Collection: Grupe Family Letters

Author: Gustave Grupe

Recipient: Marie Kreplin (Grupe)

Description: Letter from Gustave Grupe to his aunt, Marie Grupe, December 4, 1914.

Gustave Grupe to Marie Grupe, December 4, 1914

English Text

Hamburg Ohlsdorf the 4th Dec. 1914. My dear good aunt! We are in the month of December. So again a year older and a year wiser and as you know you can then report a bit more clearly, as I used to do so far and in more detail. In view of the serious times in which we are now in Germany, I cannot write much that is new about us. And yet we should be satisfied, at least we in the closest circle. One is healthy and well. and what that means and is worth will you, dear aunt, best understand how to appreciate it. The visit of your daughter Amelia and her three grown-up children made this summer a great pleasure for us. In the absence of you, they were to a certain extent a piece of yourself, which we were therefore able to welcome here with particular satisfaction. Unfortunately, the bad war intervened later. when they were in "Hildesheim" and were stuck there afterwards. Had we had any idea about it, we would not have let them go at all. Our beautiful Hamburg has an infinite number of interesting things that I could have entertained them for weeks to come. Amelia and her daughters have made the long journey only to have so little of it. we were very sorry for that. (we were) When I talk to you like that, of how distant times one is reminded, it has now been more than 40 years since I left your country. and yet I still like to think back to those times, because the beautiful 20s in which one was at that time. You only spend such beautiful youthful years once. time never returns.

Original text