Thomas Traherne
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Thomas Traherne (; 1636 or 1637) was an English poet,
Anglican cleric The Anglican ministry is both the leadership and agency of Christian service in the Anglican Communion. ''Ministry'' commonly refers to the office of ordination, ordained clergy: the ''threefold order'' of bishops, priests and deacons. Anglican m ...
,
theologian Theology is the study of religious belief from a religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of ...
, and religious writer. The intense, scholarly spirituality in his writings has led to his being commemorated by some parts of the
Anglican Communion The Anglican Communion is a Christian Full communion, communion consisting of the Church of England and other autocephalous national and regional churches in full communion. The archbishop of Canterbury in England acts as a focus of unity, ...
on 10 October (the anniversary of his burial in 1674) or on 27 September. The work for which Traherne is best known today is the ''Centuries of Meditations'', a collection of short paragraphs in which he reflects on Christian life and ministry, philosophy, happiness, desire and childhood. This was first published in 1908 after having been rediscovered in manuscript ten years earlier. His poetry likewise was first published in 1903 and 1910 (''The Poetical Works of Thomas Traherne, B.D.'' and ''Poems of Felicity''). His prose works include ''Roman Forgeries'' (1673), ''Christian Ethics'' (1675), and ''A Serious and Patheticall Contemplation of the Mercies of God'' (1699). Traherne's writings frequently explore the glory of creation and what he saw as his intimate relationship with God. His writing conveys an ardent, almost childlike love of God, and is compared to similar themes in the works of later poets
William Blake William Blake (28 November 1757 – 12 August 1827) was an English poet, painter, and printmaker. Largely unrecognised during his life, Blake has become a seminal figure in the history of the Romantic poetry, poetry and visual art of the Roma ...
,
Walt Whitman Walter Whitman Jr. (; May 31, 1819 â€“ March 26, 1892) was an American poet, essayist, and journalist; he also wrote two novels. He is considered one of the most influential poets in American literature and world literature. Whitman incor ...
, and
Gerard Manley Hopkins Gerard Manley Hopkins (28 July 1844 – 8 June 1889) was an English poet and Society of Jesus, Jesuit priest, whose posthumous fame places him among the leading English poets. His Prosody (linguistics), prosody – notably his concept of sprung ...
. His love for the natural world is frequently expressed in his works by a treatment of nature that evokes
Romanticism Romanticism (also known as the Romantic movement or Romantic era) was an artistic and intellectual movement that originated in Europe towards the end of the 18th century. The purpose of the movement was to advocate for the importance of subjec ...
—two centuries before the Romantic movement.


Biography


Early life and education

Traherne's birth and baptism are not recorded in parish registers. According to antiquarian Anthony à Wood (1632–1695), he was a "shoemaker's son of Hereford" born in either 1636 or 1637. Bertram Dobell identifies this shoemaker as John Traherne (born 1566). However, other sources say that Thomas was the son of Philipp Traherne (or Trehearne) (1568–1645), a local innkeeper and twice Mayor of Hereford, and his third wife, Mary Lane. Traherne writes about his childhood, which included a natural wonder at and appreciation of the world around him, in ''Centuries of Meditations'' and in his poetry. Traherne was educated at Hereford Cathedral School and matriculated in
Brasenose College Brasenose College (BNC) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. It began as Brasenose Hall in the 13th century, before being founded as a college in 1509. The library and chapel were added in the m ...
,
Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...
, on 2 April 1652, receiving his baccalaureate degree on 13 October 1656. Five years later he was promoted to the degree of
Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...
(Oxon.) on 6 November 1661, and he received a
Bachelor of Divinity In Western universities, a Bachelor of Divinity or Baccalaureate in Divinity (BD, DB, or BDiv; ) is an academic degree awarded for a course taken in the study of divinity or related disciplines, such as theology or, rarely, religious studies. ...
(B.D.) on 11 December 1669.


Church ministry

After receiving his baccalaureate degree from Oxford in 1656, he took
holy orders In certain Christian denominations, holy orders are the ordination, ordained ministries of bishop, priest (presbyter), and deacon, and the sacrament or rite by which candidates are ordained to those orders. Churches recognizing these orders inclu ...
. On 30 December 1657, he was appointed as the rector of Credenhill near Hereford, by the Commissioners for the Approbation of Public Preachers, although at the time he was not an ordained priest. A curious note appended to the record of his appointment is that Traherne counted upon the
patronage Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows on another. In the history of art, art patronage refers to the support that princes, popes, and other wealthy and influential people ...
of Ambella, the widow of the
Earl of Kent The peerage title Earl of Kent has been created eight times in the Peerage of England and once in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. In fiction, the Earl of Kent is also known as a prominent supporting character in William Shakespeare's tragedy K ...
. Traherne served in this post for ten years. Following the restoration of the monarchy and the return of Charles II, Traherne was ordained priest on 20 October 1660 by the
Bishop of Oxford The Bishop of Oxford is the diocesan bishop of the Church of England Diocese of Oxford in the Province of Canterbury; his seat is at Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford. The current bishop is Steven Croft (bishop), Steven Croft, following the Confirm ...
, Robert Skinner, at Launton near
Bicester Bicester ( ) is a market town and civil parish in the Cherwell district of Oxfordshire, England, north-west of Oxford. The town is a notable tourist attraction due to the Bicester Village shopping centre. The historical town centre â€ ...
. In 1667, Traherne became the private chaplain to Sir Orlando Bridgeman, 1st Baronet, of Great Lever, the
Lord Keeper of the Great Seal The Lord Keeper of the Great Seal of England, and later of Great Britain, was formerly an officer of the English Crown charged with physical custody of the Great Seal of England. This position evolved into that of one of the Great Officers of ...
to King Charles II, at
Teddington Teddington is an affluent suburb of London in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. Historically an Civil parish#ancient parishes, ancient parish in the county of Middlesex and situated close to the border with Surrey, the district became ...
(near
Hampton Court Hampton Court Palace is a Listed building, Grade I listed royal palace in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, southwest and upstream of central London on the River Thames. Opened to the public, the palace is managed by Historic Royal ...
) in
Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a Historic counties of England, former county in South East England, now mainly within Greater London. Its boundaries largely followed three rivers: the River Thames, Thames in the south, the River Lea, Le ...
. It was while residing there that Traherne died on 27 September 1674, having that day dictated a brief nuncupative will to his friend and neighbour John Berdoe, in which he made bequests to the servants who had looked after him and left his few belongings to his brother Philip and sister-in-law Susan. On 10 October 1674 he was buried in St Mary's Church at Teddington, under the church's reading desk.


