Letters of a Javanese princess/Chapter 12
XII[1]
7th October, 1900.
I CALMLY bide my time. When it comes then men shall see that I am no soulless creature, but a human being with a head and a heart, who can think and feel. It is frightfully egotistical of me to make you a sharer in every thing that concerns me. It brings light to me, but to you, it must be vexation! Everything for myself, nothing for you. I long to tell you everything simply because I love you so much. Draw back from me, thrust me from your thoughts, from your heart, forget me, let me struggle alone, for God, you do not know into what a wasps' nest you stick your hand, when you reach it out to me!
Let me alone, I shall only be thankful for your sympathy and because you have crossed the path of my life and caused sunshine and flowers to fall across it. Let our meeting be as that of ships on the wide ocean that pass in the dark night. A meeting—a blithe greeting — a foamy track through the smooth water and then—no more! But I fear—I know that you could never go by like that—even though you might wish it. Let us never speak of it again. ··········
A little while ago in talking to Mama, about something of interest to women, I told her what I had said so many times before, that nothing attracted me more, that nothing was more longed for by me than to be able to fly alone upon my own wings. Mama said, "But there is no one now, not among us, who does that!"
"Then it is time that some one should do it."
"But you know very well that every beginning is difficult. That the fate of every innovator is hard. That misunderstanding, disappoint ment on top of disappointment, ridicule, all await you; do you realize that?"
"I know it. But it is not today nor yesterday that these ideas have come to me ; they have lived in me for years."
"But what will come of it for yourself? Will it bring you contentment, make you happy?" "I know that the way I wish to go is difficult, full of thorns, thistles, pitfalls; it is stormy, rough, slippery and it is — free! And even though I shall not be happy after I have reached my goal, though I may give way before it is half reached, I shall die gladly, for the path will then have been broken, and I shall have helped to clear the way which leads to freedom and independence for the native woman. I shall feel a great content because the parents of other girls who wished to become independent would never be able to say 'There is no one, not among us, who does that.'"
Strange, but I am not uneasy or disturbed; I am calm and full of courage; only my stupid, foolish heart feels sick.
- ↑ To Mevrouw Abendanon.