Letter to Laura Lafargue, June 2, 1883

Author(s) Friedrich Engels
Written 2 June 1883


First published, in the language of the original (English), in: F. Engels, P. et L. Lafargue, Correspondance, t. I, Paris, 1956
Reproduced from the original
Published in English in Marx-Engels Collected Works, Volume 47


ENGELS TO LAURA LAFARGUE

IN PARIS

London, 2 June 1883

My dear Laura,

Herewith cheque £ 10.- for Paul as desired. To judge from his letter, he seems to be pretty cheerful for his condition, but of course the grincement des clefs et des verroux[1] must be something awful.

What is comparative liberty by day when one is reduced to solitary confinement by night, and how is he to sing:

Singet nicht in Trauertönen
Von der Einsamkeit der Nacht,
Denn sie ist, o holde Schönen,
Zur Geselligkeit gemacht.[2]

As Paul is going to work up his German in prison, you might give him that to translate.

Now, by this time the two heroic martyrs[3] ought to be pretty well settled down and don't you think you might come over, say by Thursday or Friday next[4] ? The fact is I expect Jollymeier to-night who will be able to stay here till Monday week, 11th June, and he would so like to see you. Moreover, Tussy talks very much about your coming and seems very anxious to have you here and to consult you about the disposal of the things in the house, etc., etc., the sole responsibility seems to weigh very much upon her. So that your journey would be to some extent on business. If you will come and if you write at once, I shall send you the funds by return, I should have added them to the cheque to-day, only my balance is low and I have money to come in next week.

Among Mohr's papers I have found a whole lot of mss, our common work, of before 1848.[5] Some of these I shall soon publish.

There is one I shall read to you when you are here, you will crack your sides with laughing. I read it to Nim and Tussy, Nim said: jetzt weiss ich auch, warum Sie zwei damals in Brüssel des Nachts so gelacht haben, dass kein Mensch im Hause davor schlafen konnte.[6] We were bold devils then, Heine's poetry is childlike innocence compared with our prose.

There is a chance of a translation of the Kapital being published by Kegan Paul and Co., they would be the best men. Tussy is going to see them on Monday[7] ; if anything practicable comes of it, we shall then go together afterwards. S. Moore will translate, and I shall revise. There are other people at it, but if we can arrange the thing, they will soon be out of the field. S. Moore was here in Whitweek, and we settled the matter with him, as far as he is concerned. He is by far the best man, slightly heavy, but that can be mended. He has been of immense use to us as our legal adviser. Indeed I have still to write to him by first mail upon a legal question.

Pumps is going on very well and her two babies too, the boy is awfully big and fat, very near the size of his sister! at least so says the proud Mamma. If you are here next Sunday (to-morrow) week, we shall have a grand bowl of Maitrank,[8] it is just in its prime now, I mean the Waldmeister, we have had two bowls here on Sundays and two at Tussy's in the week, and plenty of Moselle left!

If you say you will come, the same day I shall write to Dublin for a case of the best and of the super best Claret which we will finish quietly betwixt us.

A few lines to Paul in a day or two. In the meantime affectionally yours,

F. Engels

  1. ↑ clinking of keys and bolts
  2. ↑ Sing no more in strains of sadness Of the loveliness of night! Darksome hours were made for gladness, Social joy, and love's delight. (Goethe, Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship, translated by R. Dillon Boylan, London, Henry Bohn, 1861.)
  3. ↑ Paul Lafargue and Jules Guesde
  4. ↑ 7 or 8 June
  5. ↑ The reference is to Marx's and Engels' joint work on the manuscript of The German Ideology and to Engels' work The True Socialists (see present edition, Vol. 5) between 1845 and 1847. Not long before his death Engels dictated to Eduard Bernstein a list of manuscripts from his own and Marx's literary legacy and of other materials stored in his archives. The list contained the following note, '... manuscript of The German Ideology' ('Stirner, 1845/46, Moor and I', 'Feuerbach and Bauer, 1846/47, Moor and I', 'True Socialism,' 1847, Moor and I').
  6. ↑ Now I know why you two laughed at night in Brussels at that time so that no one could sleep in the building.
  7. ↑ 4 June
  8. ↑ Wine flavoured with sweet woodruff, May wine.