FULLNESSE

Thomas Traherne (1636-1674)

That Light, that Sight, that Thought,
Which in my Soul at first He Wrought,
Is sure the only Act to which I may
Assent this day:
The Mirror of an endless Life;
The Shadow of a Virgin-Wife;
A Spritual Creation within;
An Universe enclos’d in Skin:
My Power exerted, or my perfect Being,
If not Enjoying, yet an Act of Seeing:
My Bliss
Consists in this;
My Duty too
In this I view.
It is a Fountain, or a Spring
Refreshing me in ev’ry thing;
From whence those living Streams I do derive,
By which my thirsty Soul is kept alive.
The Center and the Sphere
Of my Delights are here:
It is my David’s Tower
Where all my Armor lies,
The Fountain of my Power,
My Bliss, my Sacrifice;
A little Spark
That shining in the dark
Makes and encorages my Soul to rise.
The Root of Hope, the Golden Chain
Whose End is, as the Poets feign,
Fasten’d to the very Throne
Of JOVE:
It is a Stone
On which I sit;
An endless Benefit,
That, being made my Regal Throne,
Doth prov
An Oracle of His Eternal Lov.