Joyce Maier wrote:

>Beethoven and the mysterious beloved had a true affair, not something like
>Dante and Beatrice.

Okay, I'll give you the point they may have had a tryst or two.  It is
just the "immortal beloved" stuff that makes me wonder.  How often do we
men indulge in hyperbole when attempting to connect? (Raise your hands, you
men out there!) It seems to me that too much is made of this one alleged
liaison.  Is it really that significant in a discussion of Beethoven? Is a
dalliance with a groupie a benchmark in the life of John Lennon? Even if we
found a billet doux in Lennon's handwriting declaring "At last I've found
my Lilith!"? I hesitate to say, and wonder at an age that devotes itself to
what in the end may be nothing but trivia.

John Dalmas
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