T. E. Lawrence Correspondence – Page 379

LH 9/3/42 To James Hanley, 14. 7. 31 Plymouth 14. VII. 31 Dear Hanley I have been on two days detached duty, so only got your letter of the 9th last night. I agree with you in disliking the navy type - but of course the sort of fellow who gets promotion in a service is usually the wrong one, humanly speaking. Your father sounds rather the right sort of man. If he likes the Guard [word crossed out] work considering- ation for the shareholders should come but initial. Besides, shipping shares are rotten, suggest! You did, as a fact, ask me once before if I was in humour with the world, and felt at heavy. Only somehow it does not strike me like that. The world doesn't have much to do with me, or me with it (as, not if I dislike the grammatical inhumane in operations; - that's just roughly in..pi: except for the fact every service man has that his setting may suddenly change. I warn lest then I have golf and the world is a fine thing to look at, from below. Does this help? Bloomsbury & behests keep on closing with "it", which does not please me. Yet I would live near London, or in London, if I could. Mills didn't me, rather, and so do Galsworthy & greatest pleasure lies in wogil: a drink through a crowd, trying to fit words or rhythms to what my eyes see. Not for any purpose! for the exercise of it. I cannot play music (or indeed read it well): but I share your pleasure in Wolf records. I used to have a lot ofrolydor Wolf, long ago, and (I still! crossed out) the Drei Konice, Fuerrstide, Gsang Weylee, Vertorgenheft and ... those or four others still survive (very worn) and give me delight once a week or so. They seem to be out-of-print now: at least I tried to get more from Baker a year ago, and he could find none. Probably your Hanover records date from long back. Wolf was a great "little artist", and I think his lieder are far the most beautiful ever written. 34/