Letter 043 — XLIII
Original French
Munich, le 27 octobre 1805.
J’ai reçu par Lemarrois ta lettre. J’ai vu avec peine que tu t’étais trop inquiétée. L’on m’a donné des détails qui m’ont prouvé toute la tendresse que tu me portes; mais il faut plus de force et de confiance. J’avais d’ailleurs prévenu que je serais six jours sans t’écrire. J’attends demain l’électeur. À midi, je pars pour confirmer mon mouvement sur l’Inn. Ma santé est assez bonne. Il ne faut pas penser passer le Rhin avant quinze ou vingt jours. Il faut être gaie, t’amuser, et espérer qu’avant la fin du mois (brumaire) nous nous verrons. Je m’avance contre l’armée russe. Dans quelques jours j’aurai passé l’Inn. Adieu, ma bonne amie; mille choses aimables à Hortense, à Eugène, et aux deux Napoléon. Garde la corbeille quelque temps encore. J’ai donné hier aux dames de cette cour un concert. Le maître de chapelle est un homme de mérite. J’ai chassé à une faisanderie de l’électeur; tu vois que je ne suis pas si fatigué. M. de Talleyrand est arrivé.
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.
Munich, October 27, 1805.
I received your letter through Lemarrois. I was sorry to see that you had worried too much. I have been given details that proved all the tenderness you feel for me; but you must have more strength and confidence. Besides, I had warned you that I would go six days without writing. I expect the Elector tomorrow. At noon I leave to confirm my movement toward the Inn. My health is fairly good. There is no thought of crossing the Rhine before fifteen or twenty days. You must be cheerful, enjoy yourself, and hope that before the end of the month (Brumaire) we shall see each other. I am advancing against the Russian army. In a few days I shall have crossed the Inn. Farewell, my dear friend; many kind regards to Hortense, Eugène, and the two Napoléons. Keep the wedding gift a little longer. Yesterday I gave a concert for the ladies of this court. The chapel master is a man of merit. I hunted at one of the Elector's pheasantries; you see I am not so tired. M. de Talleyrand has arrived.
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.
Munich, October 27, 1805.
Lemarrois brought me your letter. It pained me to learn that you had been excessively anxious. The details I have been told showed me the depth of your tenderness for me, but you must be stronger and more confident. In any case, I had given notice that six days would pass before I wrote to you. The Elector is expected tomorrow. At midday I set off to confirm my movement towards the Inn. My health is fairly good. You must not think of crossing the Rhine for another fifteen or twenty days. Be cheerful, enjoy yourself, and hope that we shall see each other before the end of the month of Brumaire. I am moving forward to meet the Russian army; within a few days I will be across the Inn. Goodbye, my dear friend; many kind messages to Hortense, Eugène and the two Napoléons. Keep the wedding present for a while longer. I gave a concert yesterday for the ladies at court; the chapel master is a man of talent. I have been hunting at one of the Elector’s pheasant preserves, so you see I am not all that tired. M. de Talleyrand has arrived.
About this section
Letter 043 — XLIII 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 43 of 172 in the work, which is kept in the European tradition.
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