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Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of Plates
- Dedication
- General Preface
- Acknowledgements
- Abbreviations
- Introduction
- Poems from the Dobell Folio
- The Salutation
- Wonder
- Eden
- Innocence
- The Preparative
- The Instruction
- The Vision
- The Rapture
- The Improvment
- The Approach
- Dumnesse
- Silence
- My Spirit
- The Apprehension (‘Right Apprehension. II’)
- Fullnesse
- Nature
- Ease
- Speed
- The Designe (‘The Choice’)
- The Person
- The Estate
- The Enquirie
- The Circulation
- Amendment
- The Demonstration
- The Anticipation
- The Recovery
- Another
- Love
- Thoughts. I
- Blisse (Stanzas 5 & 6, ‘The Apostacy’)
- Thoughts. II
- ‘Ye hidden Nectars’
- Thoughts. III
- Desire
- ‘In thy Presence’ (Thoughts. IV)
- Goodnesse
- Poems of Felicity
- The Ceremonial Law
- Poems from the Early Notebook
- Textual Emendations and Notes
- Manuscript Foliation of Poems
- Glossary
- Index of Titles and First Lines
Eden
from Poems from the Dobell Folio
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 May 2015
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of Plates
- Dedication
- General Preface
- Acknowledgements
- Abbreviations
- Introduction
- Poems from the Dobell Folio
- The Salutation
- Wonder
- Eden
- Innocence
- The Preparative
- The Instruction
- The Vision
- The Rapture
- The Improvment
- The Approach
- Dumnesse
- Silence
- My Spirit
- The Apprehension (‘Right Apprehension. II’)
- Fullnesse
- Nature
- Ease
- Speed
- The Designe (‘The Choice’)
- The Person
- The Estate
- The Enquirie
- The Circulation
- Amendment
- The Demonstration
- The Anticipation
- The Recovery
- Another
- Love
- Thoughts. I
- Blisse (Stanzas 5 & 6, ‘The Apostacy’)
- Thoughts. II
- ‘Ye hidden Nectars’
- Thoughts. III
- Desire
- ‘In thy Presence’ (Thoughts. IV)
- Goodnesse
- Poems of Felicity
- The Ceremonial Law
- Poems from the Early Notebook
- Textual Emendations and Notes
- Manuscript Foliation of Poems
- Glossary
- Index of Titles and First Lines
Summary
1
A learned and a Happy Ignorance
Divided me,
From all the Vanitie,
From all the Sloth Care Pain and Sorrow that advance
The madness and the Miserie
Of Men. No Error, no Distraction I
Saw soil the Earth, or overcloud the Skie.
2
I knew not that there was a Serpents Sting,
Whose Poyson shed
On Men, did overspread
The World: nor did I Dream of such a Thing
As Sin; in which Mankind lay Dead.
They all were Brisk and Living Weights to me,
Yea Pure, and full of Immortalitie.
3
Joy, Pleasure, Beauty, Kindness, Glory, Lov,
Sleep, Day, Life, Light,
Peace, Melody, my Sight,
My Ears and Heart did fill, and freely mov.
All that I saw did me Delight.
The Universe was then a World of Treasure,
To me an Universal World of Pleasure.
4
Unwelcom Penitence was then unknown
Vain Costly Toys,
Swearing and Roaring Boys,
Shops, Markets, Taverns, Coaches were unshewn:
So all things were that Drownd my Joys.
No Thorns choakt up my Path, nor hid the face
Of Bliss and Beauty, nor Ecclypst the Place.
5
Only what Adam in his first Estate,
Did I behold;
Hard Silver and Drie Gold
As yet lay under Ground; my Blessed Fate
Was more acquainted with the Old
And Innocent Delights, which he did see
In his Original Simplicitie.
6
Those Things which first his Eden did adorn,
My Infancy
Did Crown. Simplicitie
Was my Protection when I first was born.
Mine Eys those Treasures first did see,
Which God first made. The first Effects of Lov
My first Enjoyments upon Earth did prov;
7
And were so Great, and so Divine, so Pure;
So fair and Sweet,
So True; when I did meet
Them here at first, they did my Soul allure,
And drew away my Infant feet
Quite from the Works of Men; that I might see
The Glorious Wonders of the DEITIE.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- The Works of Thomas Traherne VIPoems from the 'Dobell Folio', Poems of Felicity, The Ceremonial Law, Poems from the 'Early Notebook', pp. 7 - 8Publisher: Boydell & BrewerPrint publication year: 2014