The Choice
When first Eternity stoop'd down to noughtAnd in the Earth its likeness sought,When first it out of nothing fram'd the skies,And form'd the moon and sunThat we might see what it had done,It was so wise,That it did prizeThings 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 antedateAs soon as shewn;And be our own,While we were hers; and that a virgin loveHer best inheritance might prove.
Thoughts undefiled, simple, naked, pure;Thoughts worthy ever to endure,Our first and disengaged thoughts it loves,And therefore made the truth,In infancy and tender youthSo obvious toOur easy viewThat it doth prepossess our Soul, and provesThe 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 QueenOf bliss, betweenWhom and the Soul, no one pretender oughtTrust in to captivate a thought.
Hence did Eternity contrive to makeThe truth so fair for all our sakeThat being truth, and fair and easy too,While it on all doth shine,We might by it become divine,Being led to wooThe thing we view,And as chaste virgins early with it join,That with it we might likewise shine.
Eternity doth give the richest thingsTo every man, and makes all Kings.The best and richest things it doth conveyTo 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 EarthAbounds with joy, peace, glory, mirth,And being wiseThe very skies,And stars do mine become; being all possestEven in that way that is the best.
Words in this poem
- antedate n.
- Prior date; a date antecedent to another which is the actual date.
- disengaged a.
- Not engaged; free from engagement; at leisure; free from occupation or care; vacant.
- obvious a.
- Opposing; fronting. [L. obvius; ob (see Ob-) + via way. See Voyage.]
- prepossess v. t.
- To preoccupy, as ground or land; to take previous possession of.
- ought p. p.
- Was or were under obligation to pay; owed. [Orig. the preterit of the verb to owe. OE. oughte, aughte, ahte, AS. ahte. sq. root110. See Owe.]
- captivate v. t.
- To take prisoner; to capture; to subdue. [L. captivatus, p. p. of captivare to capture, fr. captivus captive. See Captive.]
- chiefest a.
- First or foremost; chief; principal. [Superl. of Chief.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
The Choice is in the public domain. This text is taken from The Poetical Works of Thomas Traherne, 1636?-1674, from the original manuscripts, Project Gutenberg ebook #61586; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: Thomas Traherne, The Choice, in Poetical Works (1903), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #61586, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/traherne-poems/the-choice.html, id L13311.
Form and metre
The Choice is 63 lines in 7 stanzas of 9 lines each. It is in rhyming couplets, 51% of the lines. 94% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 7.7 syllables. 3 lines end on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending. 32% of the lines run on without a stop at the line end.
See other poems in rhyming couplets.
Measured by Laurel's pipeline, not copied from a handbook: how stress and metre are counted, how rhyme is lettered, how a drifted rhyme is found. Where the dictionary cannot confirm a rhyme the letter is withheld, not guessed.
Rhyme words, stanza by stanza
The word that ends each line, lettered by the rhyme it makes; a dash is a line whose rhyme the dictionary could not confirm.
