Letter from Edward Thomas to the poet Gordon Bottomley. Sent from Elses Farm, The Weald, Kent. Archival ref: 424/1/1/1/10/57
THE WEALD NR SEVENOAKS
26.iv.06
My dear Gordon,
William Platt has sent me the book containing his 'Goneril's defence' to send to you, where it is you will find it too long, lengthy and evangelical perhaps. I have just shut up my MS book of 'The Heart of England' to write a little moan to you. Why can't somebody keep me in this awful labour? I work continuously at the cottage from 9.30 - 4.30 every day and squeeze from 1000 to 1500 words out of myself, and the result is to be my worst book. There are plenty of landscapes and 'spurred lyric' - in fact 3/4 of the book will be of this kind, and far inferior to Wales because I have less impulse, less material. The rest is pseudo- genial or purely rustic - Borrow and Jeffries sans testicles and guts - except one short love story told just before a fox hunt which I think pretty good. There are 2 scenes in church, both secular in tone: my Virgilian Schwobism does not come off. ANd so by wonderful and contemptible determination I have written about 20000 words this moth and have 10000 words of old stuff that I can use. There remain 30000 words. Even now I would give up if I dared, lure the £100 cheerfully. I pray it will be my last book if it ever becomes a book. Henceforth I cease to write 'about the country' and become a reviewer with a wife and family, tout court and no deception. Still I have to do the 30000. What shall it be about> I can't do the village at all. My old customs would go on to a page with large margins. Also I can't use all the proofs which Freeman and WIlliams and I know - already I have got in 'Poor old
Horse', the haymaker's song and 'I as it with not mal gui n al ke mal s'amour' of which, by the way, the 4th line is not as I suggested bu (after 'au pied de la tout')
'Qui pleure, sonpire, et meme un quand solour'. If you can get the air copied out for me I should be grateful. But can you help me? Give me a string of subjects (excluding the beautiful consumptive girl and the hermit)? Or must I fall back on gentle clergymen who are fond of gardens and old books and of course possess sundials? Save me if you can. Is there anything in 'Wales' I could rewrite, do you think? I am sure you will not mind helping an imposter especially as I shall try to explain my imposture in a light preface. And yet this April has I know been splendid while I have sat blaspheming it in vague English.
Give my love to Emily. Ever yours Edward Thomas