44.
TO MAJA
EINSTEIN
[Zurich, after February
1899]
There
is enough to
do,
yet not excessively,
so
that sometimes I
find the
time
to
idle
away
an
hour
or
so
in the
beautiful
surroundings
of
Zurich.
In addition I
am
happy
at the
thought
that the worst
worries
are over
for
my
parents. If all
people
would live in such
a
way
(namely
like
myself),
writing
of novels would
never
have been
born.
45.
TO
MILEVA MARIC
[Milan]
Monday
[13
or
20 March
1899]
Dear Said!
A
good
and
proper
scolding
I
just
received
brought
you
vividly
to
my
mind,
which will
now
immediately
be documented by
a
little letter.
To the
paragon,
a
sample
(of
course
of
no
value) [untranslatable
wordplay
referring
to
a
"sample
without value"
parcel].
Has
it
arrived
by
now.
If
it
has
not,
you
mustn't beam in
anticipation.
It
is not
for eating. Oh,
yes
--
in emulation of famous
examples,
the
letter
for the
paragon
is also
put
into the
sample [a triple
pun
on
"Muster"]
--
dared is half
won.
I
am
having
a
terrific time at
home;
I have been
passing
much of
the time in inmost delights, that is to
say,
I have been eating
quite
a
bit
&
quite well,
so
that I
already
suffered
a
little from
our
favorite
poetic
sorrows,
like
then at
Sterns',
when I
was
sitting
for
hours next to
my
fascinating charming [female]
dinner
partner.
It
was
then that it struck
me
most
vividly
how
closely
our
mental and
physiological
lives
are
linked.
The
journey
was
very
nice,
even
though, unfortunately,
all the
fellow-passengers
were
male creatures. There
were,
for
example,
a
few
nice and
lively
Italian
youngsters,
who
sang
&
laughed
&
joked
among
themselves, half like
young
girls,
half like puppies. I did fine
in
Chiasso.
This fellow has
nothing
???, the shrewd [customs] officer
must have
thought. While
I most
earnestly
conversed about Italian
conditions
with
a
young
man
during
the continuation of the
trip,
a
German
youth
&
business
apprentice,
who
was
traveling
to
Italy
for the
first
time,
was
taking pains
to
dispose
of the few occasional
scraps
of Italian, which he had acquired
especially
for
this
purpose, as
elegantly
and casually
as
possible.
This
was
as
if
someone
with
a
trumpet that has
only
2
notes wants to play in
an
orchestra
&
is
ardently
waiting
for the moment when he
can
again
sound off
one
of
them. Your
photograph
made
a
great
impression
on my
old
lady.
While
she
was
immersed in its
contemplation,
I added with
deepest
understanding:
Oh,
yes,
she is
a
clever creature. I had
already
to
endure
quite
a
lot of
teasing
for
this
&
for similar
things,
but I
don't find this the least bit disagreeable.
My
broodings
about radiation
are
starting
to
get
on
somewhat
firmer
ground
&
and I
am
curious
myself
whether
something
will
come
out of them.
Friendly greetings etc.,
especially
the latter, from
your
Albert
Regards
from
my
old
lady.
126