Feb. 8.

Please tell Lette we are all expecting her. But I don't
actually know out plans. Br is due sometime in Berlin to
finish with Dr. S., and K. is going to Calabria again
later. But there will be much to talk over anyhow, and
you must save us some time. Yes ... all that intro and extra .
Thank you for the songs ... I will write the people later,
if you want. Don't think I am mad, sending you books, as
a matter of fact, I never DO. Only it seems such a neat
finality or continuity for the moment. It leaves me free
to go on in a terribly staid way, about a half page of
a new prose a day. I have written too much but one has to
go on, on, on as you know, being pretty Dionysius to get
at last, a steady personal stride.

I will try to get done up, a vol. of some collected poems',
it was about four "slender" volumes that a New York
publisher wanted to lump together. Don't think me for it,
it makes me feel "exposed" and old-maidy. But there is that
- it leaves me free to go on with this excruciating
stuff I'm doing.

Forgive this untidy note. I am having some proper ribbons
sent out. I out and fit and trim ribbons from all the
most disharmonious machines ... to match my Corona, while
will CHEW. Your script is exquisite.

Well, more later and thank you.

I hear from Dan but haven't been able to write. He seems
depressed.

I think it better be "black" as the
next rhyme is "back", otherwise there
are two "backs."

they had a great-grandfather from Posen.

Feb. 20.

So sorry about the teeth... dreadful, dreadful.
But thank you for the letter and for the later songs which
we have been trying to whistle, hum and sing. But we don't.
You will have to let me come to you in Geneva or bring a flute
with you here, when and if you get out. Let me know about it.
And if not now, surely you will come later, and anyhow,
I shall probably be in London a bit later. Do a lot of
work, please. It is so very lovely. I do get enough... you
know. But I haven't touched anything since I left America,
about 1912, I think it was, 1911 to be exact. I had a queer
life there, between the Devil and the Deep Sea, an antique
brother of my mothers* was the family pet and pseude-ggnius,
he played nothing but Bach and had a choir and led
and orchestra once... only he thought Beethoven too

2.

modern or something, anyhow he really did ( and does)
believe it. ✓ Consequence ) I was so afraid ever of
being what I wanted, just a common or garden musician, that
I suppressed it, and other things. THEN my father was
a mathematician-astronomer in the university in Philadelphia
and tried to turn me out to mathematical formula. And I got
on a bit ... was too stupid to rebel. Nerves naturally got
involved ... so I always feel a failure one way and another.
Just silly inferiority and nerves ... Dr. Sachs did me a lot
of good. My father had a funny name, but an old New England,
English one ... Doelittle, it IS rather odd. I am getting
to like it in my old age, and glad I never used Aldington's
name, really. I was married just before the war and
he got frightfully uneven and sort of half shell-shocked ...
and so on and so on ... and did the oddest things. So I

3.

went off with Bryher in 1920 to Greece.

Well... forgive all this, but since you are
setting the songs you might as well know something of
the background ... though the work is on the whole,
I think an attempt to escape, still the thing escaped
from is always a glue, a sort of spring-board
into the utterly unknown Deep... and it wasn't WAS
deep, I tell you. )

I got to doing some more songs, suddenly after
reading Eugene O'Neil Mourning becomes Electra. Do
you know it? I suddenly wanted to do a lot about
mother-father complex in some sort of choros form, the
hate-love that makes and destroys us all.

I am posting you one of Kenneth's books, he doesn't so

Feb. 20.

