Letter
4 Pages
Transcription: Turid Hagelsteen
Translation: Francesca Nichols
Transcription
Tak for Eders breve. Det gjör
mig ondt at I skal hjemsöges af syg-
dom – jeg veed hvorledes det er. Jeg blev
ogsaa værre igjen, straks efter jeg sidst
skrev – jeg var bleven saa svært bra – men
jeg skjönner nù, at det gaar sent – og saa
kan jeg aldrig være forsigtig, men forkjöler
mig straks jeg er i bedring.
I behöver aldeles ikke at höre efter
hos Johannessen angaaende det omtal-
te billede – det er sikkert kommen
til sin eiermand – det er blot Skagen,
som har glemt at opföre det paa listen
over tilbagebragte billeder – eieren selv
har intet sagt, – saa han har antagelig
faaet det tilbage. Fra Lùnd har jeg intet
hört – heller ikke fra Knùdsen, som
det nù snart er forsent at fordre noget
hos, tænker jeg. Jeg er tænkt at gjöre
ham et forslag: Han laaner mig
billederne og jeg maler to kopier af
dem – disse copier, skal han saa faa
for 100 kr. tilsammen eller kanske
billigere (50 kr.) – saa faar jeg beholde
originalerne, – ja han kan gjerne faa
kopierne gratis bare jeg faar igjen origina-
lerne. Derved blir det ingen skam for
ham at levere billederne tilbage; thi
ingen, som ikke har stùderet billederne
grùndig vil kùnne se, at det er to nye
billeder, som er kommen isteden – og
skùlde dette end ske, saa kan han jo sige,
at jeg vilde forandre lidt paa billederne,
og at de derfor er ommalede o.s.v.
Hvis jeg nù skriver om dette til ham selv,
vil han gjerne tro, at jeg vil spille ham
et pùds, – nemlig faa billederne fra ham
og saa give en glad dag i kopierne; – derfor
tror jeg, det vilde være heldigt, om jeg kùn-
de faa Dem Höst til at tale med ham
om forslaget og sige, at de to billeder
havde særlig værd for mig – og at jeg gjerne
malede to copier gratis for at faa dem
igjen; – gaar han ikke ind paa dette,
henvender jeg mig til Bonnevi-Angel.
Jeg synes da, jeg har været rimelig med
ham. Angaaende de andre billeder
skal I ikke gjöre Eder nogen ùmag med
at sælge noget for mig – hvis jeg troede
et af dem kunde glæde Eder at have,
vilde jeg tilbyde Eder et, som De kùnde
like bedst – kanske den kolde vaarstem-
ning med nysne paa baggrùndsfjeldene –
det er iallefald det bedste – ("samme
motiv som aqùarellen", siger De, – ja det
er de samme fjelde i baggrùnden, – men
fra et ganske andet sted seet, og fjeldene
er i maleriet helt naturalistisk behand-
let, medens aqùarellen blev malt om
natten efter et löst ùdkast og erindringen
– og er kùn en "nedskreven" stemning.)
Kjære frù Höst, tak, tusind tak for Deres
mange forespörgsler, om De skulde sende
mig noget – denne gang tror jeg – at jeg
skal faa lov at benytte mig deraf – jeg
vilde gjerne forsögt lidt extra god
cognak baade for min egen helbreds skyld
og for at lade en gammel barndoms-
kammerat pröve lidt deraf – han ligger
for döden her paa nabogaarden af tæring i
lùnger og mave og kan nù ikke fordöie
vand engang – jeg besöger ham daglig og söger
at holde liv i ham med gamle minder. –
Vilde De nù være saa venlig at sende mig en
rigtig god fl. kognak, vilde jeg være Dem me-
get taknemlig; – paa samlaget kan jeg ikke
faa mindre parti end 6 fl. men privatfolk
maa vel have lov at sende en enkel flaske.
Penge for flasken skal jeg sende, saasnart jeg
faar vide prisen. Kùnde De faaet sendt den
i en liden kasse i posten var det bedst,
da min ven ikke har længe igjen. Undskyld
min frihed – og at jeg gjör Dem bryderi. Engel
hilser igjen. Deres hengivne Astrup
Translation
Thank you for Your letter. It pains
me that You should be tormented by ill-
ness – I know all about that. I too
became worse again, right after I
wrote You last – I had been so well – but
understand now, that it takes time – and then
I can never be careful enough, but come down with a cold
the minute I am getting better.
You absolutely do not have to contact
Johannessen regarding the men-
tioned picture – I am sure it has arrived
to its proper owner – it is merely Skagen,
who has forgotten to include it on the list
of returned pictures – the owner himself
has not said a word, – so he has presumably
received it in return. From Lùnd I have heard
nothing – nor from Knùdsen, whom
it is soon too late to demand anything
from, I imagine. I have thought of making
a proposal to him; He lends me
the pictures and I paint two copies of
them – these copies, he shall then have
for 100 kroner for both or perhaps
cheaper (50 kroner) – then I get to keep
the originals, – well he can even have
the copies for free if only I can have the origi-
nals back. In this way there will be no shame involved
in his returning the pictures; since
no one, who has not studied the pictures
painstakingly will be able to see, that two new
pictures, have replaced them – and
should this even occur, then he can say,
that I wished to adjust the pictures a bit,
and that they therefore are painted again etc.
If I write to him myself about this now,
he might easily think, that I will
hoodwink him, – in other words get the pictures from him
and then forget about the copies; – I therefore
believe it would be fortunate, if I might
convince You Höst to speak to him
about the proposal saying, that the two pictures
have a special value for me – and that I would happily
paint two copies for free in order to get them
back; – if he does not agree to this,
I will turn to Bonnevi-Angel.
I do feel, that I have been reasonable towards
him. As for the other pictures
You should not exert Yourself in
selling anything for me – if I thought
it might please You to have one of them,
I would offer You one that You might
like best – perhaps the cold spring
atmosphere with new snow on the mountains in the background –
it is the best in any case – ("the same
motif as the watercolour", You say, – yes they
are the same mountains in the background, – but
seen from quite a different perspective, and the mountains
in the painting are treated quite natural-
istically, while the watercolour was painted at
night from a loose draft and from memory
– and is merely a "recorded" atmosphere.)
Dear Mrs. Höst, thank you, thank you for Your
many inquiries, asking whether You should send
me anything – this time I think – I
will permit myself to accept your offer – I
would happily try a little extra good
cognac both for the sake of my own health
and to allow an old childhood
friend a little taste of it – he is on
his deathbed here at the neighbouring farm from consumption of
the lungs and stomach and can no longer digest
even water – I visit him daily and attempt to
to keep him alive with old memories. –
If You would be so kind as to send me a
really good bottle of cognac, I would be ver-
y grateful to You; – at the state liquor store I cannot
obtain an order of less than 6 bottles but private people
should be able to send a single bottle.
Money for the bottle I shall send, as soon as I
am informed of the price. If You could send it
in a little crate in the mail it would be best,
as my friend does not have long to live. Pardon
my taking liberty – and for troubling You. Engel
returns your greetings. Your devoted Astrup