Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827), one of history's most famous and mysterious composers died at the age of 57 with one great secret. Upon his death, a love letter was found among his possessions. It was written to an unknown woman who Beethoven simply called his *Immortal Beloved.*
The world may never put a face with this mysterious woman or know the circumstances of their affair and his letters are all that is left of a love as intensely passionate as the music for which Beethoven became famous. Compositions such as the Moonlight Sonata as well as Beethoven's many symphonies express eloquently the tragedy of a relationship never publicly realized.
The First Letter
July 6, in the morning
My angel, my all, my very self -
Only a few words today and at that with pencil (with yours) - Not till tomorrow will my lodgings be definitely determined upon - what a useless waste of time -
Why this deep sorrow when necessity speaks - can our love endure except through sacrifices, through not demanding everything from one another; can you change the fact that you are not wholly mine, I not wholly thine -Oh God, look out into the beauties of nature and comfort your heart with that which must be -
Love demands everything and that very justly - thus it is to me with you, and to your with me. But you forget so easily that I must live for me and for you; if we were wholly united you would feel the pain of it as little as I - My journey was a fearful one; I did not reach here until 4 o'clock yesterday morning. Lacking horses the post-coach chose another route, but what an awful one; at the stage before the last I was warned not to travel at night; I was made fearful of a forest, but that only made me the more eager - and I was wrong. The coach must needs break down on the wretched road, a bottomless mud road. Without such postilions as I had with me I should have remained stuck in the road. Esterhazy, traveling the usual road here, had the same fate with eight horses that I had with four - Yet I got some pleasure out of it, as I always do when I successfully overcome difficulties - Now a quick change to things internal from things external. We shall surely see each other soon; moreover, today I cannot share with you the thoughts I have had during these last few days touching my own life - If our hearts were always close together, I would have none of these. My heart is full of so many things to say to you - ah - there are moments when I feel that speech amounts to nothing at all - Cheer up - remain my true, my only treasure, my all as I am yours. The gods must send us the rest, what for us must and shall be -
Your faithful LUDWIG.
7月6日 清晨
我的天使、我的全部、我完滿靈魂的另一半
我以妳的筆寫下今天的心聲
非到明天我才能安頓一切，時間就這樣無端地被浪費啊．
現實面前，我是如此憂傷．我們的愛可以不再有犧牲，且不再透過從對方獲取任何東西而長久嗎？你能否改變這個你還不全是我，我還不全是妳的事實呢？上帝啊！請看看那大自然中的美麗事物， 然後堅信這必然來安撫妳的心房--- 愛會一切，十分公平地要求一切- 正如我對妳，以及妳對我那樣。
但是妳總會粗心地忘記， 我必須為了我，也為了妳而生活； 如果我們能夠完全地結合，那麼我們就不必再忍受這分別的痛苦
我的旅途並不輕鬆；昨天的淩晨4點我才匆匆趕到。由於馬匹不足，馬伕選擇了另外一條線路，多麼糟糕的決定；這之前我時常聽人告誡千萬不要在夜間趕路；黑夜中的森林讓我感到恐懼，但是這能讓我更快的見到妳，又令我感到無限地盼望- 可是我錯了。
泥濘的窪坑使得馬車不得不停下來。
如果不是急於和你相見，我到現在也應該還被困在那兒。
從埃斯特哈茲，走好路到這兒，同樣的情況下需要八匹馬拉的馬車，而我的馬車只有四匹馬- 不過我從中也得到安慰，因為成功地克服困難總是令我感到愉快 -
是時候將長久以來隱藏的事公諸於世了
我們應該儘快見到對方，很遺憾直到今天我還不能與你分享最近幾天關於我自己人生的感悟．
如果我們的心能夠時刻緊貼在一切，我就不必再忍受這種遺憾的煎熬。
我的心裏總是有太多話要對你説，啊，卻總有一些時候我又感到語言完全無法將它表達
要快樂！永遠做我的真愛，做我唯一的珍寶，做我的一切，因為我就是這麼對待妳的
眾神一定會圓滿我們的愛，對我們來説是必須，也是唯一的愛 -
妳忠誠的路德維希
The Second Letter
Evening, Monday, July 6
You are suffering, my dearest creature - only now have I learned that letters must be posted very early in the morning on Mondays to Thursdays - the only days on which the mail-coach goes from here to K. - You are suffering - Ah, wherever I am, there you are also - I will arrange it with you and me that I can live with you. What a life!!! thus!!! without you - pursued by the goodness of mankind hither and thither - which I as little want to deserve as I deserve it - Humility of man towards man - it pains me - and when I consider myself in relation to the universe, what am I and what is He - whom we call the greatest - and yet - herein lies the divine in man - I weep when I reflect that you will probably not receive the first report from me until Saturday - Much as you love me - I love you more - But do not ever conceal yourself from me - good night - As I am taking the baths I must go to bed - Oh God - so near! so far! Is not our love truly a heavenly structure, and also as firm as the vault of heaven?
