Thomas Traherne

Thomas Traherne – Life, Writings, and Spiritual Vision

Explore Thomas Traherne (c.1636–1674), the English clergyman, mystical poet, and metaphysical thinker. Learn about his life, themes, legacy, and inspiring quotes.

Introduction

Thomas Traherne (c. 1636/1637 – 27 September 1674) was an Anglican clergyman, poet, theologian, and religious writer whose works remained largely unknown until their rediscovery in the early 20th century.

He is often associated with the metaphysical poets (e.g. George Herbert, Henry Vaughan) and is celebrated for his deep spirituality, his love of creation, and his emphasis on innocence, wonder, and how human beings relate to God and the natural world.

Traherne’s writings—especially Centuries of Meditations—invite readers into a vision of life where awe, gratitude, and divine presence permeate everyday existence.

Early Life and Family

• Traherne’s birth and parentage are not thoroughly documented, but he is believed to have been born around 1636 or 1637 in Hereford, England.

• According to some sources, his father was a shoemaker.

• After the death of his father (or during his youth), Traherne and his brother may have been raised by a relative, Philip Traherne, an innkeeper and mayor of Hereford, and by his third wife Mary Lane.

• He may have attended the Hereford Cathedral School in his youth.

These details remain speculative in parts, but they indicate a modest origin and a childhood context shaped partly by loss, guardianship, and local civic ties.

Education & Ecclesiastical Career

• On 2 April 1652, Traherne matriculated at Brasenose College, Oxford.

• He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree on 13 October 1656.

• He was later promoted to Master of Arts on 6 November 1661.

• On 11 December 1669 he was awarded the Bachelor of Divinity (B.D.) degree.

• In 1657, before ordination, he was appointed rector of Credenhill, near Hereford, by the Commissioners for the Approbation of Public Preachers.

• He was ordained as a priest on 20 October 1660 by the Bishop of Oxford, Robert Skinner, at Launton.

• In 1667 Traherne moved to Teddington (Middlesex), serving as private chaplain to Sir Orlando Bridgeman, the Lord Keeper of the Great Seal.

• He remained in Teddington until his death. In his final days, he dictated a brief will to his neighbor John Berdoe and left his modest belongings primarily to his brother and servants.

• Traherne died on 27 September 1674 in Teddington, and was buried on 10 October 1674 under the reading desk in St Mary’s Church, Teddington.

Writings and Themes

Publishing History & Rediscovery

• During his lifetime, only one work was published under his name: Roman Forgeries (1673), a polemical dialogue critiquing Roman Catholic claims.

• After his death, Christian Ethicks (1675) appeared, though anonymously.

• A devotional work, A Serious and Pathetical Contemplation of the Mercies of God, was published in 1699.

• For centuries, his manuscripts languished in obscurity, being preserved by family or private owners.

• In 1896–1897, previously unknown manuscript works attributed to Traherne were discovered in a London bookseller’s lot or barrow. These included the "Dobell Folio" and Centuries of Meditations.

• Over the following years, more manuscripts were located, including in the Lambeth Palace Library.

Because of this late rediscovery, Traherne became known to modern readers only centuries after his death.

Major Works & Style

Centuries of Meditations is his most widely known work today. It comprises groups of short meditations (often organized in “centuries”) on Christian life, contemplation, nature, time, God, and grace.

His poetry, including Poems of Felicity, was published later (1903, 1910) from his manuscripts.

His writing is known for:

• A mystic tone, emphasizing union with God and the divine presence in ordinary things

• Use of childlike wonder, innocence, and delight in creation as spiritual posture

• A theology that sees nature as testimony to God’s glory, not as separate from the divine

• Reflection on time, eternity, memory, and the human soul’s desire for God

• Occasional polemical or theological works, such as Roman Forgeries, engaging controversies of his day (especially anti-Catholic concerns)

Influence, Legacy & Commemoration

• Today, Traherne is commonly recognized as one of the mystical Anglican divines and one of the later metaphysical poets.

• C. S. Lewis praised Centuries of Meditations, calling it “almost the most beautiful book in English.”

• His writings have influenced modern Christian writers, mystics, and poets, including Thomas Merton and others.

• In many parts of the Anglican Communion he is honored liturgically: he is commemorated on 10 October (the date of his burial) or 27 September (the date of his death) in church calendars.

• His work has been set to music by composers (e.g. Gerald Finzi’s Dies Natalis) and used in hymnody and choral settings.

• The Traherne Association works to promote his life and writings.

Because of his late rediscovery, Traherne’s reputation rests on the strength and freshness of what his texts offer to modern readers—often a sense of spiritual renewal, wonder, and reengagement with the sacred in everyday life.

Personality & Spiritual Imagination

Traherne’s character, as gleaned from his writings and fragmentary records, shows a devotional sensitivity:

• He is described as “pious,” “ingenious,” and “cheerful in temperament.”

• He acknowledged within himself a tendency to speak too freely and to be too open and compliant—a self-critique of personal weaknesses.

• He lived simply, owning little beyond his books, giving alms to the poor, and focusing on spiritual rather than worldly gains.

• His contemplative posture preferred silence, awe, gratitude, and a sense of humility before the divine.

• His mystical vision shows how he perceived the finite world as saturated with divine meaning; his writings often read like spiritual meditations more than formal theological treatises.

Selected Quotes

Here are some memorable lines attributed to Thomas Traherne (from Centuries and his meditative writings):

“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.”

“The world is a mirror of infinite beauty, yet no man sees it. It is a Temple of Majesty, yet no man regards it.”

“You are as prone to love, as the sun is to shine.”

“Your enjoyment of the world is never right, till every morning you awake in Heaven: see yourself in your Father's palace…”

“And every stone and every star a tongue, And every gale of wind a curious song.”

These lines reflect Traherne’s deep conviction that all creation speaks, that the world is permeated with divine presence, and that human beings can approach it with reverent joy.

Lessons & Reflections

Thomas Traherne’s life and writings offer several rich lessons:

1. Wonder as spiritual discipline
   Seeing the sacred in the ordinary invites a lifelong posture of humility, gratitude, and attentiveness.

2. Reclaiming innocence
   His appeal to childlike openness suggests that spiritual maturity need not strip away wonder but deepen it.

3. Integration of nature and theology
   For Traherne, creation is not secondary to God—it participates in revelation, and meditating in nature becomes a path to divine encounter.

4. Silence, rest, and interior life
   In a noisy age, Traherne’s meditations remind us of the necessity of quiet, reflection, and soul-space.

5. Hidden voice, lasting impact
   His example shows that one need not be famous in one’s lifetime to influence future generations; truth and beauty may wait centuries to find their audience.

Conclusion

Thomas Traherne remains a luminous but mysterious figure in the history of English religious literature. His devotional poetry and meditations speak to seekers of a spiritual vision alive to both heaven and earth. Rediscovered long after his death, his writings now challenge readers to resee the world—and their own lives—as suffused with divine presence.