Letter 026 — XXVI
Original French
Milan, novembre 1796.
J’arrive à Milan; je me précipite dans ton appartement; j’ai tout quitté pour te voir, te presser dans mes bras… tu n’y étais pas; tu cours les villes avec les fêtes; tu t’éloignes de moi, lorsque j’arrive et ne te soucies plus de ton cher Napoléon. Un caprice t’a fait l’aimer, l’inconstance te le rend indifférent. Accoutumé aux dangers, je sais le remède aux ennuis et aux maux de la vie. Le malheur que j’éprouve est incalculable; j’avais le droit de n’y pas compter. Je serai ici jusqu’au 9 (frimaire) dans la journée. Ne te dérange pas, cours les plaisirs, le bonheur est fait pour toi. Le monde entier est trop heureux s’il peut te plaire, et ton mari seul est bien, bien malheureux.
Musean translation
Machine-assisted Musean English translated from the French of the 172 Napoleon letters selected from Tancrède Martel, ed., Œuvres littéraires de Napoléon Bonaparte, tome 1 (Albert Savine, Paris, 1888). French Wikisource contributors supplied the scan-backed transcription: https://fr.wikisource.org/wiki/Livre:Bonaparte_-_Œuvres_littéraires,_tome_1,_1888.djvu (page histories credit contributors). The transcription is CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/; this adapted text and translations are shared under the same license. Extraction removes markup and editorial notes; selected transcription repairs were checked against print images.
Milan, November 1796.
I arrive in Milan; I rush to your apartment; I have left everything to see you, to hold you in my arms… you were not there; you go from city to city with the festivities; you move away from me when I arrive and no longer care for your dear Napoléon. A whim made you love him; inconstancy makes you indifferent to him. Accustomed to danger, I know the remedy for the troubles and ills of life. The misfortune I suffer is beyond measure; I had a right not to expect it. I shall be here until sometime during the 9th (Frimaire). Do not put yourself out; pursue your pleasures, happiness is made for you. The whole world is only too happy if it can please you, and your husband alone is very, very unhappy.
Plain English translation
Independent machine-assisted Plain English translation from the 1888 Martel French edition, not a historical English translation. French Wikisource contributors supplied the scan-backed transcription: https://fr.wikisource.org/wiki/Livre:Bonaparte_-_Œuvres_littéraires,_tome_1,_1888.djvu (page histories credit contributors). The adapted transcription and translation are shared under CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/. Extraction removes markup and editorial notes and makes documented transcription repairs. French-source model review is not human specialist certification or a complete scan collation.
Milan, November 1796.
I reach Milan and rush to your rooms; I have left everything to see you and hold you close—and you are not there. You go from town to town with the festivities, away from me as I arrive, and care nothing now for your dear Napoleon. A whim made you love him, and inconstancy has made him a matter of indifference to you. Used as I am to danger, I know the remedy for life's troubles and sorrows. My misery cannot be measured; I had every right to expect better. I shall be here until sometime on the 9th of Frimaire. Do not put yourself out; go on enjoying yourself. Happiness was made for you. Everyone in the world is overjoyed if they can give you pleasure; only your husband is deeply, deeply unhappy.
About this section
Letter 026 — XXVI is part of Letters to Josephine by Napoléon Bonaparte. This page sets the French original beside 2 direct-source translations, so any line can be checked against the source. It is part 26 of 172 in the work, which is kept in the European tradition.
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