Thomas, Dylan

protesting his love from the dining car on a train to London, discussing the waiters, who are familiar from previous journeys, and his plans for his trip to London, in pencil, 2 pages, 8vo, "on the train", 5:30 Sunday [? 10 December 1950], three small tears (longest being c.25mm)

Collected Letters of Dylan Thomas, ed. Ferris (2000), pp.866-67

"...I love you for ever, day & night, all my life & death, I love you, Caitlin. Forgive my bellows when I'm hurt, my snarling recriminations which are really only against the weather, the world, God, bombs, penury, drink, my self, but never you. Never you, my dearest wife..."

The tone of this somewhat maudlin love-letter is probably best explained by recent difficulties in the Thomas's marriage. Caitlin was unhappy at the couple's home in Laugharne, Dylan's extravagence on his American tour earlier in the year meant that it had not alleviated their money troubles, and, most seriously, Caitlin had discovered that Dylan had had an affair with Pearl Kazin in New York, which had continued when Kazin had visited London in September. This is the first letter Dylan wrote to Caitlin after she found out about Kazin, and his repeated protestations of love - even when he was just on a brief visit to London to take part in a radio discussion programme - reflect his desperate wish to save their marriage.