Letter from Edward Thomas to the poet Gordon Bottomley. Sent from Wick Green, Petersfield, Hampshire, 14 Apr [1911]. Archival ref: 424/1/1/1/10/156
WICK GREEN
PETERSFIELD

14.iv.11

My dear Gordon, Thank you for your letter & Emily
for hers. I wasn't at all hurt by not getting a
letter, but was silent only because for sometime
I have been in one of my worst moods & in fact
seem pretty likely to get out of it. By the way don't
put it down to vegetarianism (which I have
complicated by much reducing the size & number
of my meals). II don't think it would be
risky for you. Fruit, vegetables (steamed if
possible), good bread & butter & nuts & cream, seem
sufficient whether in simple or elaborate dishes.
In fact I enjoy the taste of my food much more
now than ever. But I can't advocate anything
I practise just now: I am in such a poor way.
I only hope I am still suffering from the transi-
tion out of youth, & that someday I shall laugh
at having taken myself so tragically - as
many people say this have laughed. I am
beginning to see myself a little clearly & to
see what things are probably & what improbable
in my life. But I don't think I had
better go into this & I apologize for merely
letting your xx trouble you a little without
perhaps seeing what is up - which of course
I do not quite know. It is connected with
my work too, the unpleasant tendency of being
the vanity of producing many books instead
of a few & much reviewing. The Chronicle &
Morning Post are taking away my reviewing. The
books are mostly not worth telling you about:
one - a collection of Celtic tales retold for
schools- I have lately finished. The Maeter-
linck, by the way, ought to be in proofs soon &
I shall be very glad if you are able to correct the
proofs. Thank you for promising. When they
come I will send them. Then there is the
Icknield Way but so far I have only done book
work on it.
I am very glad to have yours news,
especially that you like Cricieth & the
county & the sea round about. I hope it is
really doing you good. I should like to be there,
but my travels for some time must be chiefly
in connection with work, especially the
Icknield Way (from East Anglia S. W. into
Dorset).
I can't remember when i wrote last
WICK GREEN
PETERSFIELD

But did I tell you Garnett & I were trying to
get a small pension for Davies? You
have perhaps heard Yeats & Conrad are to have
pensions. Davies is not certain yet. We
got an interesting lot of signatures,
including Briges. Goss is helping to get
something from the Royal Literary Fund.
I saw Ransome in town. They are
thinking of a Chelsea house now, & I suppose
they are pretty well off. But I find myself remote
from them now, especially from [illegible] I heard
about Tabitha & the little Abercrombie. Did you
see 'Mary, the Bramble'? Rather loose
and eloquent, with nice feeling, I thought.
I am falling asleep after a lot of
gardening in these warm lovely days. How
are they with you? The garden is very crude,
but the terrace & the flowers are already
pretty. We have some rosemary - at last
I have by my study window. But we hope for
a sprig of yours. You should see my
wallflowers, the yellow & the darker
than blood. We are writing for the cuckoo
When I see your next I have a Welsh cuckoo
song to hum you. I hope that will not be
afar ahead. By the way, Guthrie was here
a month ago. He & I hit it off less,
I think. Except in his art he is inarticulate
but not silent. We are all well & glad
of the new weather I assure. Goodbye.
Give our love to Emily & thank her for
writing & ask her to forgive me not writing
back. She would not have thanked me
had I done so when I ought.
Your ever
Edward Thomas