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Home  »  The Book of Restoration Verse  »  Thomas Traherne (1637?–1674)

William Stanley Braithwaite, ed. The Book of Restoration Verse. 1910.

The Choice

Thomas Traherne (1637?–1674)

WHEN first Eternity stoop’d down to nought

And in the Earth its likeness sought,

When first it out of nothing fram’d the skies,

And form’d the moon and sun

That we might see what it had done,

It was so wise

That it did prize

Things truly greatest, brightest, fairest, best,

All which it made, and left the rest.

Then did it take such care about the Truth,

Its daughter, that even in her youth,

Her face might shine upon us, and be known,

That by a better fate,

It other toys might antedate

As soon as shewn;

And be our own,

While we were hers; and that a virgin love

Her best inheritance might prove.

Thoughts undefiled, simple, naked, pure;

Thoughts worthy ever to endure,

Our first and disengagèd thoughts it loves,

And therefore made the truth,

In infancy and tender youth

So obvious to

Our easy view

That it doth prepossess our Soul, and proves

The cause of what it all ways moves.

By merit and desire it doth allure:

For truth is so divine and pure,

So rich and acceptable, being seen,

(Not parted, but in whole)

That it doth draw and force the soul,

As the great Queen

Of bliss, between

Whom and the soul, no one pretender ought

Thrust in to captivate a thought.

Hence did Eternity contrive to make

The truth so fair for all our sake

That being truth, and fair and easy too,

While it on all doth shine,

We might by it become divine,

Being led to woo

The thing we view,

And as chaste virgins early with it join,

That with it we might likewise shine.

Eternity doth give the richest things

To every man, and makes all Kings.

The best and richest things it doth convey

To all, and every one,

It raised me unto a throne!

Which I enjoy,

In such a way,

That truth her daughter is my chiefest bride,

Her daughter truth’s my chiefest pride.

All mine! And seen so easily! How great, how blest!

How soon am I of all possest!

My infancy no sooner opes its eyes,

But straight the spacious Earth

Abounds with joy, peace, glory, mirth,

And being wise

The very skies,

And stars do mine become; being all possest

Even in that way that is the best.