Great Throughts Treasury

This site is dedicated to the memory of Dr. Alan William Smolowe who gave birth to the creation of this database.

Thomas Traherne

English Mystical Poet of Anglican Clergy and Religious Writer

"You never enjoy the world aright, till the Sea itself floweth in your veins, till you are clothed with the heavens and crowned with the stars, and perceive yourself to be the sole heir of the whole world, and more than so, because men are in it who are every one sole heirs as well as you."

"He knoweth nothing as he ought to know, who thinks he knoweth anything without seeing its place and the manner how it relateth to God, angels and men, and to all the creatures of the earth, heaven and hell, time and eternity."

"The World is a Mirror of infinite beauty, yet no man sees it."

"Your enjoyment of the world is never right, till every morning you awake in Heaven; see yourself in your Father’s Palace; and look upon the skies, the earth, and the air as Celestial Joys; having such a reverend esteem of all, as if you were among the angels."

"There was never a tutor that did professly teach Felicity, thought that be the mistress of all other sciences."

"The world is a mirror of infinite Beauty, yet no man sees it. It is a Temple of Majesty, yet no man regards it. It is a region of Light and Peace, did not men disquiet it. It is the Paradise of God."

"Death cannot kill what never dies."

"By Love alone is God enjoyed, by Love alone delighted in, by Love alone approached or admired. His Nature requires Love, thy nature requires Love. The law of Nature commands thee to Love Him: the Law of His nature, and the Law of thine."

"An empty book is like an infant's soul, in which anything may be written. It is capable of all things, but containeth nothing. I have a mind to fill this with profitable wonders."

"All are happy in each other. All are like Deities. Everyone the end of all things, everyone supreme, everyone a treasure, and the joy of all, and every one most infinitely delighted in being so."

"All - 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."

"Beneath the water peeple drown'd. Yet with another hev'n crown'd, in spacious regions seem'd to go freely moving to and fro: in bright and open space i saw their very face; eys, hands, and feet they had like mine; another sun did with them shine."

"Did I grow, or did I stay? Did I prosper or decay? When I so from Things to Thoughts did go?"

"A little grit in the eye destroyeth the sight of the very heavens, and a little malice or envy a world of joys. One wry principle in the mind is of infinite consequence."

"By this we may Discern what Strange Power GOD hath given to us by loving us infinitly. [Who more Prizeth our Naked Lov then Temples full of Gold: Whose Naked Lov is more Delightfull to us then all Worlds: And Whose Greatest Gifts and Treasures are Living Souls and Friends, and Lovers. Who as He hath Manifested His Lov by giving us His Son, hath Manifested it also by giving us all His Sons and Servants. Commanding them to lov us with that Precious Lov wherwith they do them selvs. but most] He giveth us a Power more to pleas him, then if we were able to Creat Worlds and present them unto Him."

"But now with New and Open Eys, I see beneath as if above the Skies: and as I Backward look again, see all his Thoughts and mine most Clear and Plain. He did Approach, He me did Woe. I wonder that my GOD this thing would doe."

"Come letts unite; and wee'l aspire like brighter Flames of heavenly fire; that with sweet Incense do ascend, still purer to their Journeys End. Two--rising Flames--in one weel bee, and with each other twining play, and How, twill be a joy to see, weel fold and mingle all the way."

"For though it be a maxim in the schools that there is no Love of a thing unknown, yet I have found that things unknown have a secret influence on the soul,"

"Every man is alone the centre and circumference."

"Every man is alone the centre and circumference of it. It is all his own, and so glorious, that it is the eternal and incomprehensible essence of the Deity. A cabinet of infinite value, equal in beauty, lustre and perfection to all its treasures."

"Happiness was not made to be boasted, but enjoyed. Therefore tho' others count me miserable, I will not believe them if I know and feel myself to be happy; nor fear them."

"Had we not loved ourselves at all, we could never have been obliged to love anything. So that self-love is the basis of all love."

"His Essence is all Act: He did, that He All Act might always be. His Nature burns like fire; His Goodness infinitly doth desire, to be by all possest; His Love makes others Blest. Is it the Glory of his High Estate, And that which I forever more Admire, He is an Act that doth Communicate."

"I was an inward sphere of light, or an interminable orb of sight, an endless and a living day, a vital sun that round about did ray all life and sence, a naked simple pure intelligence."

"I will in the light of my soul show you the Universe. Here the dimensions of innumerable worlds are shut, up in a centre. Where it should lodge such innumerable objects, as it doth by knowing, whence it should derive such infinite streams as flow from it by Loving, how it should be a mirror of all Eternity, being made of nothing, how it should be a fountain or a sun of Eternity out of which such abundant rivers of affection flow, it is impossible to declare. But above all, having no material or bodily existence, its substance, though invisible, should be so rich and precious. The consideration of one Soul is sufficient to convince all the Atheists in the whole world."

"I will open my Mouth in Parables: I will utter Things that have been Kept Secret from the foundation of the World. Things Strange yet Common; Incredible, yet Known; Most High, yet Plain,; infinitly Profitable, but not Esteemed. Is it not a Great Thing, that you should be Heir of the World? Is it not a very Enriching Veritie? In which the Fellowship of the Mystery, which from the beginning of the World hath been hid in GOD, lies concealed!"

"I will not by the noise of bloody wars and the dethroning of kings advance you to glory: but by the gentle ways of peace and love."

"It is of the nobility of man's soul that he is insatiable: for he hath a benefactor so prone to give, that he delighteth in us for asking. Do not your inclinations tell you that the WORLD is yours?"

