From the book
Centuries of Meditations
Thomas Traherne · Diotimos Editions · 2026
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At a Glance
- The wordEmptiness is the absence of contents or of a satisfying relation to them.
- In TraherneThe decisive distinction is between having objects and loving them.
- In this editionThe more extreme sentence after “sensible emptiness” at II.65 is cancelled in this edition.
- A place to beginLife without objects and objects without love are each presented as failures of enjoyment.
Meaning
Emptiness is the absence of contents or of a satisfying relation to them. A room, the universe, or the powers of a soul may appear empty for different reasons.
Use in the book
The decisive distinction is between having objects and loving them. Life without objects is empty, but objects without love are themselves a deception. The lonely child in the field experiences the world’s width as terrifying vacancy because other people and providential care have slipped from attention. Recollection can restore them to understanding without bringing them bodily into sight. Emptiness therefore discloses the inadequacy of mere extent: a capacious soul requires meaningful activity and companionship.
Places to read
In this edition
The more extreme sentence after “sensible emptiness” at II.65 is cancelled in this edition. Use the retained contrast without silently reinstating the deleted comparison with death and nothingness.