The sun., 1890-01-26

| now dear held you ought Ito have been patsned
with u and never have seen thee Forgive me-
zee now how my presence plaques you; how pleasing II
n q me that you TO In the same city endure
| IL Yesterday brought you nowers and peaches bat
could not give them to you as you wore, and gave
them to your sister You seom to at times like the
Madonna ascending to heaven. In vain the bereaved
one stretches out his herr in vein his piercing
tsarful sight wishes his own down again shs has van
hhsd in the Rlory which surrounds her full Of desire
for the crown which floats over her head. Yet adeu
| my love
Frau Won Stein touched by this despniring
| appeal and apparently conscious OF the i'm
preston which her ardent young lover had
made upon her heart wrote on the back Of the
paper the following lines:
whsthsr what feel be wrong
And II ! must expiAte my sin sodeaF,
Ny conscience will notsay TO me-
AnnrI IL thou o heavenl II any one accuses me.
After this the intercourse between the pair
seems to have settled down into quiet, conf
dential friendship, which lasted many months.
Goethe's letters contain frequent inquiries
after his beloveds health. written mostly on
rising in the morning and going to bed at
night with information concerning his own
condition and feelings. besides references to
his literary work.
In the winter OF 1777-S Goethe made an ex-
pedition into the Harz Mountains. during
which he wrote almost daily to Frau Won Stein.
In September, 1779, he went to Switzerland,
and on the way stopped at Sesenheim. where
he saw again his old love Frederika Brion. the
pastors daughter He writes full account OF
the interview to Frau Won Stein. and assures
her. as he did Frederika. that no trace OF his
former passion remained In his heart. The
rest OF 1779 he devoted to tour in switzer-
In i,t, m fnll mn Iva NJ 70
Stein in letters which he afterward worked
over and published under the title Letters
from Switzerland" On returning TO Weimar
he resumed the even tenor OF his life. but 1t
was again disturbed by outbreaks OF wild
longing. Thus on June "a. 1880. he writes:
From the unutterable desire to you again Just
begin to feel how love you Things hang wonderfully
together This longing for you hits exaotlv the
where the old pain caused BY not seeing you in
KochborE first year. had healed itself; brings the
very forth and reminds me, like an old mel
ody OF that time.
Some time In September. 17S0. he gave vent
to his feelings In the beautiful song COM
mencing "Ueber allie Gipfel andest du Ruh."
which Frau Won Stein copied on the back OF one
Of the letters. In October we find him breaking
out once moro into q passionate complaint, al
most untran slatable into English, 80 confused
and involved is its language:
What you last said to early to-day has panied
deeply, and II the Duke had not gone with me up the
mountain ahould have wept bitterly. One trouble fol-
lows another Yes is fury against ones hesh
when an unhappy to get air for himself strives
through 1t to sander his dearea. and II 1t only
pAroxysm OF temper and could be conscious OF It!
But am by my thousand thoughts 80 reduced again
TO child unacquanted with the moment doubtful OF
myself, that consume the belongings OF others as
with q blazing 1ro
Ishall mover give myself peace until you yield
verbal past and for the future endevoT
persuade yourself into sisery sate that nothing
Of the kind again happen. Otherwise must avoid
you in the very moments when have most need Of
you 1t horrible to me to spoil tho best hours Of
life the moments of companonShip with YOU for |
whom would willingly pull every hair from my head.
II could change It into pleasure. and yet to be 90
blind. dumb Have pity on mo! That all came to |
the of soul In which it seemed alled with
pandemonium of invisible spirtu and to spectator.
fearful asit presented only innite empty vault
A day or two afterward he writes: 1t is Won
derful. and yet it is SO. that l am jealous and |
stupid like boy. when you meet others In q
friendly manner" which may possibly indi-
cate that his trouble was caused by her favor |
able treatment OF some other admirer.
The following months exhibit q peaceful REQ |
ord. March 20. 1881, he writes:
Thy love is like tho morning and the evening starit
sets and rises before Il Rather 1t Is like
the pole star which never eeA ana which WeaVeB over
our heads living garland. pray that the gods may
never dim it for me over tho path OF my life.
Again. April %:
Last night had great mind to throw my ring into
the water, like PoycrateA for counted up my happt
ness in the stiffness and found monstrous amount
How sweet and soothing her influence upon
him was during this period appears from the
paragraph Of q long letter written
by him from Neunheili&en. March IL:
Adieu. sweet support of my inmost heart SEQ and
hear nothing good that do not at the moment
share with thee And all observations of the world
of myself direct themselves like Mark Antony,
to my own but my second self By this dialogue, in
which, In respect OF everything think that you would
say TO it all becomes brighter aud worthier to me-
The next day he continues the strain:
Ny soul has grown fast to thine. can mako no
word Thou knowest that am inSepArAble from thee
and that neither height depth Sunder from
thee. would that there were some sacrament
that would make mo thine viSbIy aud lawfully. What
would 1t be worth to mo And my novtate has been
long enough to mako 1t worth thinking Of can
onRer write "you." could not for 4 long time say
Thou"
On my knees beg thee to end thy work and mako
quite good. Thou canst but only II thou me;
thy power is infinitely increased when thou know.
sst that love thee. Farewell
On the 27th OF March. 1881. he writes
The opennsS and peace OF my heart which thou hast
Again given be for thee alone. and all good TO
'thers and to myself which springs from It bo also
hine. Believe feel quite changed: my old benen-
comes back and with 1t the Joy OF my lite Thou
lAst given mo delight in good which had quite lost
Again he says. May 80: My heart hath hid
,othing from thine. and when I conceal faults
rom thee it Is In order not to distress thy
ove." Again. Oct. 20: THY love Is the beau
eous light OF all my days, thy applause my best
enown. and II prize good name abroad 1t
8 for thy sake, that may not shame thee"
At times this feeling sweled to a state OF ex-
Iltation resembling ecstasy. as the following
attracts will show:
Feb li.-sAy word TO me- Lotte Tits with me in
by love- IL dwe!t longer In and hints but as
had received tho gift Of wetfounded house In
Vhich TO live and die and keep all possessions Be-
ore ten will thee moment IoAnnot say farewell
or never leave thee,
A.r On n baat |