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 poetical works of Thomas Traherne |  |
Churches.
I.
Those stately Structures which on Earth I view
To GOD erected, whether Old or New;
His Sacred Temples which the World adorn,
Much more than Mines of Ore or Fields of Corn,
My Soul delight: How do they pleas mine Ey
When they are fill'd with His Great Family!
Upon the face of all the peepl'd Earth
There's no such sacred Joy or solemn Mirth,
To pleas and satisfy my Heart's Desire,
As that wherwith my Lord is in a Quire,
In holy Hymns by warbling Voices prais'd,
With Eys lift up, and joint Affections rais'd.
To GOD erected, whether Old or New;
His Sacred Temples which the World adorn,
Much more than Mines of Ore or Fields of Corn,
My Soul delight: How do they pleas mine Ey
When they are fill'd with His Great Family!
Upon the face of all the peepl'd Earth
There's no such sacred Joy or solemn Mirth,
To pleas and satisfy my Heart's Desire,
As that wherwith my Lord is in a Quire,
In holy Hymns by warbling Voices prais'd,
With Eys lift up, and joint Affections rais'd.
The Arches built (like Hev'n) wide and high
Shew his Magnificence and Majesty
Whose House it is: With so much Art and Cost
The Pile is fram'd, the curious Knobs embost,
Set off with Gold, that me it more doth pleas
Than Princes Courts or Royal Palaces;
Great Stones pil'd up by costly Labors there
Like Mountains carv'd by human Skill appear;
Where Towers, Pillars, Pinnacles, and Spires
Do all concur to match my great Desires,
Whose Joy it is to see such Structures rais'd
To th' end my God and Father should be prais'd.
Shew his Magnificence and Majesty
Whose House it is: With so much Art and Cost
The Pile is fram'd, the curious Knobs embost,
Set off with Gold, that me it more doth pleas
Than Princes Courts or Royal Palaces;
Great Stones pil'd up by costly Labors there
Like Mountains carv'd by human Skill appear;
Where Towers, Pillars, Pinnacles, and Spires
Do all concur to match my great Desires,
Whose Joy it is to see such Structures rais'd
To th' end my God and Father should be prais'd.
143
II.
Were there but one alone
Wherin we might approach his Throne,
One only where we should accepted be,
As in the Days of old
It was, when Solomon of Gold
His Temple made; we then should see
A numerous Host approaching it,
Rejoicing in the Benefit:
The Queen of Sheba com
With all her glorious Train,
The Pope from Rome,
The Kings beyond the Main;
The Wise men of the East from far,
As guided by a Star,
With Rev'rence would approach that Holy Ground,
At that sole Altar be adoring found.
Wherin we might approach his Throne,
One only where we should accepted be,
As in the Days of old
It was, when Solomon of Gold
His Temple made; we then should see
A numerous Host approaching it,
Rejoicing in the Benefit:
The Queen of Sheba com
With all her glorious Train,
The Pope from Rome,
The Kings beyond the Main;
The Wise men of the East from far,
As guided by a Star,
With Rev'rence would approach that Holy Ground,
At that sole Altar be adoring found.
Great Lords would thither throng,
And none of them without a Song
Of Prais; Rich Merchants also would approach
From ev'ry forein Coast;
Of Ladies too a shining Host,
If not on Hors-back, in a Coach;
This Single Church would crouded be
With Men of Great and High Degree:
Princes we might behold
With glitt'ring Scepters there
In-laid with Gold
And precious Stones, draw near.
No Room for mean Ones there would be,
Nor place for Thee and Me:
An endless Troop would crouding there appear,
Bringing new Presents daily ev'ry Year.
And none of them without a Song
Of Prais; Rich Merchants also would approach
From ev'ry forein Coast;
Of Ladies too a shining Host,
If not on Hors-back, in a Coach;
This Single Church would crouded be
With Men of Great and High Degree:
Princes we might behold
With glitt'ring Scepters there
In-laid with Gold
And precious Stones, draw near.
No Room for mean Ones there would be,
Nor place for Thee and Me:
An endless Troop would crouding there appear,
Bringing new Presents daily ev'ry Year.
144
But now we Churches have
In ev'ry Coast, which Bounty gave
Most freely to us; now they sprinkled stand
With so much Care and Lov,
Tokens of Favor from abov,
That men might com in ev'ry Land
To them with greater Eas; lo, we
Those blest Abodes neglected see:
As if our God were worse
Becaus His Lov is more,
And doth disburse
Its self in greater Store;
Nor can object with any face
The Distance of the place;
Ungrateful We with slower haste do com
Unto his Temple, 'caus 'tis nearer home.
In ev'ry Coast, which Bounty gave
Most freely to us; now they sprinkled stand
With so much Care and Lov,
Tokens of Favor from abov,
That men might com in ev'ry Land
To them with greater Eas; lo, we
Those blest Abodes neglected see:
As if our God were worse
Becaus His Lov is more,
And doth disburse
Its self in greater Store;
Nor can object with any face
The Distance of the place;
Ungrateful We with slower haste do com
Unto his Temple, 'caus 'tis nearer home.
| The poetical works of Thomas Traherne | |