From the book
Centuries of Meditations
Thomas Traherne · Diotimos Editions · 2026
Browse this book’s lexicon →Orientation
At a Glance
- The wordAn epithalamium is a wedding song.
- In TraherneTraherne first quotes the bride’s summons, splendour, procession, and promised children, then explains what these images offer the Christian reader.
- In this editionThe supplied note identifies Psalm 45:10–16, with verse 12 omitted.
- A place to beginPsalm 45 is read as Christ’s wedding song, with the world as palace and the saints as family.
Meaning
An epithalamium is a wedding song. Here the genre identifies a psalm’s royal marriage imagery and guides its interpretation as the union of Christ and the Church.
Use in the book
Traherne first quotes the bride’s summons, splendour, procession, and promised children, then explains what these images offer the Christian reader. Forsaking the father’s house means leaving worldly customs and vanities for the Saviour’s service. The palace becomes the whole world, enjoyed through the marriage. David possesses the bride, bridegroom, and palace by rejoicing in them. The image also multiplies relationships: children become princes or brides, while each soul joined to Christ regards the saints as its own children. The wedding song thus expands into an account of common joy and spiritual kinship.
Places to read
- III.77Psalm 45 is read as Christ’s wedding song, with the world as palace and the saints as family.
In this edition
The supplied note identifies Psalm 45:10–16, with verse 12 omitted. Epithalamium names the kind of song, not a separate named author.
Source note
Primary text: III.77. Supplied 2026 editorial note 233 provides the genre gloss and the identification and extent of the Psalm 45 quotation.