Letter from Edward Thomas to the poet Gordon Bottomley. Sent from Elses Farm, The Weald, Kent. Archival ref: 424/1/1/1/10/59
17 v 06

Mr dear Gordon

This can't turn out to
be a letter for I am behind hand with
several pieces of work & weary after a
day i town where I saw many people,
drank much wine & sat 1 1/2 hours for
my portrait to a colourman. But my
thanking you will fill a page perhaps.
And first for the letter , it was very good to
have.

Tbhe subjects you suggest are all good , but even
if they had come earlier I don't think I could
have to do easy subjects or at least
such as I already have material for . So I
doubt if I can [illegible] than , though I will try
the imaginary Saint perhaps.

And for the French song : but I seem to have
varied from my usual way of saying it,
for th time is wrong . Nevertheless I
have got it right with your version as a
basis.

Don't thank Platt. He send(sic) the book to be
forwarded to you , but without having heard
your name , so do not trouble. I quite
agree with you about him.

Dalmon promises his poem but has not
sent it yet.

I expect William Sharp praised Dinadan
because he knew Rhys : & I have not heard of
any other poem of the same name.

No, we shall not take the neighbouring
farmhouse. Helen goes to Petersfield
tommorrow to look about. It is near
THE WEALD,
Nr. SEVENOAKS.

Selborne & will have many nightingales near.
I wish I could offer you another subject, but
I can't think of one. Have you a suggestion?
If so send it please.

It is cold & moist, & I am overwhelmed by a
senseof incompetence (& its importance ) & don't
know what to do. My last chapters have
been dreadful. I shall have 8000 words to do &
no subject. Except an orchard by the sea &
which will make my 27th Landscape at this
dreadful book. I wish I were not divided
between healthiness, 20 mile walks, humour &c
and small decadence . Was ever anyone more
perplexed?

By the way, I wonder can you tell me if the place
names in the Hunting Song which Rathbone
played - it is in the [illegible] are
spelt rightly? Grass.gards , Ulpha, re-
Dunnerdale re.

The Bard is still happy & I think I shall
give him a room in [illegible] house unless I get
a cottage there too. He has shown me 40
pages of his recent verse & it is painfully
mediocre & pastoral ,with usually just
a faint gleam of original feeling that
has come through his shabby words -
for his style is [illegible] at the level of
his poorest in the printed book. It is
distressing .I have to tell him what I
think.

With our love to you both &
my apologies for beimg what I am

Yours Ever
Edward Thomas

Supposing Helen & I were free & rich at
the end of June, could we come to see Emily & you?