Dear Marie, this sheet is meant to tell you what has been
on my lips every hour during the last beautiful days:
that my heart is forever attached to you; and it shall
ask you whether you can resolve to share joy and sorrow with
me as long as life lasts. To me life
has not been easy so far and will probably not be in the future:
Science and office are strict masters and
whoever wants to remain independent of the whim of the many as well as
from the arbitrariness of the mighty, will not go unpunished and
least of all the public servant. I have therefore often thought
of going my way alone; in this way one avoids sorrow
but of course also the joy of life - it was
nothing but faintheartedness, and it could not endure when your
image came back to me, or fate even made our paths
cross again. If you dare to put your hand in mine,
I do not have a splendid fate to offer you, but the close
prospect of a cheerful and active union, and the first
intimate love of a loyal heart.
Your
Mommsen
Leipzig 9 April 1854.
(transl. mine; source: https://digi.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/diglit/de-2498-hs01074656/0001/image,info,text_tei#col_text_tei)
