"I will remain faithful to my Greeks!" Müller, Wilhelm, gen. "Greece-Müller", poet and writer who died early, librarian in Dessau, one of the first editors of baroque poets, creator of famous folk songs, partly set to music by Schubert, main representative of the German literary philhellenism (1794-1827). Eigh.Letter m. U. "Wilhelm Müller". 21/2 p. Double page with address. 4to. Dessau 7.III.1822. To the poet Friedrich de la Motte-Fouqué at his castle Nennhausen (Mark Brandenburg). Very nice, rich letter about his Baroque poet editions, his Greece campaign and other current politics. As an "excusor" for the delay of his letter he "received an old, worthy man - Martin Opitz von Boberfeld - With this our poetic Ahn I had so much to do in these weeks that I can only now answer the letters of my friends for 8 to 10 weeks. I will publish a library of German poets of the 17th century at Brockhaus in Leipzig, in 8 to 9 ribbons, the first of which, which appears at the Easter Mass, contains the old pater poeseos germaniae, as Opitz was otherwise titulit. Then follows the Weckherlin, the pious, powerful Andreas Gryphius, who is almost completely forgotten by his Germany, also the fiery Flemming, from whom Schwab has already delivered a new edition, which, however, must not be missing in my collection, finally less important and less supplying poets: Tscherning, Gerhard, Logau, Rist, Günther pp. ... I am sorry that your book on Greece is parting the fate of the Greeks - take it too long to wait for the Russian declaration of war in vain at last. But why don't you get the book out of your cousin's despotism? From me next with the first spring air new Greek freedom songs with the old (i.e. with a new edition of the old) fly into the world. You'll want to open a window on your lock when you hear knocking outside. I would rather knock on your door myself ...". But official business and the imminent birth of a child temporarily prevented him from doing so. "... We now feel a little freer and more comfortable here in Anhalt, since the free waves of the Elbe rush on our shores, and drink our wine with the wondrous feeling that no foreign ruler and his officials drink from every glass. Now I can also feel the truly oppressive feeling - which I, as a Anhalter, or more rightly, as the subject of a German state, had to throw away from me against Prussia, which I loved and fought for for for a time as my fatherland. - In the view of the larger world hands, I am not so well. The consolation that you recently put up for unfulfilled hopes in your poem to the author of Pseudo-Meister [i.e. Johann Friedrich Wilhelm Pustkuchen, who published "Wilhelm Meisters Wanderjahre" in 1822] is not enough for me. Of course, the winner died at Marathon in prison - but Athens became free. Miltiades had not fought for himself, so his victory by his shameful death was not fruitless. I remain faithful to my Greeks ...". - Wilhelm Müller is still remembered today as the author of folk songs such as "Am Brunnen vor dem Tor" (born 1822, in the year of the present letter), "Das Wandering ist des Müllers Lust" and "Im Krug zum grünen Kranz". - Nicht fleckig; Siegel- Ausriss old restored. - From the famous collection Wilhelm Künzel, who also noted with pencil at the bottom: "very interesting".