RILKE, Rainer Maria (1875–1926).

An excerpt from the letter the poet wrote to a lady living in the flat next door to the one Rilke had rented from Dr Feist. Rilke attempts to appease this person, who had complained to Dr Feist about the disturbances caused by his tenant. He is taken aback by her vehement complaints (‘heftige Beschwerde’). Unfortunately, he does not know Dr Feist personally, though he has his complete trust (“mein vollkommenstes Vertrauen”), and must be reassured that it is not just any stranger occupying this flat that Rilke loves so much (“nicht irgend einen mir überhaupt unbekannten Miether in meiner, mir sehr lieben Wohnung zu wissen”). Rilke hopes that this trust is not called into question by the lady’s complaints; he knows from experience that certain nuisances caused by a neighbour can feel unbearable and that the mere mention of them can provoke a state of irritation that is sometimes excessive: “I know from my own experience how easily one finds certain nuisances, which a neighbour occasionally causes, to be unbearable, and with what irritation one eventually, almost exaggeratedly, points them out”… He is convinced that Dr Feist will be keen to spare the lady’s feelings and to establish a peaceful relationship with the third floor, and he could not wish for more: “to establish a harmonious relationship with the third floor. – From my position here, I can neither do nor wish for more”…