LETTERS TO MADAME DE GRIGNAN[1]
FROM 1671 TO 1690.
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LETTER I.
Paris, Monday, February 9, 1671.
I receive your letters in the same way in which you received my ring. I am in tears while I read them. My heart seems ready to burst. Bystanders would think that you had treated me ill in your letters, or were sick, or that some accident had happened to you ; whereas every thing is the reverse. You love me, my dear child ; you love me, and you tell me so in a manner that makes my tears flow in torrents. You continue your journey without any disagreeable accident[2].
- ↑ Margaret de Sévigné, only daughter of Madame de Sévigné, was born in 1649, a short time before her father was killed. The education and happiness of this " lovely and infinitely dear child," was the occupation, delight, and anxiety of the mother's long life. For her, Madame de Sévigné thought, read, observed, and wrote. The following letters are not only charming as specimens of epistolary style, but also full of interest and instruction to those who would study the human mind in its most sacred development of maternal love.
- ↑ In January, 1670, this idolized daughter of Madame de Sévigné was married to the Count de Grignan, who was Lieutenant-Général of the Government of Provence, where he found it necessary to reside. The separation of mother and daughter, which took place early the following year, was the occasion for the world-renowned correspondence, which has immortalized the genius of one, and the names of both.