Character and lifestyle

Traherne was described as "one of the most pious ingenious men that ever I was acquainted with", and "a man of a cheerful and sprightly Temper … ready to do all good Offices to his Friends, and Charitable to the Poor almost beyond his ability". Traherne believed he suffered from the weaknesses of a sociable personality: "Too much openness and proneness to Speak are my Diseas. Too easy and complying a Nature". According to Anthony à Wood, Traherne "always led a simple and devout life; his will shows that he possessed little beyond his books ...".


Writings


Publication history during lifetime and soon after

Traherne was an inconsequential literary figure during his lifetime and his works were not known or appreciated until long after his death. As a country priest he led a devout, humble life and did not participate in literary circles. Only one of his works, ''Roman Forgeries'' (1673), was published in his lifetime. ''Christian Ethicks'' (1675) followed soon after his death, and later ''A Serious and Patheticall Contemplation of the Mercies of God'' (1699), which was published as the work of an anonymous author whose character and background were discussed in a brief introduction by the publisher. At Traherne's death in 1674 most of his manuscripts were bequeathed to his brother Philip. After Philip's death they apparently passed into the possession of the Skipp family of Ledbury in Herefordshire, where they languished for almost 200 years. In 1888 the family's assets were dissolved, yet the manuscripts did not re-emerge until 10 years later.


Later publication history

In the winter of 1896–97, William T. Brooke of London discovered some anonymous manuscripts in a "barrow of books about to be trashed" or a "street bookstall". Brooke thought that they might be lost works by
Henry Vaughan Henry Vaughan (17 April 1621 – 23 April 1695) was a Welsh metaphysical poet, author and translator writing in English, and a medical physician. His religious poetry appeared in ''Silex Scintillans'' in 1650, with a second part in 1655.''Oxfo ...
and showed them to Alexander Grosart (1827–99), a Scottish clergyman and expert on
Elizabethan The Elizabethan era is the epoch in the Tudor period of the history of England during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I (1558–1603). Historians often depict it as the golden age in English history. The Roman symbol of Britannia (a female per ...
and Jacobean literature who reprinted rare works. Grosart agreed that the manuscripts were by Vaughan and planned to include them in an edition of Vaughan's works that he was preparing for publication. Grosart died in 1899 and the proposed edition was never completed. Grosart's collection, including the manuscripts, was purchased by Charles Higham, a London bookseller, who asked his friend Bertram Dobell to examine them. Dobell was convinced that they were not by Vaughan and soon deduced that they were by Traherne. The manuscripts included poetry as well as a collection of contemplative paragraphs "embodying reflexions on religion and morals". ''The Poetical Works of Thomas Traherne'' was published in 1903 and ''Centuries of Meditations'' in 1908. Other publications followed. Eventually the ''Centuries'' were to be described as "one of the finest prose-poems in our language" and passages from them were set to music almost as often as the poems.


Manuscripts

A Traherne manuscript of "Centuries", the Dobell Folio (also called the "Commonplace Book"), "The Church's Year Book", and the "Early Notebook" (also called Philip Traherne's Notebook) are held at the
Bodleian Library The Bodleian Library () is the main research library of the University of Oxford. Founded in 1602 by Sir Thomas Bodley, it is one of the oldest libraries in Europe. With over 13 million printed items, it is the second-largest library in ...
, Oxford; the Burney Manuscript (also known as "Poems of Felicity") is at the
British Library The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom. Based in London, it is one of the largest libraries in the world, with an estimated collection of between 170 and 200 million items from multiple countries. As a legal deposit li ...
, London; and "Select Meditations" is in the Osborn Collection, Beinecke Library,
New Haven, Connecticut New Haven is a city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound. With a population of 135,081 as determined by the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, New Haven is List ...
. A manuscript discovered in 1996 in the Folger Library in Washington, D.C., by Julia Smith and Laetitia Yeandle was later identified as an unfinished 1,800-line epic poem by Traherne entitled "The Ceremonial Law". In 1997 Jeremy Maule, a Fellow of
Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any ...
, discovered more works by Traherne among 4,000 manuscripts in the
Library A library is a collection of Book, books, and possibly other Document, materials and Media (communication), media, that is accessible for use by its members and members of allied institutions. Libraries provide physical (hard copies) or electron ...
of
Lambeth Palace Lambeth Palace is the official London residence of the Archbishop of Canterbury. It is situated in north Lambeth, London, on the south bank of the River Thames, south-east of the Palace of Westminster, which houses Parliament of the United King ...
, the London residence of the
Archbishop of Canterbury The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the Primus inter pares, ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the bishop of the diocese of Canterbury. The first archbishop ...
. The Lambeth manuscripts, mostly prose, encompass four complete works and a fragment of a fifth: ''Inducements to Retiredness'', ''A Sober View of Dr Twisse'', ''Seeds of Eternity'', ''The Kingdom of God'' and the fragmentary ''Love''.


