バートランド・ラッセル「片想い (報いられない愛)」

ある男子学生からの手紙

　自分が最も望むものがどんなに努力をしても手に入らないというのなら、これから大学で学ぶことに、また、生き続けることに何の意味があるのだろうか、片想いの苦しさから自殺の衝動にもかられるある男子学生からの手紙
　（注）in order:適切で、望ましい／sit for:受験する

'... Briefly, I am in love with one, Caroline by name, of beauty and intelligence, and, as in the situation which must be all too frequent elsewhere, she does not love me. ... My reaction to this information was to prepare a poison for my use. ... A word or two about myself would seem in order.... I am twenty years old. ... I was educated at Bryanston where I did not work from pure laziness and lack of interest... and then decided to sit for a scholarship in History to Trinity College, Cambridge. And now Caroline... Why should'nt I kill myself if I so wish? ... Why am I going to a university, and further why am I going to read History there? How is this going to help me?（July 19, 1963）'

ラッセルからの返事

　あなたの窮状を良く理解できます。同じく片想いに苦しみ、後に偉大な詩人になったダンの詩集を読むことをお薦めします。・・・。片想いは、重い病のようなもので、回復に向かわない内は大変苦しいが、その苦しみは一生続くものではありません。[治療（例：興味のある別のことを一生懸命やること）により、また、時間の経過とともに、病は癒えていくものです。]
　ですから、ケンブリッジ大学（トリニティカレッジ）に進学して歴史を勉強されるのがよいと思います。それによってきっと新しい道が開けてくると思います。・・。そのうちしばらくしてから、あなたがケンブリッジ大学受験準備を家庭教師とどのように進めているか、手紙で知らせてください。
（注）thy:汝の／scorn:軽蔑、侮蔑／loveloan:失恋した

Dear Sir,
... May I say that I entirely understand your difficulty. I suggest that you look up Donne's "When by thy scorn, O murderess, I am dead...", and reflect that after writing this poem the lovelorn poet lived to become Dean of St. Paul's and to preach many eloquent sermons on death.
Unrequited love is like a serious illness -- very unpleasant while it lasts but usually not life-long. I should not treat this question as one of morality but as one of rational forecast of your future.
I hope that you will go up to Trinity to read History. It could open a new world to you, and I believe from what you write that you could make the most of this opportunity. Meanwhile, perhaps you might care to write to me a little later to tell me how your preparations for Cambridge are going with your tutor.
With best wishes,
Yours sincerely,
Bertrand Russell
(From: Dear Bertrand Russell; a selection of his correspondence with the general public, 1950 - 1968. Allen & Unwin, 1969.)