Letter
3 Pages
Transcription: Turid Hagelsteen
Translation: Francesca Nichols
Transcription
Kjære Høst!
Tak for brevet – Jeg haaber,
at jeg ikke fornærmede Dem eller
Deres frùe i mit sidste brev straks
för jul. Isaafald maa jeg bede
Eder ikke tilregne mig det.
Jeg var bleven meget bedre straks
för jùl og i juledagene; – men
bedringen var desværre kortvarig,
– Jeg er for öieblikket elendig, – og
jeg kan derfor intet sige om, hvad
tid jeg kan komme til Bergen.
Jeg vil nù forsöge en kraftig
elektrisk kùr – jeg har skrevet
efter elektriske aparater for 50 kr.
Lægerne har jeg ingen tro paa længer.
Det glædede mig meget at
höre, hvad De fortalte om Mùnch,
– jeg synes bare det vilde være
synd, om han virkelig skùlde
{…} finde paa at anvende sine
sùrt erhvervede penge til et legat.
Gid han maatte leve længe enda.
Fra Werenskiold fik jeg nettop nù
brev – han vil jeg skal söge alle
stipendier, om der end er mange af
de ùnge, som nù er kommen "foran
mig" – jeg kan altsaa ikke gjöre mig
noget naab, skjönner jeg, og spare
mig den nervösitet og ùbehagelighed
som fölger med at tigge om et
stipendiùm. Jeg kan heller
ikke paa ret maade benytte mig
af et stipendiùm – naar jeg ikke
er frisk, – jeg taaler intet arbeide,
og ùden at arbeide har man
ikke lov at have et stipendiùm.
Ikke et öieblik ùden legem-
lige smerter og de aandelige lide-
ser er heller aldrig langt borte.
Naar jeg kommer til Bergen, skal
jeg naturligvis tage med mig de
skisser, som jeg har lovet at vise
Meyer – han troede nemlig ved
at faa se disse, at han kùnde
finde motiver for vordende billeder,
som han da vilde bestille hos mig.
Hils Deres frùe og vær hjærteligst
hilset fra Eders hengivne
Min kone beder mig hilse og
takke for Eders venlige hilsen.
Haaber snart at faa sendt billeder
til valg for Halvorsen. D.S.
Translation
Dear Høst!
Thank you for Your letter – I hope,
that I did not offend You or
Your wife in my last letter just
before Christmas. In that case may I ask
You not to hold me accountable for it.
I had become much better just
before Christmas and during the Christmas holidays; – but
the improvement in health was unfortunately short-lived,
– I am in terrible shape at the moment, – and
I can therefore not say, when
I can come to Bergen.
I will now try out a strong
electric cure – I have ordered
electric apparatuses for 50 kr.
I have no belief in doctors any longer.
It pleased me greatly to
Hear, what You said about Mùnch,
– I just think it would be
a shame, if he should actually
{…} consider spending his
bitterly acquired money for an endowment.
May he live for a long time still.
From Werenskiold I just now received
a letter – he wants me to apply for all of
the grants, even though there are many
young [artists], who have now come "ahead
of me" – I can therefore not allow myself
any hope, I understand, and [will] spare
myself the anxiety and unpleasantness
that accompanies begging for a
grant. Nor can I
in a normal way take advantage
of a grant – when I am not
well, – I cannot endure any type of work,
and without working one is
not allowed to have a grant.
Not one second without phy-
sical pain and the spiritual suffer-
ing is never far off either.
When I come to Bergen, I
shall of course bring along the
sketches, which I have promised to show
Meyer – he believed that
by seeing these, he would be able
to find motifs for forthcoming pictures,
which he would then commission from me.
Say hello to Your wife and accept heartfelt
greetings from Your devoted
My wife asks me to send greetings and
to thank You for Your kind greeting.
Hope to be able to send pictures soon
for Halvorsen to select from. D.S.