Re: "an erroneous calculus"

Stuart,

>This is presumably the first and second letter of the post-war
>correspondence? Or does the pre-war correspondence not exist? I had thought
from Ettinger's book ('nauseating trash' one of my friends who knew Arendt
calls it) that this did exist.>

Yes, these are the two post-war first letters. The pre-war correspondence
begins with Heid. to Han. 10.II.25 (Liebes Frauelein Arendt!) his first
love-letter. There are 45 letters from the time between 1925 and 1932. Three
letters are from Hannah  as well as a short essay _Schatten_ (on herself).

The second love letter is from 21.II.25:

"Liebe Hannah! Why is love rich beyond all other human possibilities and a
sweet burden for the persons affected? Because we transform ourselves into
what we love and we remain, nevertheless, ourselves. We would like to thank
the beloved but we find nothing that could be enough. We can only thank with
ourselves. Love transforms gratitude into loyalty to ourselves and into the
absolute faith to the other. In this way love increases constantly its own
mystery.
Closedness (_die Naehe_) is in this case Being in the most far reaching
distance (_in der groesten Ferne_) to the other, which does not blurr
anything - but brings the _You_ in the transparent - but uncomprehensible
(_unbegreifliche_) - only-there (_Nur-Da) of a revelation. When the presence
of the other breaks into our life, then no feeling (_Gemuet_) is able to
manage this (_bewaeltigt_). Human fate gives itself to human fate and the
service of pure love means to keep awake this self-giving like at at the
first day. (...)
When the new semester starts, it is May and lilac is all around  over the
old walls and blossoms surges in the concealed gardens - and you go in a
flagrant summer dress through the old  gate. Summer evenings will come into
your room and they will  ring (_laeuten_) in your young soul the quiet
cheerfulness (_von der stillen Heiterkeit_) of our life. Flowers will awake
soon which your beloved hands will pick as well as the moss in the the
forest ground through which your blessed dreams go.
And shall I not soon in a lonely mountaineering (_Bergfahrt_) greet the
mountains, whose rocky stillness (_felsige Ruhe_) will meet you some day and
in whose lines the self-control (_das Gehaltene_) of your being returns. And
I will visit the mountain see and from the most steep steepness (_von der
steilsten Steile_) of the crash to look down into your quiet depth. Yours
M."

kind regards
Rafael




>Thanks for sharing this letter with us.
>
>Best wishes
>
>Stuart
>
>
>
>
>
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