My journey was a fearful one;
I did not reach here until 4 o'clock yesterday morning.
Lacking horses the post-coach chose another route,
but what an awful one;
at the stage before the last I was warned not to travel at night;
I was made fearful of the forest, but that only made me the more eager -
and I was wrong.
The coach must needs break down on the wretched road,
a bottomless mud road.
Without such postilions as I had with me I should have remained stuck
in the road. Esterhazy, traveling the usual road here,
had the same fate with eight horses that I had with four -
Yet I got some pleasure out of it,
as I always do when I successfully overcome difficulties -
Now a quick change to things internal from things external.
We shall surely see each other soon;
moreover, today I cannot share with you the thoughts
I have had during these last few days touching my own life -
If our hearts were always close together,
I would have none of these.
My heart is full of so many things to say to you - ah -
there are moments when I feel that speech amounts to nothing at all -
Cheer up -
remain my true, my only treasure,
my all as I am yours.
The gods must send us the rest,
what for us must and shall be -
Your faithful LUDWIG.
The Second Letter
Evening, Monday, July 6
You are suffering, my dearest creature -
only now have I learned that letters must
be posted very early in the morning on Mondays to Thursdays -
the only days on which the mail-coach goes from here to K. -
You are suffering -
Ah, wherever I am, there you are also -
I will arrange it with you and me that I can live with you.
What a life!!!
thus!!! without you -
pursued by the goodness of mankind hither and thither -
which I as little want to deserve as I deserve it -
Humility of man towards man -
it pains me -
and when I consider myself in relation to the universe,
what am I and what is He -
whom we call the greatest -
and yet - herein lies the divine in man -
I weep when I reflect that you will probably not receive the first report
from me until Saturday -
Much as you love me -
I love you more -
But do not ever conceal yourself from me -
good night -
As I am taking the baths I must go to bed -
Oh God -
so near!
so far!
Is not our love truly a heavenly structure,
and also as firm as the vault of heaven?
The Third Letter
Good morning, on July 7
Though still in bed,
my thoughts go out to you,
my Immortal Beloved,
now and then joyfully, then sadly,
waiting to learn whether or not fate will hear us -
I can live only wholly with you or not at all -
Yes, I am resolved to wander so long away from you
until I can fly to your arms and say that I am really at home with you,
and can send my soul enwrapped in you into the land of spirits -
Yes, unhappily it must be so -
You will be the more contained since you know my fidelity to you.
No one else can ever possess my heart -
never - never -
Oh God, why must one be parted from one whom one so loves.
And yet my life in V is now a wretched life -
Your love makes me at once the happiest
and the unhappiest of men -
At my age I need a steady, quiet life -
can that be so in our connection?
My angel,
I have just been told that the mailcoach goes every day -
therefore I must close at once so that you may receive the letter at once -
Be calm,
only by a calm consideration of our existence
can we achieve our purpose to live together -
Be calm -
love me -
today -
yesterday -
what tearful longings for you -
you - you -
my life -
my all -
farewell.
Oh continue to love me -
never misjudge the most faithful heart of your beloved.
ever thine,
ever mine,
ever yours,
-L-
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