- 1 AABCCBBDD noughtA · soughtA · skiesB · sunC · doneC · wiseB · prizeB · bestD · restD
- 2 AABCC-BDD truthA · youthA · knownB · fateC · antedateC · shewn · ownB · loveD · proveD
- 3 AA-BBCCDD pureA · endureA · loves · truthB · youthB · toC · viewC · provesD · movesD
- 4 AABCCBBDD allureA · pureA · seenB · wholeC · soulC · queenB · betweenB · oughtD · thoughtD
- 5 AABCCBB-C makeA · sakeA · tooB · shineC · divineC · wooB · viewB · join · shineC
- 6 AAB---BCC thingsA · kingsA · conveyB · one · throne · enjoy · wayB · brideC · prideC
- 7 ABCDDCCBA blestA · possestB · eyesC · earthD · mirthD · wiseC · skiesC · possestB · bestA
Scansion, line by line
Each line with its syllable count and the stresses the words themselves fix: / stressed, ˘ unstressed, · a syllable the word leaves free and the metre decides. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| When first Eternity stoop'd down to nought | 10 | ··˘/˘˘···· |
| And in the Earth its likeness sought, | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| When first it out of nothing fram'd the skies, | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| And form'd the moon and sun | 6 | ······ |
| That we might see what it had done, | 8 | ········ |
| It was so wise, | 4 | ···· |
| That it did prize | 4 | ···· |
| Things truly greatest, brightest, fairest, best, | 10 | ·/˘/˘/˘/˘· |
| All which it made, and left the rest. | 8 | ········ |
| Then did it take such care about the Truth, | 10 | ·········· |
| Its daughter, that even in her youth, | 9 | ·/˘·/˘··· |
| Her face might shine upon us, and be known, | 10 | ·········· |
| That by a better fate, | 6 | ···/˘· |
| It other toys might antedate | 8 | ·/˘··/˘˘ |
| As soon as shewn; | 4 | ···· |
| And be our own, | 5 | ··/˘· |
| While we were hers; and that a virgin love | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| Her best inheritance might prove. | 8 | ··˘/˘˘·· |
| Thoughts undefiled, simple, naked, pure; | 10 | ····˘/˘/˘· |
| Thoughts worthy ever to endure, | 8 | ·/˘/˘·˘/ |
| Our first and disengaged thoughts it loves, | 10 | /˘··˘˘/··· |
| And therefore made the truth, | 6 | ······ |
| In infancy and tender youth | 8 | ·/˘˘·/˘· |
| So obvious to | 5 | ·/˘˘· |
| Our easy view | 5 | /˘/˘· |
| That it doth prepossess our Soul, and proves | 10 | ······/··· |
| The cause of what it all ways moves. | 8 | ········ |
| By merit and desire it doth allure; | 10 | ·/˘·˘/··˘/ |
| For truth is so divine and pure, | 8 | ····˘/·· |
| So rich and acceptable, being seen, | 10 | ···˘/˘˘/˘· |
| (Not parted, but in whole) | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| That it doth draw and force the soul, | 8 | ········ |
| As the great Queen | 4 | ···· |
| Of bliss, between | 4 | ···· |
| Whom and the Soul, no one pretender ought | 10 | ······˘/˘· |
| Trust in to captivate a thought. | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| Hence did Eternity contrive to make | 10 | ··˘/˘˘˘/·· |
| The truth so fair for all our sake | 9 | ······/˘· |
| That being truth, and fair and easy too, | 10 | ·/˘····/˘· |
| While it on all doth shine, | 6 | ······ |
| We might by it become divine, | 8 | ····˘/˘/ |
| Being led to woo | 5 | /˘··· |
| The thing we view, | 4 | ···· |
| And as chaste virgins early with it join, | 10 | ···/˘/˘··· |
| That with it we might likewise shine. | 8 | ·····/·· |
| Eternity doth give the richest things | 10 | ˘/˘˘···/˘· |
| To every man, and makes all Kings. | 9 | ·/˘˘····· |
| The best and richest things it doth convey | 10 | ···/˘···˘/ |
| To all, and every one, | 7 | ···/˘˘· |
| It raised me unto a throne! | 7 | ······· |
| Which I enjoy, | 4 | ··˘/ |
| In such a way, | 4 | ···· |
| That truth her daughter is my chiefest bride, | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| Her daughter truth's my chiefest pride. | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| All mine! And seen so easily! How great, how blest! | 11 | ·····/˘···· |
| How soon am I of all possest! | 8 | ······/˘ |
| My infancy no sooner opes its eyes, | 10 | ·/˘˘·/˘··· |
| But straight the spacious Earth | 6 | ···/˘· |
| Abounds with joy, peace, glory, mirth, | 8 | ˘/···/˘· |
| And being wise | 4 | ·/˘· |
| The very skies, | 4 | ·/˘· |
| And stars do mine become; being all possest | 11 | ····˘//˘·/˘ |
| Even in that way that is the best. | 9 | /˘······· |
The reader shows the same poem with its rhymes coloured and a stress row above each line, the notes beside their stanzas, and any word's definition on a tap; the analysis page takes the whole book apart. How every part of this site was made.