by Thomas Traherne (1637? - 1674)
Wonder
Language: English
How like an angel I came down! How bright are all things a here! When first among his works I did appear O how their glory did me crown! The world resembled his eternity In which my soul did walk; And everything that I did see Did with me talk. The skies in their magnificence The lovely, lively air, O how divine, how soft, how sweet, how fair! The stars did entertain my sense; And all the works of God so bright and pure, So rich and great, did seem, As if they ever must endue In my esteem. A native health and innocence Witihin my bones did grow, And while my God did all his glories show, I felt a vigour in my sense That was all spirit: within I did flow With seas of life, like wine: I nothing but the world did know But t'was Divine.
Authorship:
- by Thomas Traherne (1637? - 1674) [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Gerald Finzi (1901 - 1956), "Wonder", op. 8 no. 4 [tenor solo and string orchestra], from Dies Natalis, no. 4. [text verified 1 time]
Researcher for this page: Anne Ozorio
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 24
Word count: 149