Boston,
Sept. 15, 1927 My dear Miss Bryan,
It is so good of you to ask after my health, and I am indeed grateful to you. My health is infinitely better now. Living out of doors has done a great deal for me physically. And besides I have not been allowed to do any work. But I have come to the conclusion, however, that hell is a place where no one is allowed to work.
I agree with you that some wives are inquisitive, and also some husbands. But I have not the one nor am I the other. So, you see, my life is much simpler than the other person’s life. To be sure, my secretary takes care of my impersonal letters, and he does his work quite well.
Yes, I am interested in languages, and of course I have always known French. And though I am not a linguist, philology has been, and is now, one of the most interesting subjects to me. I think that the history of words is the history of the human mind.
I did visit Rocheport more than once, but I did not have the pleasure of meeting your friends there. My memory for names is poor, but not for faces.
You ask me why I am interested in you and in your letters. As an answer I would say: Why did I write "The Prophet", the little book which you said you like? Is there really a difference between writing a poem and a letter — that is if the writer does not know the difference?
In a day or two I am going to New Hampshire. Most of the time I shall be alone in the forest. Write to me if you should care to do so. Your letters are always welcome.
Faithfully yours
Kahlil Gibran
