Dear Theo,
Write again soon when you have a moment; keep up your
courage and be strong. I'm enclosing something which I copied
for you. 1
Last night, after I had been at the office till one o'clock,
I made a detour to the Grote Kerk [Great Church]; then, I went
along the canal and past by the old gate, I finally arrived at
the Nieuwe Kerk [New Church], then I returned home. It had
snowed, a deep silence reigned over everything; I saw here and
there little bright lights in the windows and, in the snow, the
black silhouette of a night watchman. It was high tide, and
beside the snow the canals and ships looked very dark. It was
charming around the two churches. The sky, grey and foggy, only
let the moonlight filter through.
You have De Genestet's
poems, haven't you? Read them as often as you can. Once when I
was in Paris, Father sent me “When I Was a Boy” and
“There Is No Priest Who Explains Him.”
I am writing you hastily from work, à Dieu, a
handshake from
Your loving brother, Vincent
-
A few psalms and religious verses.
At this time, Vincent was 23 year oldSource: Vincent van Gogh. Letter to Theo van Gogh. Written 28 February 1877 in Dordrecht. Translated by Mrs. Johanna van Gogh-Bonger, edited by Robert Harrison, number 087. URL: https://www.webexhibits.org/vangogh/letter/5/087.htm.
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