George SAND, philosopher, brings comfort to his friend.

George Sand (1804.1876)

Autographed letter signed to Thérèse Blanc.

Three and a half pages in-8° on embossed paper with his monogram.

Nohant, April 10 [18]63.

"Take life as a great duty, all the more beautiful for being more difficult."

A beautiful and moving letter from Sand offering her comfort to her friend following the death of the Count d'Aure on April 7, 1863.

_____________________________________

“Thank you, thank you, my dear Thérèse! It is so kind of you to have sent me this memento of him, this lock of hair and this portrait. We will cherish these relics , and we will never speak of him, despite our grief, except with this tender feeling that is almost a gentle sweetness. For you, the loss is more cruel; it takes from you such a sure and devoted support! Ah! We are well aware of all the misfortunes that will befall you in addition to the pain of this separation.”

You are suddenly expected to become a strong woman, and yet you are still almost a child. Courage, my poor little one. Such trials only break the weak. Take life as a great duty, all the more beautiful for being more difficult . I grieve for your mother perhaps even more than for you, who at least have the strength of the future ahead of you. But for her, to have known happiness late and to lose it early is bitterly sad. Be her consolation, and to do so, overcome your discouraged tears and your fear of fate . We all make our own fate ! Not entirely, though; there is God's role in allowing us to be struck in our dearest affections. There is the role of the world and its events, which are not always favorable to us.

But there is also our part, that of our will and our virtues, which is the strongest, because it conjures and transforms the dispositions of the world around us, and because it calls upon us the help of God.

Don't forget that in my last letter, I told you that Mr. Buloz was entirely at your service. You will need to resume your activities and the energy you have been putting into them. Your friend who loved you so much and who still sees you will take this into account. With friendship and respect to all, and to you with my warmest heart. G. Sand.

_____________________________________

Marie-Thérèse de Solms , Madame Blanc (1840-1907), was the daughter of Edouard de Solms and Adrienne Olympe de Bentzon. Married at sixteen, she separated from her husband at nineteen and tried very early on to make a living by her writing, with the help and encouragement of George Sand. Under various pseudonyms (Théodore Batz, Th. Bentzon), she wrote a large number of novels, translations, and reviews, contributing to Revue des Deux Mondes and the Revue politique et littéraire.