Love for Helen
May 1, 1834
“Gentle One: Do I love you too much? Do I think of you too often? Do I devote too much time in writing to you? This I know — that our separation is truly painful to my heart; that you occupy my thoughts more than any other human being; that in addressing myself to you so often, I am not only permitted to cherish the pleasing assurance that I am contributing to your happiness, but enabled to pour out the tender emotions of my breast; and that I might as well attempt to forget my own unworthiness, as one so dear and meritorious as my own sweet Helen…” 1