"Going with me to England, think it all over carefully" Read the full letter
| Letter Reference | Edward Carpenter 359/6 |
| Archive | Sheffield Archives, Archives & Local Studies, Sheffield |
| Epistolary Type | Letter |
| Letter Date | 19 May 1887 |
| Address From | Clarens, Switzerland |
| Address To | |
| Who To | Edward Carpenter |
| Other Versions | Rive 1987: 127-8 |
| Permissions | Please read before using or citing this transcription |
| Legend |
The Project is grateful to the Sheffield Archives, Sheffield Libraries, Archives and Information Services, for kindly allowing us to transcribe this Olive Schreiner letter, which is part of its Archive Collections.
|
1
Clarens
2 May 19 / 87
3
4 Dear Edward Carpenter
5
6 Your letter (but not card) was forwarded to me here today. It has made
7me happy. I like to know it is coming right in your life. It is
8sometimes good & even necessary to be separated for a time from those
9we love; if it is a separation only in body not in mind, we come back
10& are nearer to them than ever.
11
12 //I came on here last week from Gersau. I thought I should be better
13here, but I am going on Sunday to Paris. If I am still there I should
14like very much to see you; it would be something to look forward to.
15But when I have been some time in a place I get such horror of it, and
16then I have to go on somewhere else. I’ll send you my address on a
17card when I get there. I’ve never been in Paris & know no one there
18but I think it’ll do my head good to see the houses & the people. I
19have been quite alone since I left England, have hardly spoken to
20anyone. I haven’t done any work. I don’t feel as if I should ever
21do any work any more. Must keep on moving on moving on.
22
23 Yours,
24 O.S.
25
26 ^I send you two little allegories of mine. Send them me back because
27I’ve been too tired to copy them.^
28
29
30
2 May 19 / 87
3
4 Dear Edward Carpenter
5
6 Your letter (but not card) was forwarded to me here today. It has made
7me happy. I like to know it is coming right in your life. It is
8sometimes good & even necessary to be separated for a time from those
9we love; if it is a separation only in body not in mind, we come back
10& are nearer to them than ever.
11
12 //I came on here last week from Gersau. I thought I should be better
13here, but I am going on Sunday to Paris. If I am still there I should
14like very much to see you; it would be something to look forward to.
15But when I have been some time in a place I get such horror of it, and
16then I have to go on somewhere else. I’ll send you my address on a
17card when I get there. I’ve never been in Paris & know no one there
18but I think it’ll do my head good to see the houses & the people. I
19have been quite alone since I left England, have hardly spoken to
20anyone. I haven’t done any work. I don’t feel as if I should ever
21do any work any more. Must keep on moving on moving on.
22
23 Yours,
24 O.S.
25
26 ^I send you two little allegories of mine. Send them me back because
27I’ve been too tired to copy them.^
28
29
30
Notation
The 'two little allegories' sent to Carpenter with this letter cannot be established as Schreiner was writing a number of them at this time. Rive's (1987) version omits part of the letter.
The 'two little allegories' sent to Carpenter with this letter cannot be established as Schreiner was writing a number of them at this time. Rive's (1987) version omits part of the letter.