[No surviving envelope]
ToEliot, Vivien (TSE's first wife, née Haigh-Wood)marriage to;e6its morbidity;a4 continue. I wasted myself to such a degree, in barren unproductive years, trying to love someone whom I loathed body and soul, and during that period was of no human good to anybody, that IHale, Emilyrelationship with TSE;w9its perceived inequalities;d4 cannot stand seeing anybody worrying about whether they feel the right way towards anybody. It is a terrible and quite useless strain. Do you think that your uncle and aunt have ever for a moment felt that you were not fond enough of them, or that they were not getting an adequate return for what they gave? One makes ones confession for sins in thought, word and deed,1 not for feeling – one does not confess as a sin the mere being oneself. One must not resent oneself. And how do you know that what you imagine to be, in yourself, a lack of human emotion, is not simply some obstruction of circumstance, or even some bluff that you are putting up to yourself because your feelings are so strong (in themselves, not towards any particular person or persons) that you cannot face them?
AnywayChristianityspiritual progress and direction;d6towards self-knowledge;a5, complete self-knowledge is unattainable. What one can learn is, that when one has stripped away some particular illusion about oneself, this does not mean complete self-understanding.
ForChristianityguilt;b7and the New England conscience;a1 Heaven’sAmericaNew England;f9and the New England conscience;a7 sake be humbly contented, and wholly unashamed, of what you feel and don’t feel towards your relatives, or towards me, or anyone else. And one is just as much, really, what one is to others, as one is what one is to oneself. And for that, one must take the word of others. You are the one person all the time, but my impression or conviction of what you are is at least as likely (and you being what you are, more likely) to be correct than yours. I was once impressed, at a time when I found myself boiling with emotions and anxieties which I could hardly master, by a man’s telling me how much he had been helped by the atmosphere of serenity and peace which I provided!
I don’t delude myself into supposing that I have quite exorcised, for myself, the ghosts of nine generations of ancestors the view of all of whom (including my parents) I disapprove; but I assure you that I find your discontent with your own feelings to be extremely heretical! I wonder if you will remember that once, years ago, when you had a sudden explosion of abhorrence of your own wickedness (God knows for what occasion) I wrote to you in somewhat the same strain, though with less knowledge.
Well, well, I suppose this is long enough for a Sermon, if you choose to call it so, ma’am, and begging your Pardon. As for changes of mood – and any consequent pain and difficulty for others in keeping up with them – don’t worry about them either, it is all part of the same thing. I may be slow and stupid, but I make it my business to get the hang of them! But I do see the point: that they are very trying for you – even though they do not change mine; yet it makes matters only much worse for you to worry about instability of mood – and please never try to disguise them or conquer them, so far as I am concerned, but let me see what they are, however sudden and unexpected. AsHale, Emilycorrespondence with TSE;w3restraints on TSE's ardour lifted;f8 for my writing you a love letter, or ‘as much of a love letter as I feel like’! I wonder and I wonder is that possible – after so much self-control – without getting completely out of my own hand? YouHale, EmilyTSE's love for;x2startles TSE, like 'a burglar';d4 see I have had two moments (you do not know which they are) of being startled by my own feelings as by a burglar in the diningroom, and being really frightened by them.
11.52. One must stop at some time. And what colour of sealingwax do you prefer.
1.‘Almighty God, our heavenly Father, we have sinned against you and against our fellow men, in thought and word and deed’ (Book of Common Prayer).