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Correspondence from Aleister Crowley to Gerald Kelly
Shepherd's Hotel. Le Caire, France.
25/10/02 [25 October 1902]
Dear Gerald.
I hope you have my earlier Works with you in Paris. I need especially Green Alps, as I am now half-writing half-compiling, a book called "The Lover's Alphabet" all lyrics of rural love. e.g. I include "The roses of the world are sad" but exclude "Asmodel" and "Messaline". I have yet about 14 poems to write, unless I can pick some from early work. I most probably leave Port Said November 3 to Paris via Marseilles.
I expect to see any amount of good work of yours when I arrive. You must fulfil your ancient promise to paint me. I fancy that you will find me a good deal changes, even in looks, and I expect ditto of you.
We must have a great dinner to celebrate my return. I shall perhaps invite S.R.M.D. [MacGregor Mathers] and Vestigis [Moina Mathers]. I suppose you see them occasionally.
Are you still en famille with a sister? Or has the need of solitude got you? Or are you bold and bad?
How I look forward to civilization! The Opera! The Louvre! The everlasting nonchalant charm of the Boulevards! Art! and the subtlety of my testal Festus! Here everyone says 'cunt' right out loud, and calls a spade a bloody shovel. How I hate it! Cairo is a filthy low place with no beauty at all, unless you go to the Nile. Mais on dime. And that's something when you think that three months back I over ate myself badly because the taste of coarse badly-cooked mountain sheep was so delicious!
Fly, loathèd days, until I can get to you.
Yours ever.
Aleister Crowley.
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