7月6日，星期一，晚上
妳受苦了，我最親愛的可人兒
我現在才發現，每週一到週四的破曉時分必須將信件投遞出去，只有此時，遞送郵件的馬車才會從這裡出發到K
妳受苦了
但，無論我身在何處，妳亦與我同在
我將安排我倆一起生活。這就是我要的人生!!!沒有了妳，
我將不覺得自己值得擁有人們的善良對待。人與人之間的謙讓亦只會使我痛苦。
我也將懷疑著自己和神的關係，甚麼是我，甚麼又是他，那個我們稱之為最偉大，且應存在著人性中最崇高一面的。
我嘆息著，當我想到或許直到星期六，妳都可能尚未收到我的第一封信
妳如此地愛我，但我對妳的愛，絕對遠甚於妳
請別對我隱藏妳自己
晚安，我已沐浴更衣並準備就寢
啊，我們的愛是如此貼近，卻又如此遙遠! 希望它猶如天堂般完美而堅定。
The Third Letter
Good morning, on July 7
Though still in bed, my thoughts go out to you, my Immortal Beloved, now and then joyfully, then sadly, waiting to learn whether or not fate will hear us - I can live only wholly with you or not at all - Yes, I am resolved to wander so long away from you until I can fly to your arms and say that I am really at home with you, and can send my soul enwrapped in you into the land of spirits - Yes, unhappily it must be so - You will be the more contained since you know my fidelity to you. No one else can ever possess my heart - never - never - Oh God, why must one be parted from one whom one so loves. And yet my life in V is now a wretched life - Your love makes me at once the happiest and the unhappiest of men - At my age I need a steady, quiet life - can that be so in our connection? My angel, I have just been told that the mailcoach goes every day - therefore I must close at once so that you may receive the letter at once - Be calm, only by a calm consideration of our existence can we achieve our purpose to live together - Be calm - love me - today - yesterday - what tearful longings for you - you - you - my life - my all - farewell. Oh continue to love me - never misjudge the most faithful heart of your beloved.
ever thine
ever mine
ever ours
7月7日 美好的早晨
每當躺在床上，我的思緒總是飛向妳，我永恆的戀人，讓我時而歡喜，時而悲傷，期盼命運之神聽見我們的祈禱。我此生只願與妳相守。
是的，我須和你分別一段時間，直到我能飛回妳的懷抱，回到那個有妳的家，並獻上這早已屬於妳的靈魂，與妳永相依存。
是的，很不幸地這是我們必須共同面對的現實。
請妳堅定地相信我對妳的愛至死不渝，絕無人能佔有我一絲一毫，這顆心永遠只對妳死心蹋地
神啊，為何如此相愛的兩人卻必須分離呢? 我過的是多麼鬱悶難耐的生活啊
妳的愛，讓我擁有世上最幸福的感受，卻也同時承受最痛苦的折磨
我現在需要的是穩定、寧靜，讓我們一起建立這樣的生活好嗎?
