To Jolande Jacobi
Dear Frau Jacobi, 10 April 1933
I assume you will already have heard from Brody what has happened to the falcon that flew out of your hand into the blue.
It came home again bedraggled and crept into its own egg, just as Noah’s dove found no rest for the sole of her foot.
The highly implausible story that the dove returned with an olive leaf has not yet come to pass; the ark still tosses on the waters, which are higher than ever.
I personally do not regret this deflation in the least, as I am not at all set on making more work for myself.
I am convinced that people who could do it by themselves do not exist.
The fate of X. seems to me far sadder.
I have heard indirectly how badly it goes with him [X], and from the talk I had with him in Vienna this catastrophic decline could be foreseen, as nobody can defy life’s laws with impunity.
I know how very hard your lot is these days.
With best wishes,
Ever sincerely yours,