Reception of the poetry

Although Traherne is now counted one of the leading
Metaphysical poets The term Metaphysical poets was coined by the critic Samuel Johnson to describe a loose group of 17th-century English poets whose work was characterised by the inventive use of conceits, and by a greater emphasis on the spoken rather than lyrica ...
, the name of that "school" went unmentioned on his first publication. In his preface to ''The Poetical Works'', Dobell linked him with "that small group of religious poets which includes Herbert,
Vaughan Vaughan ( ) (2022 population 344,412) is a city in Ontario, Canada. It is located in the Regional Municipality of York, just north of Toronto. Vaughan was the fastest-growing municipality in Canada between 1996 and 2006 with its population increa ...
and Crawshaw", but distinguished him as uniquely individual and "neither a follower nor imitator of any of these". In the selection of his poems that followed two years later, they were accompanied in the same volume by the 'verse-remains' of
Henry Vaughan Henry Vaughan (17 April 1621 – 23 April 1695) was a Welsh metaphysical poet, author and translator writing in English, and a medical physician. His religious poetry appeared in ''Silex Scintillans'' in 1650, with a second part in 1655.''Oxfo ...
's twin brother Thomas ( Eugenius Philalethes) and John Norris of Bemerton. The reputation of the two latter was then and remains as philosophers. Both were also clergymen and Norris was the incumbent of Herbert's former parsonage; it was not until much later that he was to be described also as "the last of the Metaphysicals". Traherne, then, is being presented by propinquity as a representative of the line of 17th-century devotional poets rather than the member of a particular school. At the time of publication, those writers whom
Samuel Johnson Samuel Johnson ( – 13 December 1784), often called Dr Johnson, was an English writer who made lasting contributions as a poet, playwright, essayist, moralist, literary critic, sermonist, biographer, editor, and lexicographer. The ''Oxford ...
had described dismissively as "metaphysical poets" had yet to achieve the critical prominence they were given after the appearance of Herbert Grierson's anthology, ''Metaphysical Lyrics and Poems of the Seventeenth Century'' (1921). In any case, none of Traherne's poems were included there and when he did come to the notice of
T. S. Eliot Thomas Stearns Eliot (26 September 18884 January 1965) was a poet, essayist and playwright.Bush, Ronald. "T. S. Eliot's Life and Career", in John A Garraty and Mark C. Carnes (eds), ''American National Biography''. New York: Oxford University ...
, it was only to be put aside as "more a mystic than a poet". After that, it took decades before his work was given more serious scrutiny. Certainly, the mystical element is strikingly evident in Traherne, but his Metaphysical credentials are confirmed by the way in which he seeks to explain issues of truth, knowledge, and the faculties of the mind and heart by methods of theological and rational examination. Typical also is the way in which these meditations are worked out as extended Baroque conceits, of which "Shadows in the Water" is a particularly striking example. A further link with fellow devotional poets of his period is found in the idealisation of childish innocence and the use of Platonic themes which Traherne shares with Henry Vaughan and John Norris.


Influences


Development of personal faith

Given some of the autobiographical and confessional material in his works (notably in ''Centuries of Meditations''), Traherne must have suffered from a lack of faith in his formative years at Oxford. He describes this as a period of
Apostasy Apostasy (; ) is the formal religious disaffiliation, disaffiliation from, abandonment of, or renunciation of a religion by a person. It can also be defined within the broader context of embracing an opinion that is contrary to one's previous re ...
and that he later found his way back to faith: However, there is an alternative reading possible, which may be closer to the facts of Traherne's experience as he expresses them in the quote above. This is that he did not suffer a loss of faith, but rather identified his maturation away from a natural, innocent child's view of the world and his place in it, from an innate understanding of the wonder of God's creation, to a burdened grappling with the rules and expectation of church and society as an apostasy itself, which he had to overcome then by careful and disciplined study ("the highest reason"). This childlike, accepting, and joyous view of faith and religious ecstasy is at the core of the writing from which the excerpt above is drawn, and is part of the reason for Traherne's appeal.