But thank you for the letter and for the later songs which
we have been trying to whistle, hum and sing. But we don't.
You will have to let me come to you in Geneva or bring a flute
with you here, when and if you get out. Let me know about it,
And if not now, surely you will come later, and anyhow,
I shall probably be in London a bit later. Do a lot of
work, please. It is so very lovely. I have got enough... you
know. But I haven't touched anything since I left America,
about 1912, I think it was, 1911 to be exact. I had a queer
life there, between the Devil and the Deep Sea, an antique
brother of my mothers was the family pet and pseudo-ignius,
he played nothing but Back and had a choir and led
and/or orchestra once... only he thought Beethoven too

modern or something, anyhow he really did ( and does )
believe it. / Consequence ) I was so afraid over of
being what I want to, just a common or garden musician, that
I suppressed it, and other things. THEN my father was
a mathematician-astronomer in the university in Philadelphia
and tried to turn me out to mathematical formula. And I got
on a bit ... was too stupid to rebel. Nerves naturally got
involved ... so I always feel a failure one way and another.
Just silly inferiority and nerves ... Dr. Sachs did me a lot
of good. My father had a funny name, but an old New England,
English one ... Doolittle, it IS rather odd. I am getting
to like it in my old age, and glad I never used Aldington's
name, really. I was married just before the war and
he got frightfully uneven and sort of half shell-shocked ...
and so on and so on ... and did the oddest things. So I

Well... forgive all this, but since you are
setting the songs you might as well know something of
the background ... though the work is on the whole,
I think an attempt to escape, still the thing escaped
from is always a glue, a sort of spring-board
into the utterly unknown Deep... and it was
deep, I tell you. )

I got to doing some more songs, suddenly after
reading Eugene O'Neill Mourning becomes Electra. Do
you know it? I suddenly wanted to do a let about
mother-father complex in some sort of choros form, the
hate-love that makes and destroys us all.

Palm
Sunday, March. 20.

Kenwin.

Thank you for your name and your date. I seem to know
all about the " numbers ", but K. will work them out some
day, he is rather illuminating. But what is the most funny, is
that my birthday is Sept. 10 too.

I had a rather intense letter from people in London, who
want me to go through to some art shows in Paris about
May

April 10. I told them I couldn't hurry as I was
seeing a " nice youth at Geneva whom I had met in
Berlin who had set some of my songs to music. " I aslo
added that I would perhaps persuade the youth to come along
to see these pictures, but all that can wait; anyhow, I
will be there to see " you certainly sometime, and then I
will probably be in London for some monthsa this summer and

you must let me see you there, a lot. We will
dig out some of those zabalioni places together.

I am feeling a little limp as I
have over-read and over-written. I did get some pages of
Greek things, prose, but sent off copies to Pagany. I will
have Paganry here for you, if I can not find copies to send, as
Br has just packed a lot for binding. We have plenty
of books, magazines etc. here. You will come, if you
can, I hope, your first week-end. I leave word you
must have my room. Or your next week-end if you are
too rushed. I am giving your note on films to Br., she will
love writing you about them, in her matter of fact way, and she
is so helpful too, and loves to be.

2.

3. I sent back the MSS just before I heard, as I was packing papers etc., getting ready to leave, or at least to leave things in a neat array here. Please do not send or bring back that Hippolytus, for if I want it, it would be in London and I could ask you there for it. I will be reading the MSS you sent and thank you so much; if I post it back, it will simply be that I am afraid something may or might happen to it, if I leave it here, loose. Br also read and so liked your things, and I wanted to keep for K., but he went off to the Sahara he says, it sounds rather distant, but I presume he will be back about April 1st. That 30th birthday of his is on Easter Day this year; he will be happier when it is passed. 30 is the queen-est year anyhow. ( I told you I

think, boastfully, that I am 45.

4.

That is so funny, Sept. 10, 1986.

The 10 is a sun-number too, you know, its so odd, you
the same as mine,
have the same SUN, ( Majician ) /Mercury doubled, and
Venus. I thought you were almost too sympathetic, do
you know, in a not-puzzling way.

(I keep that La Tour, Vevey address, as sometimes
it is simpler in forwarding. I am of course, at Kenwin.)

By the way, Miss Mary Chadwiek is due out for some of
the Easter holidays, if you meet her, remember I was
NOT in Berlin with Dan. This sounds much more
affairé than it is or could be and I could
explain in a minute. -It is only that she is

You may not see Miss Chadwick here at all, but 6.
this is just in case -

This is such a stupid letter, chiefly to say thank you
for MSS and explain the other and to say again, please
save the week-end as soon as you can for Kenwin. I will
write you again and Br. will write. The
sun is pouring in here ... I think you will like sleeping
in this room; if you leave the door partly open to the
balcony you will hear the stream that all-but talks to me.
I wish you could find actual words for it.

with love from H.D. and Kenwin,

I send this to Bristol, being a bit
vague on your town address.

