Lili, on the other hand, was his superior socially--a fact
of which her relatives and friends seem to have made him fully
conscious. Moreover, though he was in his twenty-sixth year, and she
only in her sixteenth, her personal character and her upbringing had
given her a maturity beyond that of any of his previous loves. She was
clever and accomplished, and already, as a desirable _partie_, she had
a considerable experience of masculine arts. As she is represented in
her portraits, the firm poise of her head and her clear-cut features
suggest the dignity, decision, and self-control of which her
subsequent life was to give proof.[199]
[Footnote 199: She is described as a pretty blonde, with blue eyes and
fair hair. In a letter (March 30th, 1801) addressed to Lili, then a
widow, Goethe writes: "Sie haben in den vergangenen Jahren viel
ausgestanden und dabei, wie ich weiss, einen entschlossenen Mut
bewiesen, der Ihnen Ehre macht."]
The first two lyrics he addressed to Lili reveal all the difference
between his relations to her and to Friederike. Those addressed to
Friederike breathe the confidence of returned affection unalloyed by
any disturbing reserves; in the case of his effusions to Lili there is
always a cloud in his heaven which seems to menace a possible storm.
Pages:
286
287
288
289
290
291
292
293
294
295
296
297
298
299
300
301
302
303
304
305
306
307
308
309
310