Neoplatonism

Traherne is heavily influenced by the works of
Neoplatonist Neoplatonism is a version of Platonic philosophy that emerged in the 3rd century AD against the background of Hellenistic philosophy and religion. The term does not encapsulate a set of ideas as much as a series of thinkers. Among the common id ...
philosophers and several of his contemporaries who were called the
Cambridge Platonists The Cambridge Platonists were an influential group of Platonist philosophers and Christian theologians at the University of Cambridge that existed during the 17th century. The leading figures were Ralph Cudworth and Henry More. Group and its nam ...
. The Cambridge Platonists were latitudinarians in that they argued for moderation and dialogue between the factions of
Puritans The Puritans were English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries who sought to rid the Church of England of what they considered to be Roman Catholic practices, maintaining that the Church of England had not been fully reformed and should b ...
and
High Church A ''high church'' is a Christian Church whose beliefs and practices of Christian ecclesiology, Christian liturgy, liturgy, and Christian theology, theology emphasize "ritual, priestly authority, ndsacraments," and a standard liturgy. Although ...
men in the
Anglican church Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...
. They believed that religion and reason could be in harmony with one another based on a mystical understanding of reason—believing that reason rose beyond mere sense perception but was "the candle of the Lord" and an echo of the divine residing within the human soul. Reason was both God-given and of God. Indeed, critic K. W. Salter notes that Traherne "writes of the senses as if they were spiritual and of the spirit as if it were sensuous." However, according to Gladys Wade's 1946 biography of Traherne, she distinguished that the Cambridge Platonists "wasted their energies on Hermetic and Cabalistic and
Rosicrucian Rosicrucianism () is a spirituality, spiritual and cultural movement that arose in early modern Europe in the early 17th century after the publication of several texts announcing to the world a new Western esotericism, esoteric order. Rosicruc ...
lore, and on incredible experiments in magic and necromancy," and remarked that Traherne's mysticism was "perfectly free from any taint of this."


Theology and ethical themes


Defence of Anglican and criticism of Catholic churches

Traherne was also concerned with the stability of the Christian church in England during the period of the Restoration. In some of his theological writings, Traherne exhibits a passion for the Anglican faith and the national church that is evident in his confrontations with Roman Catholicism and
Nonconformism Nonconformity or nonconformism may refer to: Culture and society * Insubordination, the act of willfully disobeying an order of one's superior *Dissent, a sentiment or philosophy of non-agreement or opposition to a prevailing idea or entity ** ...
during this time of political and religious upheaval. The recent discoveries of previously unknown manuscripts further establish Traherne's reputation as an Anglican divine and his works offer fresh and comprehensive insight on ongoing theological arguments regarding the nature of divinity, ethics and morality, and the nature of sin. For instance, Traherne passionately critiques Roman Catholicism in ''Roman Forgeries'' (1673)—the only work published during his lifetime. It is a polemical treatise in the form of a
dialogue Dialogue (sometimes spelled dialog in American and British English spelling differences, American English) is a written or spoken conversational exchange between two or more people, and a literature, literary and theatrical form that depicts suc ...
between two men—a Protestant and a Roman Catholic. Relying on the
Scriptures Religious texts, including scripture, are texts which various religions consider to be of central importance to their religious tradition. They often feature a compilation or discussion of beliefs, ritual practices, moral commandments and ...
and the pronouncements of the
First Council of Nicaea The First Council of Nicaea ( ; ) was a council of Christian bishops convened in the Bithynian city of Nicaea (now İznik, Turkey) by the Roman Emperor Constantine I. The Council of Nicaea met from May until the end of July 325. This ec ...
to formulate the idea of a legitimate church authority, Traherne criticises the state of the contemporary Catholic Church and claims through a conspiracy theory that because the
Vatican Vatican may refer to: Geography * Vatican City, an independent city-state surrounded by Rome, Italy * Vatican Hill, in Rome, namesake of Vatican City * Ager Vaticanus, an alluvial plain in Rome * Vatican, an unincorporated community in the ...
has had control over the manuscripts that the Catholic Church was in a position to corrupt, misuse or suppress documents to support its claim to authority. The abusive nature of the narrator's critique of the Church of Rome is in sharp contrast to the tenor of Traherne's poetry or his other writings on theological topics. However, Traherne takes a less polemic tone in the posthumously published ''Christian Ethicks'' (1675) in which he explores theological implications of
Calvinist Reformed Christianity, also called Calvinism, is a major branch of Protestantism that began during the 16th-century Protestant Reformation. In the modern day, it is largely represented by the Continental Reformed Protestantism, Continenta ...
thought on freedom and necessity. In this work, Traherne refuses to define ethics as a secular phenomenon—instead pointing to a firm reliance on the
will of God The will of God or divine will is a concept found in the Hebrew Bible, the New Testament, and a number of other texts and worldviews, according to which God's Will (philosophy), will is the cause of everything that exists. Thomas Aquinas Accord ...
. Because of human limitations and failings, one cannot build a suitable and coherent moral system of beliefs—those virtues must derive from a divine source and their reward from perceiving the infinite love of God at the root of all things.


