Edward Lear's Diaries

Perfectly lovely all day.

Went to Taylor’s early & paid his £50: ― what loveliness of mountain & sea!

Worked at Corfu A till 3.

Letters from Grenfell, & B. & Jane Husey Hunt.

No paper ― whereat angry.

Walked to Manducchio & the long round.

Dined with Miss Goldsmid & Mrs. Naylor: a pleasant evening.

home by 10.30.

[Transcribed by Marco Graziosi from Houghton Library, Harvard University, MS Eng. 797.3.]

Fine all day.

Slept well in the new room.

Wrote to C.F. & Ellinor & translated some of A.P. Stanley’s Eastern Church.

Invitations from Woolff ― & other bothers.

Calls on the kindly Decies ― & Sargents.

At 2.30 on Julia Goldsmid.

Went to Church with Mrs. Naylor ― & returned & sate at the Hotel St. George till 6.15.

To the Decies. Only Luard there.

A pleasant evening, as always, there.

[Transcribed by Marco Graziosi from Houghton Library, Harvard University, MS Eng. 797.3.]

Lovely, & calm morning ― & all day through.

Painted at Corfu. A.

Removed all things out of the back room, & the Bedroom things with it ― turning the Bedroom into a “Showroom.[”]

Read Turner’s life.

Count G. Henckel v. Donnersmarck came ― returned from Alex.dria; ―― & brought letters from the Saunders: ― ― he is a bore.

Everything is a bore.

Did not go out.

Dined at 7 ― & penned till 10.30.

The wretched Mrs. Craven has played 75 variations till I was nearly crazy ― & now the Maudes are making a mad pothouse above me.

[Transcribed by Marco Graziosi from Houghton Library, Harvard University, MS Eng. 797.3.]

On 1 February, I am starting a transfer of this blog to leardiaries.wordpress.com. The new site will continue this one (it already has the whole of January 1862), but will no longer include links to the biographical pages: according to the logs, these were very seldom used by readers.

These pages are not going away, of course, but they will no longer be updated after the end of February. The plan is to completely revise the years 1858-1861 and make them available in pdf format from the new blog.

You will be able to follow the new entries the same way you are following them here: RSS Feed or e-mail, just use the options in the sidebar. If you have problems, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Very lovely all day.

Rose at 8. Bother the dead Rat.

Painted at Corfu A all day.

Did not go out at all.

Luard dined with me ―: a nice fellow.

Penned out: ― & bed at 12.

Ἐτελίωθη καὶ ὁ Γεννάρος.¹

[Transcribed by Marco Graziosi from Houghton Library, Harvard University, MS Eng. 797.3.]

1. There goes January (NB). [↩]

Rainy mist ― early, cleared at 12.

Worked a little at Corfu ― A. Translated some of A.P.S. Eastern church.

Letter, & paper, & F.L. poems by Alex.ra steamer.

The letter contained
Mr. & Mrs. Franklin Lushington’s cards.

The Corfu (A.) went on very tolerably.

Kind note from Mrs. Decie: ― the Decies inviting me every Sunday: ― particularly good & kind, ― since they are wholly free from want of any visitors.

At 4 ― Lord Ernest Bruce ― a bore ― & his son.

At 5 ― walked by the Kokali house ― Χριστὸς is better ― & back by 6 to, Hotel St. George. ―

Sate awhile with Miss J.G. ― & Mrs. Naylor. At 7 ― home. Dined. After which, Maudes 6 dogs below annoyed me horribly: ― &, wishing to retreat to bed ― the drain began again ― so I grew half crazy with disgust, & hustled the bed mattress onto the west room floor ― sitting to fisnish the Καλαμὰ drawing in a rage. ―

10.30 ― I really half resolve to pack up all, & finish what I can in London: ― going a tour in the Islands till it is time to go back. It does not seem possible to exist here. ―

Vedremo dimani.¹

X9

[Transcribed by Marco Graziosi from Houghton Library, Harvard University, MS Eng. 797.3.]

1. We shall see tomorrow. [↩]

If possible, lovelier still.

Yet, it must needs that I stay in & work: ― these 4 upper Ascension subjects try me dreadfully ― only, if I leave them I could not well enjoy going out, knowing how impossible it will be for me to move from Corfu, unless they be done & sold. So I have to reflect on the destiny of millions ― who cannot even enjoy the sun in doors as I do. A keen sense of every kind of beauty, is, I take it, if given in the extreme ― always more or less a sorrow to its owner, ― tho’ productive of good to others. ― The coming of J.G. does not aid me either, but rather the contrary. ―

Bye & bye, after several interruptions, Maude came in & what with talking, & one’s work going wrong, & the thought of dining up there with the Forts & Cravens, ― I grew over irritable, ― & now could “cry bitterly” as J.E. said. It is seldom nowadays that I am so “utterly cast down.” ― Weariness of life ― & loneliness!

Rushed out at 5, blinded & weary; ― nor seeing the hill nor sky. Met the nice Decies ― who stopped, & Sir H.J. Stokes, who stopped also. Round by Kastrades, & called at the Kokalis ― Χριστὸς is better: saw all the family. Called at the Sargents: saw no one, & home.

Dined at the Maudes. Fort & Mrs. F. next to whom I sate. Craven & Mrs. C. Maude & Mrs. M. ― Sterling ― & L. By great effort I got tho’ dinner & evening ― but with greatest difficulty. This weary work won’t do.

Fresh row between Maude & Paramythiotti about the dogs, ― wh. Maude ought not certainly to keep in the cellar.

Down in my room by 11. & penned out Kalama drawing till 12.30[.]

“Trouble on trouble ― pain on pain” ― the drain smell is beginning again. I shall not be able to live here anyhow, if anywhere in Corfû.

[Transcribed by Marco Graziosi from Houghton Library, Harvard University, MS Eng. 797.3.]

Unwell. ― Painted at 2 Corfus ― till 3.

Called on Julia Goldsmid & Mrs. Naylor ―& walked with them to Kastrades, ― & then, (Straham A.D.C. joining us, ―) to the Casino.

Miss G. walks but little: so we returned by 5.30.

Afterwards, I went again to Kastrades & got home by 6.20.

Dined.

Penned out till 10.20. Kalama drawings.

Χριστὸς is ill again ― & G. has gone to his mothers. I think Χριστὸς will die.

[Transcribed by Marco Graziosi from Houghton Library, Harvard University, MS Eng. 797.3.]

Calm ― gray ― fine.

Accounts.

Worked at 3 Corfûs.

At 2.30 came the Trieste boat, with a glass ― I saw Miss J. Goldsmid & her party.

But the Vessel was declared in Quarantine by some Ionian bother, & it was 4 before they got out.

Called at their Hotel & saw Julia Goldsmid.

Walked from 5 to 6.30 ― by Kastrades, & to sea, home. ―

Dined.

Penned out till 10.30.

XX8

Dreadful night, from a rat gnawing a hole through from the drain into my bedroom. ill.

[Transcribed by Marco Graziosi from Houghton Library, Harvard University, MS Eng. 797.3.]

If possible ― more perfectly fine.

Medicine. At home ―: ― called at the Maude’s till at 1. Went to Sir C. Sargents, & with him to the Exhibition ― & then to the Viro road.

Home by 6.

Dinner εις τὸ Παλάτιον.¹

[Transcribed by Marco Graziosi from Houghton Library, Harvard University, MS Eng. 797.3.]

1. At the Palace (NB). [↩]