Letters to the
IMMORTAL BELOVED
First Letter
July 6, in the
morning
My angel, my all, my very self - Only a few words today and at
that with pencil (with yours) - Not till tomorrow will my
lodgings be definitely determined upon - what a useless waste of
time - Why this deep sorrow when necessity speaks - can our love
endure except through sacrifices, through not demanding
everything from one another; can you change the fact that you are
not wholly mine, I not wholly thine - Oh God, look out into the
beauties of nature and comfort your heart with that which must be
- Love demands everything and that very justly - thus it is to me
with you, and to your with me. But you forget so easily that I
must live for me and for you; if we were wholly united you would
feel the pain of it as little as I - 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 a 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.
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?
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 ours