"Let those parents that desire Holy Children learn to make them possessors of Heaven and Earth betimes; to remove silly objects from before them, to magnify nothing but what is great indeed, and to talk of God to them, and of His works and ways. before they can either speak or go."

"Is it not strange, that an infant should be heir of the whole world, and see those mysteries which the books of the learned never unfold?"

"In all Things, all Things service do to all: and thus a Sand is Endless, though most small. And every Thing is truly Infinite, in its Relation deep and exquisite."

"Love is deeper than at first it can be thought. It never ceaseth but in endless things. It ever multiplies. God is Love, and my Soul is lovely! By Love alone is God enjoyed, by Love alone delighted in, by Love alone approached or admired. His Nature requires Love, thy nature requires Love."

"Love can forbear, and Love can forgive... but Love can never be reconciled to an unlovely object... He can never therefore be reconciled to your sin, because sin itself is incapable of being altered; but He may be reconciled to your person because that may be restored and Loved."

"Love is the true means by which the world is enjoyed: our love to others, and others love to us."

"More company increases happiness, but does not lighten or diminish misery."

"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 shiningly may well be reckon'd baser heraldry."

"O ye that stand upon the brink, whom i so near me, throu the chink, with wonder see: what faces there, whose feet, whose bodies, do ye wear? I my companions see in you, another me. They seemed others, but are we; our second selvs those shadows be."

"The ey's confind, the body's pent in narrow room: lims are of small extent. But thoughts are always free. And as they're best, so can they even in the brest, rove ore the world with libertie: can enter ages, present be in any kingdom, into bosoms see. Thoughts, thoughts can come to things, and view, what bodies cant approach unto. They know no bar, denial, limit, wall: but have a liberty to look on all."

"The corn was orient and immortal wheat, which never should be reaped, nor was ever sown. I thought it had stood from everlasting to everlasting."

"The infinity of God? magnifieth all things? Every spire of grass is the work of His hand? An Ant is a great Miracle?, the ?sweetness and unusual beauty? of trees makes his soul ?almost mad with ecstasy."

"Our Saviour's meaning, when He said, He must be born again and become a little child that will enter in the Kingdom of Heaven is deeper far than is generally believed. It is only in a careless reliance upon Divine Providence, that we are to become little children, or in the feebleness and shortness of our anger and simplicity of our passions, but in the peace and purity of all our soul. Which purity also is a deeper thing than is commonly apprehended. For we must disrobe infant-like and clear; the powers of our soul free from the leaven of this world, and disentangled from men's conceits and customs. Grit in the eye or yellow jaundice will not let a man see those objects truly that are before it. And therefore it is requisite that we should be as very strangers to the thoughts, customs, and opinions of men in this world, as if we were but little children. So those things would appear to us only which do to children when they are first born. Ambitions, trades, luxuries, inordinate affections, casual and accidental riches invented since the fall, would be gone, and only those things appear, which did to Adam in Paradise, in the same light and in the same colours: God in His works, Glory in the light, Love in our parents, men, ourselves, and the face of Heaven: Every man naturally seeing those things, to the enjoyment of which he is naturally born."

"Of all the play-mates which i knew that here i do the image view in other selvs; what can it mean? But that below the purling stream som unknown joys there be laid up in store for me; to which i shall, when that thin skin is broken, be admitted in."

"The streets were pavd with golden stones, the boys and girles were mine, oh how did all their lovly faces shine! The sons of men were holy ones. Joy, beauty, welfare did appear to me, and evry thing which here i found, while like an angel I did see, adornd the ground."

"The Sun is a glorious Creature, and its Beams extend to the utmost Stars, by shining on them it cloaths them with light, and by its Rayes exciteth all their influences. It enlightens the Eyes of all the Creatures: It shineth on forty Kingdomes at the same time, on Seas and Continents in a general manner; yet so particularly regardeth all, that every Mote in the Air, every Grain of Dust, every Sand, every Spire of Grass is wholly illuminated thereby, as if it did entirely shine upon that alone. Nor does it onely illuminate all these Objects in an idle manner, its Beams are Operative, enter in, fill the Pores of Things with Spirits, and impregnate them with Powers, cause all their Emanations, Odors, Vertues and Operations; Springs, Rivers, Minerals and Vegetables are all perfected by the Sun, all the Motion, Life and sense of Birds, Beasts and Fishes dependth on the same."

"The soft and swelling grapes that on their vines receiv the lively warmth that shines upon them, ripen there for me: or drink they be or meat. The stars salute my pleased sence with a derivd and borrowed influence but better vines do grow and better wines do flow above, and while the sun doth smile upon the lillies there, and all things warme their pleasant odors do my spirit charm."

"The soul is made for action, and cannot rest till it be employed. Idleness is its rust. Unless it will up and think and taste and see, all is in vain."

"The thoughts of men appear freely to move within a sphere of endless reach; and run, tho in the soul, beyond the sun. The ground on which they acted be is unobserv'd infinity."

"The true exemplar of God?s infinity is that of your understanding, which is a lively pattern and idea of it? The WORLD is but a little centre in comparison with you?Souls are God?s jewels, every one of which is worth many worlds."

"They [thoughts] bear the image of their father's face, and beautifie even all his dwelling place: so nimble and volatile, unconfind, illimited, to which no form's assignd, so changeable, capacious, easy, free, that what it self doth pleas a thought may be. From nothing to infinitie it turns."

"There I saw into the Nature of the Sea, the Heavens, the Sun, the Moon and Stars, the Elements, Minerals and Vegetables All which appeared like the Kings Daughter, All Glorious within, and those Things which my Nurses and Parents should hav talkt of, there were taught unto Me."