From the book
Centuries of Meditations
Thomas Traherne · Diotimos Editions · 2026
Browse this book’s lexicon →Orientation
At a Glance
- The wordCorn in this English usage means cereal grain, not specifically maize.
- In TraherneThe remembered corn appears orient, immortal, neither sown nor destined to be reaped.
- In this edition“Orient” here suggests glowing preciousness; the word does not turn the field into an eastern geographical setting.
- A place to beginThe sun’s many services include raising corn for human nourishment.
Meaning
Corn in this English usage means cereal grain, not specifically maize. Traherne's most celebrated childhood occurrence immediately identifies it as wheat.
Use in the book
The remembered corn appears orient, immortal, neither sown nor destined to be reaped. This is the child's apprehension of enduring glory, not agricultural information endorsed as literal botany. Other passages recognize the sun's work in raising corn for food and the fields' service to human life. The contrast matters: mature gratitude can preserve the early sense of wonder while knowing production, use, and change. In the reflection on universal praise, fields covered with corn are beautiful, yet the prospect of nations returning thanks is sweeter. Corn is a real good whose fullest significance includes the living persons it sustains and the gratitude they offer.
Places to read
In this edition
“Orient” here suggests glowing preciousness; the word does not turn the field into an eastern geographical setting. “Corn” should not be illustrated or paraphrased automatically as maize.
Source note
Primary text: II.8, III.3, III.87. The three places distinguish provisioning, remembered appearance, and the return of praise.