From the book
Centuries of Meditations
Thomas Traherne · Diotimos Editions · 2026
Browse this book’s lexicon →Orientation
At a Glance
- The wordCarcase is the older spelling of carcass, a dead body.
- In TraherneThe disturbing physical picture becomes a lesson in contemplative movement.
- In this editionThe 2026 note identifies Matthew 24:28 and an older Christian interpretation.
- A place to beginThe scriptural saying follows the summons to make journeys of the soul toward the Cross.
Meaning
Carcase is the older spelling of carcass, a dead body. Traherne’s eagles gathering around it belong to a scriptural image that he applies to Christ’s death and the saints’ attraction to Him.
Use in the book
The disturbing physical picture becomes a lesson in contemplative movement. The reader travels toward the crucified body by thought, affection, and meditation rather than by walking. The following passage places the eagles among other examples of spontaneous attraction, showing how love draws without a visible chain. This does not make the Passion a mere spectacle: gathering means bringing the powers of the soul into sustained relation to Christ. The bleakness of the noun remains important because divine attraction is discovered precisely in the despised and wounded body.
Places to read
In this edition
The 2026 note identifies Matthew 24:28 and an older Christian interpretation. Keep Traherne’s “eagles”; silently substituting another bird obscures his received wording.
Source note
Primary text: I.56–572; interpretive history: 2026 edition note to I.56.