[Boston—Monday, 21 January 1867]
Thursday [sic] night. A full week thus far. It is somewhat late now and I am a bit tired but I cannot bear to sleep and wake to be again dissipated by the petty cares of the house and society without this poor landmark. One little word to say thank God we have lived thus far with such varied experience of joy and pain through periods which will not die but which may lose their force to save us from ill now if we allow the all-effacing stream to wash over them less regarded.
The snow has been very deep all the week. Monday it fell again, storming quite vigorously all day. Lissie was fatigued and weakened by her exertions of last week and Sunday (walking to Roxbury & going to church) so I persuaded her to stay at home and she kindly devoted herself to marking my house linen in elaborate and beautiful designs in ink. In the meantime I tried a bit of Charles Norton’s “Notes on Italy” to read aloud for her entertainment but we found that a trifle dull. She remembered suddenly that she desired the picture of a Greek which she thought she recalled from Byron so I carried Byron up stairs and for the first time in my life read “The Giaour” and “The Corsair.” How strange I could have waited until now. I was penetrated by the munificence of poetic diction, by the true uplifting very soul of poetry, but was almost equally plunged into the depths of amazement at the frivolous stories and poor versification in the merely narrative portions. His lack of sincerity puts vast abysses between himself and Shelley and it proves a very low condition of sentiment that such stuff as these long unreal things should ever have been popular. I could weep to see the gulf that stretches between the poet Byron and the unfrenzied knave who told his tales in verse. Yet the two are often barely separated on the page even by a white line.
For a wonder I did not go out all day. In the evening was the Harvard Musical Dinner to which Mr Fields was to have gone but thinking 3 nights in the week quite sufficient to go out preferred to remain at home. Unfortunately for him it was one of the most brilliant meetings they have ever had. Carl Rosa and Dresel & glee singing between each speech—52 members present.
