Diary of Annie Adams Fields

January 20. Perfect winter weather. Reading Mendelssohn’s letters. Richter—the Georgics—Madame Sand—Genl. Butler—too much rather but still writing occasionally.

Jan. 24. Walked in Brookline during sunset—all the hills were lighted with heaven born fires. The many voices from the skaters on the pond below came up full of crisp laughter.

Monday Even. Went to an evening party at Mrs Dresel’s. Felt abased the next day. There was much fine music but little human sympathy—the music too was cold. Mr Wasson was there and Mr Clarke and family. But the company did not chime. The bells jangled.

Tuesday. Walked with Miss Palfrey. She is full of designs for drawing. I doubt if she succeeds. The weather is heavenly. Call from Mrs Greene what a fine noble woman she is. I felt better for seeing her as I always do.

Wednesday. Wondrous weather—like Roman or Venetian skies are the dawns and twilights of these rich common home days. Unspeakably lovely indeed.

Thursday morning. Whittier and Emerson came to see J.T.F. W. looks very ill. He is anxious for his sister who has no health. He brought a ballad however and stayed talking pleasantly. The three had a great laugh over a story of Whittier’s about an old country preacher by the name of...

Feb. 1. Went to see young Dr Derby adjust his instrument for looking into the eye. First he showed us pictures of the retina then we looked at a real eye through his glass. We were mute with wonder and amazement. We could see the sensitive movement of the eye and could see the blood pulsating...

Sunday Feb. 7. Passed the day with Rebecca and her husband in Girard Avenue. She gave me to read

Feb. 16. Visit from Mr Rowse—brought me an exquisite photograph from one of his late exquisite pictures, one of the finest he has done.

Feb 17. Mr Alcott came to town—wishes me to gather together a party of ladies to hear his lecture on Friendship. Says he has had four months of exquisite unalloyed tranquility. He is 64 years of age.

January [sic] 19. Last evening received a visit from Henry James and his son. He places Dr Holmes very high, above almost all other men of our time perhaps at the head. Lafarge an exquisite artist is young James’ friend—he has illustrated Browning’s “Men and Women.” They praised his...

Saturday Feb 20. Company to dine. Mr J.F. Clarke does not believe in Thoreau. What a pity to disbelieve any true man or his use. Mr Wasson and Mrs Thaxter talked a little about Maine and the lovely shore of that state, Mr T. as usual enthousiastic for Mt. Desert. Mrs Clarke’s placid face did...

Sunday the air is sweet with the first intimations of Spring—how the whole being leaps up to meet them. We talked yesterday at table of dying. Thackeray died suddenly as he wished, so did Irving. Mr Wasson wished it, Mr Clarke wished time. The latter said he thought we usually have our wish....

Tuesday. Finished Virgil.

Thursday. Reviewing the prose work of John Milton. The volume of extracts about to be published contain all that is useful or interesting to the general reader it seems to me.

March 3. Cold scarcely better. Home all the time except for “constitutionals” which is the best part of it. Visits from dear friends also from Miss Sarah Clarke and her mother. The latter told me Pope was a Catholic and as such could obtain no justice at law if his rights were infringed...

Saturday March 5th came the news of Starr King’s death! It is hard to believe him dead. He seemed so necessary to our cause which he had already served so nobly. Ah! his wife and children!

Tuesday March. 8. Long, quiet days. Reading Horace, Plutarch’s morals &c. Sunday night Chaucer and Browning aloud to J.T.F. whose eyes are weak. Longfellow has written a new poem on the sea.

Saturday. Mrs Stowe, Mr Bartol, Mr Wasson, Miss Palfrey, Mr Darrah & Mr Monroe dined with us. Mrs Stowe dropped down early in the day. They passed Sunday and many things were said I should not choose to forget.

Monday March 28. Mr Hawthorne came down to take this as his first station on his journey for health. He shocked us by his invalid appearance. He has become quite deaf too. His limbs are shrunken but his great eyes still burn with their lambent fire. He said “Why does Nature treat us so like...

April 1. J.T.F. said he went to take some oysters for lunch today and the oyster-man lay down his guitar and began to pry open the bivalves singing as he pried “I call thy Spirit back to earth.” Twas good enough for a novel—the whole scene.

Sunday Evening Attended services in memory of Starr King at Hollis St. Church. Mr Hale, Mr Whipple, Mr Chapin (three friends) performed the service as friends should. Each spoke in his own way—similarly but on one point—that of affection—tearful affection.

April 12. Wonderful snow storm. The common beautiful as a dream. Children will believe they have rubbed Aladdin’s lamp! It is a bower of chrystal.

April 23. 1864. Shakspeare’s Tercentenary. list of people at the great dinner.

Sunday May 1. Read a new sonnet by Longfellow to preface the new Dante.