我的天使，我方才得知郵差會每天傳遞郵件，現在我得封筆，如此妳才能立刻收到我的信
此時的我們唯有靜下心，才能突破一切，達成共度一生的渴望。
請妳就這樣堅定地愛著我。而我，將終日以淚水期盼著妳，期盼與妳廝守，期盼與妳共度一生。再見了，我的愛。
請繼續愛著我，永遠不許懷疑我對你忠誠的摯愛。
永遠屬於妳，永遠屬於我，永遠終將屬於我們。
My angel, my all, my very self -
Only a few words today and at that with pencil (with yours) - Not till tomorrow will my lodgings be definitely determined upon - what a useless waste of time -
Why this deep sorrow when necessity speaks - can our love endure except through sacrifices, through not demanding everything from one another; can you change the fact that you are not wholly mine, I not wholly thine -Oh God, look out into the beauties of nature and comfort your heart with that which must be -
Love demands everything and that very justly - thus it is to me with you, and to your with me. But you forget so easily that I must live for me and for you; if we were wholly united you would feel the pain of it as little as I - My journey was a fearful one; I did not reach here until 4 o'clock yesterday morning. Lacking horses the post-coach chose another route, but what an awful one; at the stage before the last I was warned not to travel at night; I was made fearful of a forest, but that only made me the more eager - and I was wrong. The coach must needs break down on the wretched road, a bottomless mud road. Without such postilions as I had with me I should have remained stuck in the road. Esterhazy, traveling the usual road here, had the same fate with eight horses that I had with four - Yet I got some pleasure out of it, as I always do when I successfully overcome difficulties - Now a quick change to things internal from things external. We shall surely see each other soon; moreover, today I cannot share with you the thoughts I have had during these last few days touching my own life - If our hearts were always close together, I would have none of these. My heart is full of so many things to say to you - ah - there are moments when I feel that speech amounts to nothing at all - Cheer up - remain my true, my only treasure, my all as I am yours. The gods must send us the rest, what for us must and shall be -
Your faithful LUDWIG.
7月6日 清晨
我的天使、我的全部、我完滿靈魂的另一半
我以妳的筆寫下今天的心聲
非到明天我才能安頓一切，時間就這樣無端地被浪費啊．
現實面前，我是如此憂傷．我們的愛可以不再有犧牲，且不再透過從對方獲取任何東西而長久嗎？你能否改變這個你還不全是我，我還不全是妳的事實呢？上帝啊！請看看那大自然中的美麗事物， 然後堅信這必然來安撫妳的心房--- 愛會一切，十分公平地要求一切- 正如我對妳，以及妳對我那樣。
但是妳總會粗心地忘記， 我必須為了我，也為了妳而生活； 如果我們能夠完全地結合，那麼我們就不必再忍受這分別的痛苦
我的旅途並不輕鬆；昨天的淩晨4點我才匆匆趕到。由於馬匹不足，馬伕選擇了另外一條線路，多麼糟糕的決定；這之前我時常聽人告誡千萬不要在夜間趕路；黑夜中的森林讓我感到恐懼，但是這能讓我更快的見到妳，又令我感到無限地盼望- 可是我錯了。
泥濘的窪坑使得馬車不得不停下來。
如果不是急於和你相見，我到現在也應該還被困在那兒。
從埃斯特哈茲，走好路到這兒，同樣的情況下需要八匹馬拉的馬車，而我的馬車只有四匹馬- 不過我從中也得到安慰，因為成功地克服困難總是令我感到愉快 -
是時候將長久以來隱藏的事公諸於世了
我們應該儘快見到對方，很遺憾直到今天我還不能與你分享最近幾天關於我自己人生的感悟．
如果我們的心能夠時刻緊貼在一切，我就不必再忍受這種遺憾的煎熬。
我的心裏總是有太多話要對你説，啊，卻總有一些時候我又感到語言完全無法將它表達
要快樂！永遠做我的真愛，做我唯一的珍寶，做我的一切，因為我就是這麼對待妳的
眾神一定會圓滿我們的愛，對我們來説是必須，也是唯一的愛 -
妳忠誠的路德維希
The Second Letter
Evening, Monday, July 6
You are suffering, my dearest creature - only now have I learned that letters must be posted very early in the morning on Mondays to Thursdays - the only days on which the mail-coach goes from here to K. - You are suffering - Ah, wherever I am, there you are also - I will arrange it with you and me that I can live with you. What a life!!! thus!!! without you - pursued by the goodness of mankind hither and thither - which I as little want to deserve as I deserve it - Humility of man towards man - it pains me - and when I consider myself in relation to the universe, what am I and what is He - whom we call the greatest - and yet - herein lies the divine in man - I weep when I reflect that you will probably not receive the first report from me until Saturday - Much as you love me - I love you more - But do not ever conceal yourself from me - good night - As I am taking the baths I must go to bed - Oh God - so near! so far! Is not our love truly a heavenly structure, and also as firm as the vault of heaven?
