fit a place, to Entertain,
And bring the Tidings in.
3
What Sacred Instinct did inspireMy Soul in Childhood with a Hope so Strong?
What Secret Force movd my Desire,
To Expect my Joys beyond the Seas, so Yong?
Felicity I knew
Was out of view:
214
I saw that Happiness was gone
From Me! for this,
I Thirsted Absent Bliss,
And thought that sure beyond the Seas,
Or els in som thing near at hand
I knew not yet, (since nought did pleas
I knew:) my Bliss did stand.
4
But little did the Infant DreamThat all the Treasures of the World were by:
And that Himself was so the Cream
And Crown of all, which round about did lie.
Yet thus it was. The Gem,
The Diadem,
The Ring Enclosing all
That Stood upon this Earthy Ball;
The Heavenly Ey,
Much Wider then the Skie,
Wher in they all included were
The Glorious Soul that was the King
Made to possess them, did appear
A Small and little thing!
IV
[A Life of Sabbaths here beneath!]
1
A Life of Sabbaths here beneath!Continual Jubilees and Joys!
The Days of Heaven, while we breath
On Earth! Where Sin all Bliss Destroys.
215
That doth exceed all Appetites.
No Joy can be Compard to this,
It is a Life of Perfect Bliss.
2
Of Perfect Bliss! How can it be?To Conquer Satan, and to Reign
In such a Vale of Miserie,
Where Vipers, Stings and Tears remain;
Is to be Crownd with Victorie.
To be Content, Divine, and free
Even here beneath is Great Delight
And next the Beatifick Sight.
3
But inward Lusts do oft assail,Temptations Work us much Annoy.
Weel therfore Weep, and to prevail
Shall be a more Celestial Joy.
To hav no other Enemie
But one; and to that one to Die:
To fight with that and Conquer it,
Is better than in Peace to Sit.
4
Tis Better for a little time:For He that all His Lusts doth quell,
Shall find this Life to be His Prime,
And vanquish Sin and Conquer Hell.
The Next shall be His Double Joy:
And that which here seemd to Destroy,
Shall in the Other Life appear
A Root of Bliss; a Pearl each Tear.
216
V
[Sin!]
1
Sin!O only fatal Woe,
That makst me Sad and Mourning go!
That all my Joys dost Spoil,
His Kingdom and my Soul Defile!
I Never can Agree
With Thee!
2
Thou!Only Thou! O Thou alone,
And my obdurat Heart of Stone,
The Poyson and the Foes
Of My Enjoyments and Repose,
The only Bitter Ill:
Dost Kill!
3
Oh!I cannot meet with Thee,
Nor once approach thy Memory,
But all my Joys are Dead,
And all my Sacred Treasures fled;
As if I now did Dwell
In Hell.
4
Lord!O hear how Short I Breath!
See how I Tremble here beneath!
217
More Terror, then its Dwelling Place
Contains, (O Dreadfull Sin)
Within!
VI The Recovery.
Sin! wilt Thou vanquish me!
And shall I yeeld the Victory?
Shall all my Joys be Spoild,
And Pleasures Soild
By Thee!
And shall I yeeld the Victory?
Shall all my Joys be Spoild,
And Pleasures Soild
By Thee!
Shall I remain
As one that's Slain
And never more lift up the Head?
Is not my Savior Dead!
His Blood, thy Bane; my Balsam, Bliss, Joy, Wine;
Shall Thee Destroy; Heal, Feed, make me Divine.
As one that's Slain
And never more lift up the Head?
Is not my Savior Dead!
His Blood, thy Bane; my Balsam, Bliss, Joy, Wine;
Shall Thee Destroy; Heal, Feed, make me Divine.
VII
[In Salem dwelt a Glorious King]
1
In Salem dwelt a Glorious King,Raisd from a Shepherds lowly State,
That did his Praises like an Angel Sing
Who did the World Create.
By many great and Bloody Wars,
He was Advanced unto Thrones:
But more Delighted in the Stars,
Then in the Splendor of His precious Stones.
218
The Works of GOD were his Sublime Reward.
2
A Warlike Champion he had been,And Many feats of Chivalrie
Had don: in Kingly Courts his Ey had seen
A Vast Variety
Of Earthly Joys: Yet he despisd
Those fading Honors and fals pleasures
Which are by Mortals so much prizd;
And placd his Happiness in other Treasures
No State of Life which in this World we find
Could yeeld Contentment to his greater Mind.
3
His fingars touchd his Trembling Lyre,And evry Quavering String did yeeld
A Sound that filled all the Jewish Quire,
And Ecchoed in the Field.
No Pleasure was so Great to Him
As in a Silent Night to See
The Moon and Stars: A Cherubim
Abov them even here He seemd to be.
Enflamd with Lov, it was his great Desire,
To Sing Contemplat Ponder and Admire.
4
He was a Prophet, and foresawThings extant in the World to com:
He was a Judg, and ruled by a Law
That than the Hony Comb
Was Sweeter far: He was a Sage,
And all his people could Advise;
An Oracle, whose evry Page
219
But most He then Enjoyd Himself when he
Did as a Poet prais the Dietie.
5
A Shepherd, Soldier, and Divine,A Judge, a Courtier, and a King,
Priest, Angel, Prophet, Oracle, did shine
At once; when He did Sing.
Philosopher and Poet too
Did in his Melodie appear;
All these in Him did pleas the View
Of Those that did his Heavenly Musick hear,
And evry Drop that from his flowing Quill
Came down, did all the World with Nectar fill.
6
He had a Deep and perfect SenceOf all the Glories and the Pleasures
That in God's Works are hid, the Excellence
Of such Transcendent Treasures
Made him on Earth an Heavenly King,
And fild his Solitudes with Joy;
He never did more Sweetly Sing
Then when alone, tho that doth Mirth destroy:
Sence did his Soul with Heavenly Life inspire
And made him seem in Gods Celestial Quire.
7
Rich Sacred Deep and Precious ThingsDid here on Earth the Man Surround
With all the Glory of the King of Kings
He was most Strangely Crownd.
220
Among the Sons of GOD did see
Things filling Angels with Delight
His Ear did hear their Heavenly Melodie
And when He was alone He all became
That Bliss implied, or did increase his Fame.
8
All Arts He then did ExerciseAnd as his GOD he did Adore,
By Secret Ravishments abov the Skies
He carried was, before
He died. His Soul did see and feel
What others know not; and became
While he before his GOD did kneel,
A Constant Heavenly Pure Seraphick Flame.
O that I might unto His Throne Aspire;
And all His Joys abov the Stars Admire!
| The poetical works of Thomas Traherne | |