The Works of Robert Louis Stevenson - Swanston Edition, Vol. 24Stevenson, Robert Louis
General
The Works of Robert Louis Stevenson - Swanston Edition, Vol. 24
Stevenson, Robert Louis
Authors, Scottish -- 19th century -- Correspondence; Stevenson, Robert Louis, 1850-1894 -- Correspondence
I make you to know my great affection. At the hour when you left us, I
was filled with tears; my wife, Rui Tehini, also, and all of my
household. When you embarked I felt a great sorrow. It is for this that
I went upon the road, and you looked from that ship, and I looked at you
on the ship with great grief until you had raised the anchor and hoisted
the sails. When the ship started, I ran along the beach to see you
still; and when you were on the open sea I cried out to you, "farewell
Louis": and when I was coming back to my house I seemed to hear your
voice crying "Rui farewell." Afterwards I watched the ship as long as I
could until the night fell; and when it was dark I said to myself, "if I
had wings I should fly to the ship to meet you, and to sleep amongst
you, so that I might be able to come back to shore and to tell Rui
Tehini, 'I have slept upon the ship of Teriitera.'" After that we passed
that night in the impatience of grief. Towards eight o'clock I seemed to
hear your voice, "Teriitera--Rui--here is the hour for putter and tiro"
(cheese and syrup). I did not sleep that night, thinking continually of
you, my very dear friend, until the morning: being then awake I went to
see Tapina Tutu on her bed, and alas, she was not there. Afterwards I
looked into your rooms; they did not please me as they used to do. I did
not hear your voice crying, "hail Rui." I thought then that you had
gone, and that you had left me. Rising up I went to the beach to see
your ship, and I could not see it. I wept, then, till the night, telling
myself continually, "Teriitera returns into his own country and leaves
his dear Rui in grief, so that I suffer for him, and weep for him." I
will not forget you in my memory. Here is the thought: I desire to meet
you again. It is my dear Teriitera makes the only riches I desire in
this world. It is your eyes that I desire to see again. It must be that
your body and my body shall eat together at our table: there is what
would make my heart content. But now we are separated. May God be with
you all. May His word and His mercy go with you, so that you may be well
and we also, according to the words of Paul.
ORI A ORI; that is to say, RUI.
After reading this to me Louis has left in tears saying that he is not
worthy that such a letter should be written to him. We hope to so manage
that we shall stop at Tahiti and see Rui once more. I tell myself that
pleasant story when I wake in the night.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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