| Author(s) | Karl Marx |
|---|---|
| Written | 13 April 1861 |
MARX TO ANTOINETTE PHILIPS
IN ZALT-BOMMEL
Elberfeld, 13 April 1861
To Miss Nanette
My sweet little Cousin,
I hope you have received the letter I sent you from Berlin[1] although you were cruel enough to leave your admirer without one single word of acknowledgement. Now, my cruel little witch, how will you be able to defend such a line of conduct? Were you not aware that a world of Philisteans hemmed me in, and that half an army of antiquated beauties and detestable blue stockings, did their best to transform me into an ass? Old Circe, as you are aware, metamorphosed the companions of Ulysses into pigs. These modern Circes have so far civilised themselves as to take to the asinine line. And was it not your duty, under such circumstances, to come to my rescue? Beware that I take my revenge, and conspire with Waradje against the tranquillity of your heart.
'Art's Vaterland, das theure schliess' dich an'[2] is a very fine sentence, but, quite confidentially, I may tell you that Germany is a beautiful country to live out of it. For my own part, if I were quite free, and if, besides, I were not bothered by some thing you may call 'political conscience', I should never leave England for Germany, and still less for Prussia, and least of all for that affreux[3] Berlin with its 'Sand'[4] and its 'Bildung'[5] and 'seinen überwitzigen Leuten'.[6]
At Berlin everybody who has some spirit to lose, is of course extremely anxious for fellow sufferers. If the ennui, that reigns supreme at that place, be distributed among a greater lot of persons, the single individual may flatter itself to catch a lesser portion of it. For this reason the countess Hatzfeldt, Lassalle's Egeria, tried everything to prolong my sojourn in the metropolis of tschakos[7] without heads. Yesterday she made her last effort, and we had the following scurrilous conversation:
She. 'This, then, is the thank for the friendship we have shown you, that you leave Berlin so soon as your business will permit?'
I. 'Quite the contrary. I have prolonged my stay at this place beyond the due term, because your amiability chained me to this Sahara.'
She. 'Then I shall become still more amiable.'
I. 'Then there remains no refuge for me but running away. Otherwise I should never be able to return to London whither my duty calls me.'
She. 'This is a very fine compliment to tell a lady, her amiability is such as to drive you away!'
I. 'You are not Berlin. If you want to prove me the sincerity of your amiability, do run away with myself.'
She. 'But I fear you will abandon me at the first station.'
I. 'I am quite sure of not "leaving the girl behind me"[8] at the next station. You know that when Theseus, having eloped with the Greek beauty[9] abandoned her at some station or other, there at once the god Bacchus descended from the Olymp and carried the forlorne one in his arms to the abode of eternal pleasures. Now, I do not doubt but a god is already waiting for you at the first railway station behind Berlin, and I would be the most cruel of mortals to frustrate you of such a rendezvous.'
But enough of these fooleries. In true real earnest, I feel most happy in the idea of soon seeing again yourself and the whole Bommel family circle. Recommend myself to your 'rival',[10] and tell her that the deepest sentiments are the most difficult of being expressed in words. In that way she ought to interpret my silence, the respectful silence I have till now observed.
And now, my little charmer, farewell and do not altogether forget
Your knight-errant
Charles Marx