Mainly, he sat for a long time by the piano, giving polonaises, waltzes and mazurkas by his idolized Chopin and with such orgiastic violence over the tangents one could be led to believe it was an entire orchestra playing. There were mistakes from time to time, for the pianist was exclusively autodidact, but the safety of rhythm and the enchanting soulfulness of the act was riveting and irresistible.
Fremfor alt satt han i lengre tid ved klaveret og gav poleneser, valser og masurkaer av sin tilbedte Chopin og det med en slik orgiastisk vold over tangentene at man kunne tro et helt orkester spilte. Det kunne forekomme en og annen feil, for pianisten var fullstendig selvlært, men rytmens sikkerhet og foredragets forheksede sjelfullhet hadde noe medrivende ved seg som man ikke kunne motstå.
Sometimes, the woman can make use of her brain, I gladly admit that, however, the mother bear is so brutal and I am so nervous. These days, I long for a woman who enjoys the new brain.
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My Ducha, [...]. Now, now first I know that I love you. [...] I remember [...] how you endured me when I was drunk, how you have suffered and been joyful with me, and I see your wonderfully fine aristocratic cheeks and I feel your tender, silk-like panther skin under my hands. [...] I may have been the very first to create the beginning of the great, modern romance... [...]. I want them to know you created me, and I want you as I have never before had you: your naked, quivering soul, your naked, quivering thoughts. [...] A nature such as mine can only consist in you, for you are my absolute, highest, most intimate ideal. [...] I shall write the most wonderful things, I shall extend into Heaven, I shall do all, all, all, but I need to feel that you love me.
We got married – Dagny says, with her large, honest, Norwegian "virgin eyes", wide open, alight with bashful bravado and mischievous warmongering – we got married, because the cost of it was only one Mark on Standesamt, and we had just one Mark that day!