Letter 031 — XXXI
Original French
Tolentino, le 19 février 1797.
La paix avec Rome vient d’être signée. Bologne, Ferrare, la Romagne sont cédées à la République. Le pape nous donne trente millions dans peu de temps, et des objets d’art. Je pars demain matin pour Ancône, et de là pour Rimini, Ravenne et Bologne. Si ta santé te le permet, viens à Rimini ou Ravenne, mais ménage-toi, je t’en conjure.
Pas un mot de ta main, bon Dieu! qu’ai-je donc fait? Ne penser qu’à toi, n’aimer que Joséphine, ne vivre que pour ma femme, ne jouir que du bonheur de mon amie, cela doit-il me mériter de sa part un traitement si rigoureux? Mon amie, je t’en conjure, pense souvent à moi, et écris-moi tous les jours; tu es malade ou tu ne m’aimes pas! Crois-tu donc que mon cœur soit de marbre? Et mes peines t’intéressent-elles si peu? Tu me connaîtrais bien mal! Je ne puis le croire.
Toi, à qui la nature a donné l’esprit, la douceur et la beauté, toi qui seule pouvais régner dans mon cœur, toi qui sais trop, sans doute, l’empire absolu que tu as sur moi. Écris-moi, pense à moi, et aime-moi. Pour la vie à toi.
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.
Tolentino, February 19, 1797.
Peace with Rome has just been signed. Bologna, Ferrara, and the Romagna are ceded to the Republic. The Pope is giving us thirty million shortly, and works of art. Tomorrow morning I leave for Ancona, and from there for Rimini, Ravenna, and Bologna. If your health permits, come to Rimini or Ravenna, but take care of yourself, I implore you.
Not a word in your hand, good God! What have I done? To think only of you, love only Joséphine, live only for my wife, find pleasure only in my friend's happiness—must that earn me such harsh treatment from her? My friend, I implore you, think often of me and write to me every day; you are ill or you do not love me! Do you think my heart is made of marble? And do my troubles concern you so little? You would know me very poorly! I cannot believe it.
You, to whom nature has given wit, gentleness, and beauty, you who alone could reign in my heart, you who know only too well, no doubt, the absolute power you have over me. Write to me, think of me, and love me. Yours for life.
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.
Tolentino, February 19, 1797.
A peace treaty with Rome has just been signed. The Republic receives Bologna, Ferrara and the Romagna; the Pope is to give us thirty million shortly, as well as art objects. Tomorrow morning I leave for Ancona, then on to Rimini, Ravenna and Bologna. If you are well enough, come to Rimini or Ravenna; but please take care of yourself.
Not a word in your hand! Good God, what have I done? Do I deserve such harsh treatment from my friend for thinking only of you, loving only Joséphine, living only for my wife and delighting only in my friend’s happiness? My dear, please think of me often and write daily. Either you are ill or you do not love me! Can you imagine that my heart is marble? Do you care so little about my suffering? If so, you scarcely know me! I cannot believe it.
You, whom nature gave intelligence, gentleness and beauty, you who alone could rule my heart, you who surely know only too well the absolute power you have over me: write to me, think of me and love me. Yours for life.
About this section
Letter 031 — XXXI 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 31 of 172 in the work, which is kept in the European tradition.
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