Thomas Traherne (; 1636 or 1637) was an English poet, Anglican cleric, theologian, and religious writer. The intense, scholarly spirituality in his writings has led to his being commemorated by some parts of the Anglican Communion 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). 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.

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 and on the early Church Fathers 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 (or perhaps panentheism). 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. 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, Walt Whitman, and Gerard Manley Hopkins. 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 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 monk Thomas Merton; the Christian humanist Dorothy L. Sayers; the poet Elizabeth Jennings; and C. S. Lewis, who called Centuries of Meditations "almost the most beautiful book in English".

thumb|upright=1.1|Traherne was interred at [[St Mary with St Alban|St Mary's Church, Teddington, Middlesex.]]

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 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 in many national churches within the Anglican Communion. He is remembered in the Church of England with a commemoration.

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; Anglican Church of Korea; Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui (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 began work on his ambitious Dies natalis, a cantata 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, 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. 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 ("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. 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 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 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 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, [Meditations 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.
  • Goûter Dieu, trans. Magali Jullien, Arfuyen, 2020

See also

  • List of poetry groups and movements
  • 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).
  • The Thomas Traherne Association
  • Thomas Traherne Centuries
  • Selected Poetry of Thomas Traherne at Representative Poetry Online