Sin

Traherne dedicated considerable examination to the subject of sin and its place vis-a-vis the church doctrines. In the recently discovered work, ''A Sober View of Dr Twisse'', Traherne discusses sin and salvation within the frame of a larger discussion of questions of election and reprobation. Traherne writes:


Mysticism and divine union

Traherne's works are inherently mystical in that they seek to understand and embrace the nature of God within his creation and within man's soul. Traherne seems to describe his own journey of faith in ''Centuries of Meditation'', which was likely written when Traherne was at Credenhill—a work that is noted for its "spiritual intensity," and "the wide scope of the writer's survey" which includes "all heaven and earth he takes for the province of the pious soul". Traherne's work is said to look "upon the hidden things of the soul, and, in them, he sees the image of the glory and love of God" and "the eternal theme of the goodness and the splendour of God." Traherne's poems frequently explore the glory of creation and what he perceived as his intimate relationship with God. He drew deeply on the writings of
Aristotle Aristotle (; 384–322 BC) was an Ancient Greek philosophy, Ancient Greek philosopher and polymath. His writings cover a broad range of subjects spanning the natural sciences, philosophy, linguistics, economics, politics, psychology, a ...
and on the early
Church Fathers The Church Fathers, Early Church Fathers, Christian Fathers, or Fathers of the Church were ancient and influential Christian theologians and writers who established the intellectual and doctrinal foundations of Christianity. The historical peri ...
for his concept of Man and human nature. Little mention is made of sin and suffering in the works that have dominated 20th-century criticism, and some critics have seen his verse as bordering upon
pantheism Pantheism can refer to a number of philosophical and religious beliefs, such as the belief that the universe is God, or panentheism, the belief in a non-corporeal divine intelligence or God out of which the universe arisesAnn Thomson; Bodies ...
(or perhaps
panentheism Panentheism (; "all in God", from the Greek , and ) is the belief that the divine intersects every part of the universe and also extends beyond space and time. The term was coined by the German philosopher Karl Krause in 1828 (after reviewin ...
).


Felicity

At the core of Traherne's work is the concept of "felicity", that highest state of bliss in which he describes the essence of God as a source of "Delights of inestimable value." Traherne says that 'understanding set in him' secured his felicity. He argues that man can experience this felicity only by understanding the will of God and divine love and he describes the beauty of this in childlike terms. Traherne seeks to explain the "Principle of Nature" in which through his inclination to love truth ("Light") and beauty seek him to identify felicity as its source and a natural experience.


Other themes


Nature

Another great passion that is depicted in Traherne's work is his love of nature and the natural world, frequently displayed in a very Romantic treatment of nature that has been described as characteristically
pantheist Pantheism can refer to a number of philosophical and religious beliefs, such as the belief that the universe is God, or panentheism, the belief in a non-corporeal divine intelligence or God out of which the universe arisesAnn Thomson; Bodies ...
or panentheist. While Traherne credits a divine source for its creation, his praise of nature seems nothing less than what one would expect to find in
Thoreau Henry David Thoreau (born David Henry Thoreau; July 12, 1817May 6, 1862) was an American naturalist, essayist, poet, and philosopher. A leading transcendentalist, he is best known for his book ''Walden'', a reflection upon simple living in nat ...
. Many scholars consider Traherne a writer of the sublime, and in his writing he seems to have tried to reclaim the lost appreciation for the natural world, as well as paying tribute to what he knew of in nature that was more powerful than he was. In this sense Traherne seems to have anticipated the Romantic movement more than 130 years before it actually occurred. There is frequent discussion of man's almost symbiotic relationship with nature, as well as frequent use of "literal setting", that is, an attempt to faithfully reproduce a sense experience from a given moment, a technique later used frequently by
William Wordsworth William Wordsworth (7 April 177023 April 1850) was an English Romantic poetry, Romantic poet who, with Samuel Taylor Coleridge, helped to launch the Romanticism, Romantic Age in English literature with their joint publication ''Lyrical Balla ...
.


Childlike joy and attitude

In the spirit of the gospels, Traherne's "great theme is the visionary innocence of childhood," and his writings suggest "that adults have lost the joy of childhood, and with it an understanding of the divine nature of creation." Traherne seems to convey the idea that paradise can be rediscovered and regained only through reacquiring this childlike innocence—a state which "precedes the knowledge of good and evil" and seems to be composed of a boundless love and wonder. In this respect, Traherne's work is often compared to the abounding joy and mysticism found in the works of
William Blake William Blake (28 November 1757 – 12 August 1827) was an English poet, painter, and printmaker. Largely unrecognised during his life, Blake has become a seminal figure in the history of the Romantic poetry, poetry and visual art of the Roma ...
,
Walt Whitman Walter Whitman Jr. (; May 31, 1819 â€“ March 26, 1892) was an American poet, essayist, and journalist; he also wrote two novels. He is considered one of the most influential poets in American literature and world literature. Whitman incor ...
, and
Gerard Manley Hopkins Gerard Manley Hopkins (28 July 1844 – 8 June 1889) was an English poet and Society of Jesus, Jesuit priest, whose posthumous fame places him among the leading English poets. His Prosody (linguistics), prosody – notably his concept of sprung ...
. According to Traherne scholar Denise Inge, Traherne's introduction of a child's viewpoint to narrate his theological and moral premises was unknown or certainly unappreciated in the literature of this time.


Happiness

Achieving
happiness Happiness is a complex and multifaceted emotion that encompasses a range of positive feelings, from contentment to intense joy. It is often associated with positive life experiences, such as achieving goals, spending time with loved ones, ...
is another focus of Traherne's work. He wrote "I will first spend a great deal of time in seeking Happiness, and then a great deal more in enjoying it." He wrote that many people despise happiness, but that "Heaven is a place where our happiness shall be seen of all. We shall there enjoy the happiness of being seen in happiness, without the danger of ostentation."


Practical philosophy

Traherne was intent that insights gained through philosophy be used in daily life.


