Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Heiligenstadt Testament
Heiligenstadt Testament
Testament
despair, but
little more and I would have put an end to my life - only
art it was that withheld me, ah it seemed impossible to
leave the world
O you men who think or say that I am malevolent, stubborn or misanthropic, how greatly do you wrong me, you until I had produced all that I felt called upon me to produce, and so I endured this wretched existence - truly
do not know the secret
wretched, an
causes of my seeming, from childhood my heart and mind
were disposed to the gentle feelings of good will, I was excitable body which a sudden change can throw from the
best into the worst state - Patience - it is said that I must
even ever eager to
now choose
accomplish great deeds, but reect now that for six years I
have been a hopeless case, aggravated by senseless physi- for my guide, I have done so, I hope my determination
will remain rm to endure until it please the inexorable
cians, cheated
parcae to break the
year after year in the hope of improvement, nally compelled to face the prospect of a lasting malady (whose cure thread, perhaps I shall get better, perhaps not, I am prepared. Forced already in my 28th year to become a
will take years
philosopher, O it is not
or, perhaps, be impossible), born with an ardent and lively
temperament, even susceptible to the diversions of soci- easy, less easy for the artist than for anyone else - Divine
One thou lookest into my inmost soul, thou knowest it,
ety, I was
thou knowest
compelled early to isolate myself, to live in loneliness,
when I at times tried to forget all this, O how harshly was that love of man and desire to do good live therein. O
men, when some day you read these words, reect that
I repulsed by
you did me wrong and
the doubly sad experience of my bad hearing, and yet it
was impossible for me to say to men speak louder, shout, let the unfortunate one comfort himself and nd one of
his kind who despite all obstacles of nature yet did all that
for I am deaf. Ah
was in his
how could I possibly admit such an inrmity in the one
sense which should have been more perfect in me than in power to be accepted among worthy artists and men. You
my brothers Carl and [Johann] as soon as I am dead if Dr.
others, a sense
Schmid is still
which I once possessed in highest perfection, a perfection
such as few surely in my profession enjoy or have enjoyed alive ask him in my name to describe my malady and attach this document to the history of my illness so that so
- O I cannot
far as possible at
do it, therefore forgive me when you see me draw back
when I would gladly mingle with you, my misfortune is least the world may become reconciled with me after my
death. At the same time I declare you two to be the heirs
doubly painful because
to my small
it must lead to my being misunderstood, for me there can
be no recreations in society of my fellows, rened inter- fortune (if so it can be called), divide it fairly, bear with
and help each other, what injury you have done me you
course, mutual
know was long
exchange of thought, only just as little as the greatest
needs command disposition, although I sometimes ran ago forgiven. To you brother Carl I give special thanks for
the attachment you have displayed towards me of late. It
counter to it yielding
is my wish
to my inclination for society, but what a humiliation when
one stood beside me and heard a ute in the distance and that your lives be better and freer from care than I have
had, recommend virtue to your children, it alone can give
I heard
happiness, not
nothing, or someone heard the shepherd singing and again
I heard nothing, such incidents brought me to the verge of money, I speak from experience, it was virtue that upheld
1
ADDENDUM
Addendum
3.1
Text
3.2
Kath-
Images
3.3
Content license