VILLA KENWIN

BURIER s/LA TOUR
VEVEY

Téléphone : Vevey 52.927

Sept. 14.

Dear Eric,

various

Thank you so much for your letter and your swans and so on.

I was here quite alone for 5 weeks, after a very exciting and
happy time with the crowd; now Bryher is back and it is
wonderful talking over all her experiences in Cornwall and
having someone here with a firm head to talk politics. I shall,
however, be glad to get back to town, probably in about 4 weeks,
and I shall ask you to come out with me, if you will one
evening, to dine - my birthday treat to us both- some
funny place that you may know, for a change. One is apt to
go round in town to one or two places, and I would like to
escape into the atmosphere of some else and someone else's
"findings. I will let you know well in time. When are

you actually in town ? Week-ends or not ' You did make
some statement, but your letter is muddled in with a great
stack of papers.

I want every much too, to hear you play, and after I get
the piano tuned, I will ask you please to play " my"
pieces. I have, like many others, had a slight recrudescence
of ballet, am so keen on some of the stuff in L. and L. , and
your musical critic linked on so well to my own
contribution and to Herring's notes on ballet. Do you
lik Adrian Stokes ballet books ? Maybe you know him ?

Well, we live here from day to
day. I am sorry you can not rush in from Geneva- but we
will all soon be back in London.

Again thanks and best wishes for your very
happy new year- and good luck with the music.

VILLA KENWIN
BURIER S/LA TOUR
VEVEY

Téléphone: Vevey 52.927

March II.

Dear Eric,

Thank you for your letter. Yes, it is good to hear you speak so nicely about it, it is rather how I felt writing it; after many false attempts, I was about to chuck out the MSS altogether. But couldn't you know how it is. So alone here, summer before last, I simply put my nose to the grindstone, and work it was. But somehow, the most satisfactory piece of completed MSS, I feel, I have ever done. And it is really good to have you all so kind-by "All" I refer too, to Lotte who wrote Br most nicely, and I have been meaning to write her direct. We have all head from all sides, what fun and what

a delight the film performance was.

I read, too, your story, with great enjoyment, only the other
day, waiting in the car, while Br and Miss Volkard went
off for a run through some forests with our new dog. We take
turns leading him about, he is rather strong and tugs so at
his lead.

Snow almost down to lake. It is a lovely place here,
and this year the air has been particularly intoxicating. I was
too long in London, nine months on end, last year, this, only
five. But it is good to get out again.

I will want to see you sometime and hear of your trip to
Greece. I saw little of people last year but when I come back,
Lotte must have you in to her place or we could eat " out
somewhere.

Anyhow, thank you again,

Villa Verena
Seestrasse 174
Küsnacht bei Zürich

Dec. 7 1960

Dear Eric,

I have your extraordinary letter here in my writing-case, on my lap, but if I read it again, I am afraid that I will delay writing still longer. I sent the extra copy to Norman Pearson. What a curious connection this is. I have a list of my mother's Moravians -- beginning with, I think, a Peter Wolle from Posen which was then, I am glad to think, Poland. Anyhow, he or another went as missionary to W. Indies, then on to Bethlehem. There was a Sedidia Weiss, with a remarkable bass voice, Henrys and a Phila-connection. I could later look all this up -- odd your Bristol contribution. Yes -- there was much 18c. musical activity. My mother's brother, J. Fred. Wolfe, carried it on, founded a one-time famous Bach choir -- it outgrew the Church, or the Church outgrew it and he moved across the river to Lehigh University. Well, I could write much, much -- but this is only to explain my long silence.

Will you accept Villa painting as Christmas greeting to you all? I lived in the Museum when I was there. I am so glad you had that glimpse of it all.

Your letter is fascinating and when I get this off, I will re-read it again.

Bliss you all three.

H.D.