Legacy

Traherne's works remained largely unpublished until their publication at the start of the 20th century. Those who have acknowledged an influence since then have been the
Trappist The Trappists, officially known as the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance (, abbreviated as OCSO) and originally named the Order of Reformed Cistercians of Our Lady of La Trappe, are a Religious order (Catholic), Catholic religious o ...
monk
Thomas Merton Thomas Merton (January 31, 1915December 10, 1968), religious name M. Louis, was an American Trappist monk, writer, theologian, Christian mysticism, mystic, poet, social activist and scholar of comparative religion. He was a monk in the Trapp ...
; the Christian humanist Dorothy L. Sayers; the poet Elizabeth Jennings; and
C. S. Lewis Clive Staples Lewis (29 November 1898 â€“ 22 November 1963) was a British writer, literary scholar and Anglican lay theologian. He held academic positions in English literature at both Magdalen College, Oxford (1925–1954), and Magdalen ...
, who called ''Centuries of Meditations'' "almost the most beautiful book in English". They also had their influence within the Anglican Communion which, though it does not create saints in the same way as in the Roman Catholic tradition, has frequently
canonised Canonization is the declaration of a deceased person as an officially recognized saint, specifically, the official act of a Christian communion declaring a person worthy of public veneration and entering their name in the canon catalogue of sai ...
people of great holiness, sometimes by a formal process and sometimes by popular acclamation or local custom. Following this precedent, and in commemoration of his poems and spiritual writings, Thomas Traherne is included in the
Calendar of Saints The calendar of saints is the traditional Christian method of organizing a liturgical year by associating each day with one or more saints and referring to the day as the feast day or feast of said saint. The word "feast" in this context does n ...
in many national churches within the
Anglican Communion The Anglican Communion is a Christian Full communion, communion consisting of the Church of England and other autocephalous national and regional churches in full communion. The archbishop of Canterbury in England acts as a focus of unity, ...
. He is remembered in the
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with a
commemoration Commemoration may refer to: *Commemoration (Anglicanism), a religious observance in Churches of the Anglican Communion *Commemoration (liturgy), insertion in one liturgy of portions of another *Memorialization *"Commemoration", a song by the 3rd a ...
. The commemoration of Traherne is held on either 27 September (the date of his death) or 10 October (the date of his burial). Observed on 10 October
Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the State religion#State churches, established List of Christian denominations, Christian church in England and the Crown Dependencies. It is the mother church of the Anglicanism, Anglican Christian tradition, ...
;
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;
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(also known as the Hong Kong Anglican Church)


A century of musical settings

It has been observed of Traherne that "more than any other form of art, if one may judge from the frequency and fervor of the references, Traherne loved music", that this was of long standing and life-long. The Traherne Association has compiled a check list of some hundred composers who have recognised the lyrical power of his writing and set words by him to music. Several of these are from the poet's native Herefordshire, while a significant proportion come from other countries and not all from the English-speaking world. There have also been a wide variety of musical styles over the past century, from art song to devotional motets, from advanced modernism to minimalism, and there have been some purely instrumental interpretations as well.


Britain

The earliest known setting was by Welsh-born Bryceson Treharne (1879–1948). His "Invocation" of 1917 was stanza 11 of an untitled poem in Traherne's ''Christian Ethicks'': "O holy Jesus who didst for us die", set for baritone and piano. It was followed in 1924 by Rutland Boughton's "Contentment", a part-song for unaccompanied men's voices which sets Traherne's "Contentment is a sleepy thing", also from ''Christian Ethicks''. Later composers set both verse and prose for singing within the same work, of which one example from 1978 was Elizabeth Maconchy's cycle "Sun, Moon and Stars" for soprano and piano. It was in the 1920s that
Gerald Finzi Gerald Raphael Finzi (14 July 1901 – 27 September 1956) was a British composer. Finzi is best known as a choral composer, but also wrote in other genres. Large-scale compositions by Finzi include the cantata '' Dies natalis'' for solo voice and ...
began work on his ambitious '' Dies natalis'', a
cantata A cantata (; ; literally "sung", past participle feminine singular of the Italian language, Italian verb ''cantare'', "to sing") is a vocal music, vocal Musical composition, composition with an musical instrument, instrumental accompaniment, ty ...
for high solo voice and string orchestra. Only completed in 1939, the work's premiere was cancelled due to the outbreak of the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, and it was not performed until some months later in January 1940. Its purely instrumental "Intrada" is followed by a section of prose passages from the third in his ''Centuries of Meditations'', and then by three poems: "The Rapture", "Wonder" and "The Salutation". The texts chosen reflect the joy and wonder of a newborn child's innocent perspective and wonderment at a world of such beauty. Given Traherne's calling and piety, many modern settings of Traherne's work have a devotional context. His poem "The Rapture" was included in the ''Cambridge Hymnal'' (1967) as Hymn 97, with music by the composer
William Wordsworth William Wordsworth (7 April 177023 April 1850) was an English Romantic poetry, Romantic poet who, with Samuel Taylor Coleridge, helped to launch the Romanticism, Romantic Age in English literature with their joint publication ''Lyrical Balla ...
. Also among the largely sacred choral music of Patrick Larley has been his ''On Christmas Day'' (2002), a sequence of seven pieces, of which numbers 1, 3 and 7 incorporate verses from Traherne's poem "On Christmas-Day". Several other pieces were commissioned for special occasions: from Colin Matthews ("Shadows in the water", 1978/9); Francis Jackson ("On Christmas Day", 1995);
John Casken John Arthur Casken (born 15 July 1949) is an English composer. Casken was born in Barnsley, West Riding of Yorkshire, England. While at Barnsley Grammar School in the 1960s his music teacher played a recording of Berg's Violin Concerto, which h ...
("A song of Chimes", 1996); Andrew Carter ("The saints of God", 2005); Cecilia McDowall, ("The skies in their magnificence", 2008); Francis Pott, ("The love of God is in eternity", 2011); and David Sawer, ("Wonder", 2012).


