The Letters to the Immortal beloved

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