Letter from Edward Thomas to the poet Gordon Bottomley. Sent from Elses Farm, The Weald, Kent. Archival ref: 424/1/1/1/10/70
THE WEAL
10.1X.06. Nr SE

My dear Gordon,
I have just sent off the proofs. Your suggestions are most useful. Where I could - in my haste - I made use of them. I admit your rightness in every case. But you alarm me by reminding me of the terrible carelessness of my long sentences, often irremediably. I suppose the Daily Chronicle is part of my infirmity as the Morte D’arthur, I never realized how unliked the terrible Clasics edition was - I could not alter it seriously as I have sold my good Monte D’arthur. How did I come to use that passage? I expect in the same way you came to love it most. For we do resemble one another, in spite of my opinion of your pastoralism.
And your praises. If only my work did not get so entirely outside myself as soon as it is finished I should become languid with joy and vanity. I feared the (illegible) might be melodramatic and too much talked about- Oh !

D
EVENOAKS
how I do talk about things, producing not works of art but, remarks about works of art that someone else will do.
But you (illegible) not to praise my Mountains- I fear they are mere collector’s work, and where they are not that , too vague-
Is the Schwobism really right? It has no outlines- it is not seen. There is no reason why it should not have been half or twice as long, l feel. It is too moral and not visible enough.
Onto the Fox Hunt no, my editor only suggested and sketched the interpolations in the old man’s narrative and he invented (and I unwillingly adopted) Enid.
I am using your Canol. I had seen it before but almost forgotten it. It is very beautiful and I wonder how it came to be written. It is too perfect for a folk song: in fact Morris - would have liked to write it.
I am sorry you can’t use Laurence Hope- Heinemann does not change for her poems, I find I cannot tell you whether Morley
Robert’s is a Canadian, but I see you are not an imperialist, though you include Rhys. Also I do not possess Roberts: he was only lent to me by his friend
W. H. Hudson.
You ask about “In lofty numbers let us serve“ - it is Drayton’s, cruelly dismembered by me from one of his lengthy pastorals, but I cannot trace “The woods of (illegible) are dead”
Yes, I admit. Carbonet is Penard Castle in Gower. Don’t review me and betray it to those who think it matters.
I must leave out Adelaide. But she shall not die.
You will pass quite near to Peterfield in going to Bournemouth, I expect. I wish we were to be there to intercept you. But we do not know yet when we can get into our house, - perhaps in October, perhaps not until December. I hope you find that Bournemouth is the right place ( for a short stay, because I should not like you to live in Hampshire and not within a day’s
walk of me).
It is odd about “ The woods of (illegible) are dead” but I cannot think of a possible (illegible) just now.
Oh Comforter, goodbye. It is in my mind wrong that you are alive and quite real and that - with very few others are with when I exchange talk and letters.
Give my love and Helen’s to Emily and take care yourself.
Ever yours
Edward Thomas