To say that Lord Byron was devilish in his dalliances with women would be an understatement. This letter was one of the letters written by Lord Byron to his mistress, the very married Teresa, Countess Guiccioli. Interestingly, she met Lord Byron 3 days after marrying her husband, a cold and stern nobleman that was 50 years her senior. The manuscripts/papers that she retained chronicling her scandalous affair were hidden by family and were therefore unpublished until 2005.

Each word was written by my hand.

Dimensions: 30W x 1.5D x 70H in.

Frame constructed from glass

Silver finish

Rectangular shaped mirror

Beveled edges Leaning & standing floor design

The letter:

My dearest Teresa,

I have read this book in your garden.

My love, you were absent, or else I could not

have read it. It is a favourite book of yours,

You will not understand these English words, and the writer was a favourite friend of mine.

and others will not understand them . . .

But you will recognise the handwriting of him who which is the reason I have not scrawled them in

Italian.

passionately loved you, and you will divine that,

is comprised my existence here and hereafter. over a book which was yours,

he could only think of love. In that word, beautiful in all languages,

but most in yours – amor mio –

seventeen years of age, and two out of a convent, I feel I exist here; and I feel I shall exist hereafter,

to what purpose you will decide;

my destiny rests with you, and you are a woman,

I wish you had stayed there, with all my heart,

which last is a great consolation at all events. or at least, that I had never met you in your married state.

But all this is too late, I love you, and you love me –

at least you say so, and act, as if you did so,

But I more than love you and cannot cease to love you.

Think of me sometimes,

when the Alps and ocean divide us,

but they never will, unless you wish it.

Lord Byron