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 Author to the Critical Peruser. |
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 | The poetical works of Thomas Traherne |  |
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The Author to the Critical Peruser.
The naked Truth in many faces shewn,
Whose inward Beauties very few hav known,
A Simple Light, transparent Words, a Strain
That lowly creeps, yet maketh Mountains plain,
Brings down the highest Mysteries to sense
And keeps them there; that is Our Excellence:
At that we aim; to th' end thy Soul might see
With open Eys thy Great Felicity,
Its Objects view, and trace the glorious Way
Wherby thou may'st thy Highest Bliss enjoy.
Whose inward Beauties very few hav known,
A Simple Light, transparent Words, a Strain
That lowly creeps, yet maketh Mountains plain,
Brings down the highest Mysteries to sense
And keeps them there; that is Our Excellence:
At that we aim; to th' end thy Soul might see
With open Eys thy Great Felicity,
Its Objects view, and trace the glorious Way
Wherby thou may'st thy Highest Bliss enjoy.
No curling Metaphors that gild the Sence,
Nor Pictures here, nor painted Eloquence;
No florid Streams of Superficial Gems,
But real Crowns and Thrones and Diadems!
That Gold on Gold should hiding shining ly
May well be reckon'd baser Heraldry.
Nor Pictures here, nor painted Eloquence;
No florid Streams of Superficial Gems,
But real Crowns and Thrones and Diadems!
That Gold on Gold should hiding shining ly
May well be reckon'd baser Heraldry.
An easy Stile drawn from a native vein,
A clearer Stream than that which Poets feign,
Whose bottom may, how deep so'ere, be seen,
Is that which I think fit to win Esteem:
Els we could speak Zamzummim words, and tell
A Tale in tongues that sound like Babel-Hell;
In Meteors speak, in blazing Prodigies,
Things that amaze, but will not make us wise.
A clearer Stream than that which Poets feign,
Whose bottom may, how deep so'ere, be seen,
Is that which I think fit to win Esteem:
Els we could speak Zamzummim words, and tell
A Tale in tongues that sound like Babel-Hell;
In Meteors speak, in blazing Prodigies,
Things that amaze, but will not make us wise.
| The poetical works of Thomas Traherne | |