Letter 025 London, 18 April 1875
Dear Theo,
Enclosed is a little drawing. I made it last Sunday, the morning when my landlady鈥檚 little daughter died; she was thirteen years old. It is a view of Streatham Common, a large grassy plain with oak trees and gorse.
It had been raining overnight; the ground was soaked and the young spring grass was fresh and green.
As you see, it is sketched on the title page of Poems by Edmond Roche. There are some very fine ones among them, grave and sad; one begins and ends thus:
J鈥檃i gravi triste et seul la dune triste et nue,
O霉 la mer fait g茅mir sa plainte continue,
La dune o霉 vient mourir la vague aux larges plis,
Monotone sentier aux tortueux replis.
[I have, sad and alone, climbed the sad and barren dune Where the sea moans its constant lament The dune where the waves die in large folds Monotonous path of torturous folds.]
And another, 鈥淐alais鈥?
Que j鈥檃ime 脿 te revoir, o ma ville natale,
Ch猫re nymphe marine assise aux bords des eaux,
J鈥檃ime de ton beffroi la fl猫che qui s鈥櫭﹍ance,
Belle de hardiesse et belle d鈥櫭﹍茅gance,
Et sa coupole 脿 jour, qui laisse voir les cieux.
[How I love to see you again, my native town
Dear sea nymph sitting on the seashore I love the shaft darting from your belfry Beautiful in its valour and beautiful in its elegance Its lacework cupola, through which one sees the sky.]
You will probably be curious to know the one that describes the etching by Corot, and therefore I am copying it too:
L鈥櫭﹖ang 脿 Corot Nous regardions l鈥櫭﹖ang d鈥檜ne eau morne et plomb茅e Lentement sous la brise assembler pli sur pli鈥?p style="line-height:25px;text-indent:32px"> 鈥i vous le voulez bien; n鈥櫭猼es vous pas le ma卯tre Qui l鈥檃vez recr茅茅 apr猫s le cr茅ateur?
[We looked at the pond with its sombre, leaden water As it assembled in the breeze fold after fold鈥?p style="line-height:25px;text-indent:32px"> 鈥f you desire it, are you not the master Who created it after the Creator?]
Ville d鈥橝vray Kindest regards and good luck to you. 脌 Dieu.
Vincent