International

Sawer's choral work was written to celebrate the
Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II The year 2012 marked the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II being the 60th anniversary of the accession of Queen Elizabeth II on 6 February 1952. The only diamond jubilee celebration for any of Elizabeth's predecessors was in 1897, for Queen Victo ...
. Earlier, Toivo Tulev (born 1958) had set lines from Traherne's ''Centuries of Meditations'' as "Rejoice! Rejoice! Rejoice!" for a performance in honour of the queen's state visit to
Estonia Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia, is a country in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, and to the east by Ru ...
in October, 2006. Other settings of Traherne's work have been made by Bulgarian-born Dobrinka Tabakova ("Centuries of Meditations", selections set for full choir, harp or piano and strings, 2012); by the French Claude Ballif, (''Poème de la félicité'' for three female voices, 1977); and by the Finnish Jouni Kaipainen, whose "Felicity and Fullnesse" is described as a monodrama for high baritone and orchestra in which verses by Traherne alternate with verses by Hanno Eskola (2006). In North America, the Canadian composer Frederick Karam (1926–1978) wrote "From Dust I Rise", an anthem based on lines from Traherne's poem "The Salutation", first performed in 1958. In the United States, Anthony Piccolo wrote "Wonder", with lyrics from Traherne's poem of the same title, for medium-high voice and piano in 1987; Aaron Jay Kernis set the song cycle "Two Awakenings and a Lullaby" for soprano, violin, guitar and piano in 2006;
Bob Chilcott Robert Chilcott (born 9 April 1955) is a British choir, choral composer, conducting, conductor, and singing, singer, based in Oxfordshire, England. He was a member of the King's Singers from 1985 to 1997, singing tenor. He has been a composer ...
set "The sun and stars are mine" for high voices and piano in 2012; and Garrett George composed "4 Traherne Songs" for soprano with piano accompaniment in 2018.


Instrumental and other formats

Two Japanese works by Satoru Ikeda (born 1961) have taken their beginning from Traherne's "The Salutation". The first was a vocalic transposition of the English text for chamber choir, accordion, tuba and harp, in which the instruments "are symbols of Heaven, Earth, and Man" (2003). Later the composer wrote a purely instrumental work for alto flute which was divided into three movements (Abyss, Awakening and Apparition), inspired by three stanzas from the poem (2015). Another interpretation of Traherne for full orchestra was Australian composer Nigel Butterley's ''Meditations of Thomas Traherne'' (1968), based on five prose meditations. Two organ works have been inspired by Tom Denny's Traherne windows in the Audley chapel in Hereford Cathedral. In addition, American Peter Stoltzfus Berton (born 1968) based the fifteen pieces in his "Hereford Variations" (2007) on Traherne's ''Centuries of Meditations''. Martin Bussey's organ work "Hereford Windows" followed in 2014. Traherne's writing has also contributed to two larger-scale works. Kenneth Leighton's Symphony No.2 (Sinfonia mistica, 1974) set lines from Traherne's "Thanksgivings for the Body" as its third movement (Meditation). Later,
Harrison Birtwistle Sir Harrison Birtwistle (15 July 1934 – 18 April 2022) was an English composer of contemporary classical music best known for his operas, often based on mythological subjects. Among his many compositions, his better known works include '' T ...
had Christ quote from "Thanksgivings for the Body" in Vision 1 of his opera '' The Last Supper'' (1999). Lying outside the classical music tradition, the Incredible String Band's piece "Douglas Traherne Harding" on the '' Wee Tam and the Big Huge'' album (1968) incorporated lines from ''Centuries of Meditations'' and demonstrates the wide versatility of application of which Traherne's work has been capable.


Works and publications


Published during Traherne's life and times

* 1673: ''Roman Forgeries, Or, A True Account of False Records Discovering the Impostures and Counterfeit Antiquities of the Church of Rome'' (London: Printed by S. & B. Griffin for Jonathan Edwin, 1673). * 1675: ''Christian Ethicks: Or, Divine Morality. Opening the Way to Blessedness, By the Rules of Vertue and Reason'' (London: Printed for Jonathan Edwin, 1675). * 1699: ''A Serious and Pathetical Contemplation of the Mercies of God, In Several Most Devout and Sublime Thanksgivings for the same'' (London: Printed for Samuel Keble, 1699). * 1717: ''Meditations on the Creation, in A Collection of Meditations and Devotions, in Three Parts.'' (London: Published by Nathaniel Spinkes. Printed for D. Midwinter, 1717).


