the lettres to the immortal beloved
july 6
in the morning-
my angel, my all my self
only a few words today, and indeed with pencil (with yours)
only tomorrow is my lodging positively fixed
what a worthless waste
of time on such - why
this deep grief, where
necessity speaks -
can our love exist but
by sacrifices
by not demanding everything
can you change it, that you
not completely mine. i am not
completely yours - oh god
2
look upon beautiful nature
and calm your soul
over what must be - love
demands everything and completely with good reason.
so it is for me with you, for you
with me - only you forget
so easily, that i must live for myself and
for you, were
we wholly united, you would
feel this painfulness
just as little as i -
my trip was frightful.
i arrived here only at 4
o'clock yesterday morning.
because they lacked horses,
the postal service chose another
route but what a
3
horrible way, at the next to the
last station they warned
me about traveling at night,
made me afraid of a forest,
but this only
provoked me - and i was
mistaken, the coach had
to break down
on the terrible route,
a mere bottomless
country road [crossed out: and the] without 2 such postil-
lions as i had, i would have
been stranded on the way
esterhazy on the
other customary route
here had the same fate
with 8 horses, as i with
four - still i had
some pleasure again.
4
as always, whenever i fortunately
survive something - now quickly
to interior from exterior.
we will probably see each other soon.
even today i cannot
convey to you observances,
which i made during these
few days about my
life - were
our hearts always close
together, i would of course make none of the sort
my heart is full of much
to tell you - oh - there
are still moments when i find
that speech is nothing
at all - cheer up -
remain my faithful only
treasure, my all, as i for you
the rest the gods must
send what must
and should be for us -- your faithful
ludwig -
5
monday evening on july 6 -
you are suffering you my dearest
creature - just now i notice
that letters must be posted
very early in the morning.
mondays - thursdays -
the only days on which
the mail goes from here
to k - you are suffering -oh, wherever
i am, you are with me.
i say to myself and to you, arrange
that i can live with you.
what a life!!!! as it is!!!!
without you - persecuted by
the kindness of people here
and there, which i think - i want
to deserve just as little
as i deserve it - humility
of man to
man - it pains
me - and when i regard myself
6
in the framewoek
of the universe
what am i and what is
he - whom one
calls the greatest -
and yet - herein is
again the divine spark
of man - i
weep when i think
that you will probably
not receive the first
news of me until
saturday - as much as you
love me - i love you
even more deeply but - but
never hide yourself from
7
me - good night - as
one bathing i must go to
sleep [struck out: o go with]
[struck out: go with --]
so near! so far! is
not our love a true
heavenly edifice -
but also firm, like
the firmament -
good morning on july 7 -
while still in bed thoughts
thrust themselves toward you my
eternally beloved
now and then happy
then again sad.
awaiting fate.
if it will grant us a favorable hearing -
i can only live either
wholly with you or not at all.
8
yes i have resolved
to stray about
in the distance, until i
can fly into your arms
and call myself
entirely at home with you.
can send my soul
embraced by you
into the realm of spirits -
yes unfortunately it must be - you
will compose yourself all the more
since you know my faithfulness
to you, never can another
own my heart,
never - never - o god why
have to separate oneself,
what one loves so, and yet my
life in v [ienna] as it is now is a
miserable life - your
love makes me the most happy
and the most unhappy
at once - at my age i would
need some conformity
regularity of life - can
9
this exist in our
relationship? -- angel, right now
i hear that the mail
goes every day -
and i must therefore
close, so that you
will receive the l [etter] immediately -
be calm, only through
quiet contemplation of our
existence can we
reach our goal
to live together -
be patient -love me -
today - yesterday -
what longing with
tears for you -
you - you my
10
love - my
all - fare-
well - o continue
to love me - never
misjudge the most faithful
heart of your
beloved
l
forever yours
forever mine
forever us
