The quote from Schiller’s poem Ode to Joy (Letters, 30 March) should read “der stehle weinend sich aus diesem Bund” and not “der stehe weinend aus diesen Bund”. Apart from being grammatically incorrect, this version messes up the rhythm. The meaning becomes starker, too. It would not merely be “remain weeping outside” but “those who have been unable to establish such a bond, should sneak/steal away weeping”.
Daisy Hammerbacher-Shaw
Nottingham
• You show the front page of Libération with its headline “Vous nous manquez déjà!”, and caption this as saying Britain is missing the EU already (30 March). Non! It is the other way around – “we miss you already”. A less than perfect basis for opening Brexit negotiations. As a nation, our understanding of French language and culture has never really progressed beyond “Michelle, ma belle …” by the Beatles and Jane Birkin’s “Je t’aime” – iconic gems of the 1960s, but we appear to have learnt nothing new over the intervening half century.
Tim Sanderson
London
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