Later compilations and editions

* 1903: A second edition appeared in 1906. * 1905: * 1908: * 1910 * 1932: ''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 by Gladys I. Wade) (London: P. J. & A. E. Dobell, 1932). * 1941: ''A Serious and Pathetical Contemplation of the Mercies of God, In Several most Devout and Sublime Thanksgivings for the same'' (edited by Roy Daniells) (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1941). * 1958: ''Centuries, Poems, and Thanksgivings'' 2 volumes (edited by H. M. Margoliouth) (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1958). * 1966: ''Meditations on the Six Days of the Creation'' (edited by George Robert Guffey) (Los Angeles: William Andrews Clark Memorial Library, University of California, 1966). * 1966: ''Poems, Centuries, and Three Thanksgivings'' (edited by Anne Ridler) (London: Oxford University Press, 1966). * 1968: ''Christian Ethicks'' (edited by Carol L. Marks and Guffey) (Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1968). * 1989: ''Commentaries of Heaven: The Poems'' (edited by D. D. C. Chambers) (Salzburg: Institut für Anglistik und Amerikanistik Universitat Salzburg, 1989). * 2005–2017: **Volume I: ''Inducements to Retirednes, A Sober View of Dr Twisses his Considerations, Seeds of Eternity or the Nature of the Soul, The Kingdom of God'' (2005). **Volume II: ''Commentaries of Heaven, part 1: Abhorrence to Alone'' (2007) **Volume III: ''Commentaries of Heaven, part 2: Al-Sufficient to Bastard'' (2007) **Volume IV: ''Church's Year-Book, A Serious and Pathetical Contemplation of the Mercies of GOD, editations on the Six Days of the Creation' (2009) **Volume V: ''Centuries of Meditations and Select Meditations'' (2013) **Volume VI: ''Verse: from the Dobell Folio, Poems of Felicity, The Ceremonial Law'' **Volume VII: ''Roman Forgeries, Christian Ethicks: or, Divine Morality'' **Volume. VIII: ''Commentary and Index'' (not yet published) **Volume IX: ''Notebooks'' (not yet published) *2023: Traherne, Thomas. Redemer, Colin (ed). ''Christian Ethics, Modernized.'' Landrum, South Carolina, US. (Davenant Press, 2023) **Volume 1: ''The Shining Human Creature'' (2023). **Volume 2: ''Made Like the Maker'' (2023).


Translations

*''Poèmes de la félicité'', trans. Jean Wahl, Éditions du Seuil, Paris 1951; some originally appeared in the magazine ''Mesures'' in April 1936
''Les Centuries''
trans. Magali Jullien, Arfuyen, 2011 * Robert Jones' "That Cross is a Tree set on fire with invisible flame" (''Das Kreuz ist ein flammender Baum''), a setting for full choir and organ which draws its text from three of Thomas Traherne's ''Centuries''; a German translation provided by Meik Impekoven. Published: Dr. J. Butz, Bonn, 2015.Score with words in English and German
/ref> * ''Goûter Dieu'', trans. Magali Jullien, Arfuyen, 2020


See also

*
List of poetry groups and movements Poetry groups and movements or schools may be self-identified by the poets that form them or defined by critics who see unifying characteristics of a body of work by more than one poet. To be a 'school' a group of poets must share a common style o ...
* Metaphysical poetry * Saints in Anglicanism


References


Notes


Citations


Works cited

* * * * * *


Further reading

* Day, Malcolm. ''Thomas Traherne''. (Boston: Hall, 1982). * Gander, Forrest
"The Strange Case of Thomas Traherne"
in ''Jacket Magazine'' (2007). * Grant, Patrick. 1974. ''The Transformation of Sin: Studies in Donne, Herbert, Vaughan, and Traherne''. Montreal:McGill-Queen's University Press. * Inge, Denise. ''Wanting Like a God: Desire and Freedom in the Work of Thomas Traherne''. (SCM, 2009). * Inge, Denise. ''Happiness and Holiness, Thomas Traherne and His Writings''. (Canterbury Press, 2008). * Inge, Denise (editor). ''Thomas Traherne: Poetry and Prose'' (SPCK, 2002). * Jordan, Richard Douglas. ''The Temple of Eternity: Thomas Traherne's Philosophy of Time''. (Port Washington, NY: Kennikat Press, 1972). * Martz, Louis L. ''The Paradise Within: Studies in Vaughan, Traherne, and Milton''. (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1964). * Sluberski, Thomas Richard (editor). ''A Mind in Frame, The Theological Thought of Thomas Traherne''. (The Lincoln Library, 2008). * Stewart, Stanley. ''The Expanded Voice: The Art of Thomas Traherne''. (San Marino: Huntington Library, 1970). * Wącior, Sławomir. ''Strategies of Literary Communication in the Poetry of Thomas Traherne. An Analytical Study''. (Lublin: Catholic University Press, 1990).


External links

*
The Thomas Traherne Association

Thomas Traherne Centuries

Selected Poetry of Thomas Traherne
at Representative Poetry Online * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Traherne, Thomas 1630s births 1674 deaths 17th-century Christian mystics 17th-century Christian saints 17th-century English Anglican priests 17th-century English male writers 17th-century English poets Alumni of Brasenose College, Oxford Anglican poets Anglican saints Anglican writers Burials at St Mary with St Alban, Teddington Christian poets Clergy from Hereford English Christian theologians English male poets Metaphysical poets People educated at Hereford Cathedral School Poet priests Protestant mystics