Rapid method of Neo

But first a word in your ear : reflect on the disasters that could conceivably follow from some thoughless deed by any one of us, and then you will become more indulgent towards the failings that you notice in others.

Dostoyevski has said : “The executioner lurks within every one of our contemporaries” ; and these “contemporaries” belong to all time.

And now that I have reached 70 and passed by a wide margin the normal life-expectancy at birth — which for me was no more than some 40 years — I give thanks to Providence and to all who have loved me and shown kindness.

“Habui partem meam”, I have had my share of life’s gifts; and now I greet each new day as an extra gift. For all of you I have only one wish to utter : that you may attain to a perfect peace of mind and that when you reach my age you may be just as happy as I am now.

But do not forget : more important than doctors for preserving health are good humour and smiling.

Some recipients of this letter may feel surprise at hearing themselves named my friends; but indeed they are my friends — all of them and even without their knowing it; for it detracts no whit from the true value of the friendship of those nearest to me when I assert that all men are my friends, believers and unbelievers, good and bad, the rich — and more especially the poor.

sur po mi lo plu ixas.

Mi ganir ma insolenta sfido.

E dok et anyos me aportir an zi sa part d’adversados, intel plu kruelas.

Kom pir realisi et paradoxa fakto ?

Simple per vera ix sar un kozo nodelibla : ma ix sar in mi, it ma kompan fidela e noseparibla. It ni me kitir, mi it ni trazir.

Es so se ye drilar — e ix sar parte un qestyon de dri\ — so akorgar ke so par si ixa muy ize, uske tan ize ke l’unkas, zenat pe et izeso, no kontarsar ke ziself Fautoros de sa malix, konfuzar ix kon dumeso, e gar us dici ke so no par si ixa sen si dumcla.

Zi forse raga, pes fonde lo formulos d’ix sar nur infanema komunlogos. In et komunlogos dok star vera sago.

Mi v’en enuncor tre, olda as lo mond, mo ki retrovor lo nuveso e lo freskeso de primaver des vu or konsentat v’en penetri e en fi va substanso :

vu amu sincere va proxun. Vu fiu un esfort ut et amor penetru profonde in vu e no siu surfaca. Vu ye skopror lo prim sorgo de joy e ye bevor ix ;

Vu samtempe or pelat da va kor lo last tracos del yora egros ke sar isko e od.

vu siu bonumora e ridelu. An ik vu fiu un esfort ut eto no restu nur un intent, mo se traduku in realeso;

nel okupos a keos vu astringat о exe zi, vu kiru un labor ke vu libar, askan umila it pur si, e vu tasku ye poni som ideal e kreo, mode vu pur marki va paso on ter. Lo seo plu senereda par fixisi as skop de sa viv doti sa dorfol kon un publa olsobenko. L’id van il or realat et vozo, il sentor lo joy d’i kumpat sa misyon. Lo benko testor k’iZ no vivir po nilo : “ne frustra vixisse videar”.

Em to : sincera proxamo, bonumor e un labor utila ke vu libar. Et tre reglos, l’id van vu en or vere fat va substanso, transfiguror to a va okos e ve for vidi lo bel elto de viv.

Vu noplue konor nugo, nor lo malifa bezon de derivifas k’it genar.

Vu sentor l’ix ke star in simple si e in pensi. Lo simpla fakolt de kapi lo senso del vortos, dey shakun ne skoprar un orizon senenda, sar ja un grun po sentisi fyera e ixa.

Es mi sur mandat po di subjekos de tem a alevos, mi prenur somyes un sol vort, e lo primvenat, tan shakun de zi par ne fi pensi.

Nok un konselet laze al orel : vu pensu al mal ke shakun de nos ur pat fi oxe, e siu indulga al falos d’osunos.

Dostoyevski dicir : “L’instintos de martirist existar in jermo in shakun de na samptempanos.” Et “samtempanos” sar tottempa.

Nun ke mi atangir ma 70 anyos, e ke mi dadus depasir lo spero de viv ke mi ir van mi nasir — lo medya vivodur sir yenepoke 40 anyos — mi adresar ma dankos a Providenso e a zi ki me amir e me fir beno.

“Habui partem meam”, mi ir ma part. Mi salutar shak nuv id as un bel regal me fat. E po vu tos mi formular nur un vozo : vu atangu perfa almo-sereneso e vu si maaje as ixa as mi nun.

E vu no oblu ke ridel e bonumor ve elpor nokmele qam medikeros po servi bon san.

Som destinaryos d’et brif sor astonat se udande nami ma amikos. Fakte zi it sar tos, uske es sensape, den, sen ete mini lo val del amikeso de los ki me plu proxa, tot omos ma amikos, lo krederas e lo nokrederas, lo bonas e lo malas, lo rikas e surte lo povas.

And let me add, even as Walt Whitman did : it is not only those who are alive but all men of the past and all yet to be born that I greet as my brothers.

And now I drink to the beauty that shines from the eyes of all pretty women and to the happiness that can shine from your own.

Your friend,

(free translation into English by D.S.B.) Arturo Alfandari.

II. - POETRY

LE PONT MIRABEAU

Sous le Pont Mirabeau coule la Seine Et nos amours Faut-il qu’il m’en souvienne La joie venait toujours aprfes la peine Vienne la nuit sonne l’heure Les jours s’en vont je demeure