7月6日，星期一，晚上
妳受苦了，我最親愛的可人兒
我現在才發現，每週一到週四的破曉時分必須將信件投遞出去，只有此時，遞送郵件的馬車才會從這裡出發到K
妳受苦了
但，無論我身在何處，妳亦與我同在
我將安排我倆一起生活。這就是我要的人生!!!沒有了妳，
我將不覺得自己值得擁有人們的善良對待。人與人之間的謙讓亦只會使我痛苦。
我也將懷疑著自己和神的關係，甚麼是我，甚麼又是他，那個我們稱之為最偉大，且應存在著人性中最崇高一面的。
我嘆息著，當我想到或許直到星期六，妳都可能尚未收到我的第一封信
妳如此地愛我，但我對妳的愛，絕對遠甚於妳
請別對我隱藏妳自己
晚安，我已沐浴更衣並準備就寢
啊，我們的愛是如此貼近，卻又如此遙遠! 希望它猶如天堂般完美而堅定。
The Third Letter
Good morning, on July 7
Though still in bed, my thoughts go out to you, my Immortal Beloved, now and then joyfully, then sadly, waiting to learn whether or not fate will hear us - I can live only wholly with you or not at all - Yes, I am resolved to wander so long away from you until I can fly to your arms and say that I am really at home with you, and can send my soul enwrapped in you into the land of spirits - Yes, unhappily it must be so - You will be the more contained since you know my fidelity to you. No one else can ever possess my heart - never - never - Oh God, why must one be parted from one whom one so loves. And yet my life in V is now a wretched life - Your love makes me at once the happiest and the unhappiest of men - At my age I need a steady, quiet life - can that be so in our connection? My angel, I have just been told that the mailcoach goes every day - therefore I must close at once so that you may receive the letter at once - Be calm, only by a calm consideration of our existence can we achieve our purpose to live together - Be calm - love me - today - yesterday - what tearful longings for you - you - you - my life - my all - farewell. Oh continue to love me - never misjudge the most faithful heart of your beloved.
ever thine
ever mine
ever ours
7月7日 美好的早晨
每當躺在床上，我的思緒總是飛向妳，我永恆的戀人，讓我時而歡喜，時而悲傷，期盼命運之神聽見我們的祈禱。我此生只願與妳相守。
是的，我須和你分別一段時間，直到我能飛回妳的懷抱，回到那個有妳的家，並獻上這早已屬於妳的靈魂，與妳永相依存。
是的，很不幸地這是我們必須共同面對的現實。
請妳堅定地相信我對妳的愛至死不渝，絕無人能佔有我一絲一毫，這顆心永遠只對妳死心蹋地
神啊，為何如此相愛的兩人卻必須分離呢? 我過的是多麼鬱悶難耐的生活啊
妳的愛，讓我擁有世上最幸福的感受，卻也同時承受最痛苦的折磨
我現在需要的是穩定、寧靜，讓我們一起建立這樣的生活好嗎?
我的天使，我方才得知郵差會每天傳遞郵件，現在我得封筆，如此妳才能立刻收到我的信
此時的我們唯有靜下心，才能突破一切，達成共度一生的渴望。
請妳就這樣堅定地愛著我。而我，將終日以淚水期盼著妳，期盼與妳廝守，期盼與妳共度一生。再見了，我的愛。
請繼續愛著我，永遠不許懷疑我對你忠誠的摯愛。
永遠屬於妳，永遠屬於我，永遠終將屬於我們。
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