Lou Salomé and the Quest for intimacy 249This prognosis caused her to dedicate herself even more intensively to
her study of philosophy and the history of religion and culture. Her pre-
cocious intellectual passion as well as her curiosity and zest for life were
impressive. In the fall of 1881, Salomé wrote a poem called "Prayer for
Life" while in Zurich. Enraptured by this poem, Nietzsche set it to
music with the new ride "Hymn to Life." In 1887, long after they had
broken off all contact, he had his musical rendition arranged for choir
and orchestra by Peter Gast It was the only one of his compositions he
wanted to have printed. The lines he cherished were the following:
"Surely this is how a friend loves a friend, /1 love you, quixotic life. /...
to be and to meditate and live for thousands of years; / Embrace me
with both of your arms / If you have no more happiness to give me, /
Well then, give me your anguish (Andreas-Salomé 301).
Salomé broke off her studies in the fall of 1881 because she could no
longer endure the climate. Her doctors recommended an extended con-
valescence in the south, and she traveled to Rome with her mother.
There, in the Meysenbug home, she quickly became the center of the
local social scene. When Paul Ree arrived, he fell in love with the young
Russian woman on the spot. The two of them strolled through the
streets of Rome night after night, engrossed in conversation as Rèe
explained his ideas for his forthcoming treatise on moral philosophy. He
wrote to Nietzsche that he had never encountered such a good conver-
sationalist; she grasped his thoughts before he had even finished for-
mulating them. Rèe was ecstatic, and wanted Nietzsche to share in his
happiness. He was hoping, however, that the bond they had formed
would not be compromised. He invited his friend to Rome, and Malwida
von Meysenbug also issued an invitation. She was equally impressed by
the young Russian woman and felt that Nietzsche absolutely had to meet
her: "A very unusual gid... she strikes me as someone who has reached
much the same philosophical conclusions as you. ... Rèe and I concur
in our wish to see you together sometime with this extraordinary crea-
ture" (Janz 2,121).
The invitation to Rome and the stories about Salomé aroused