Diary of Annie Adams Fields

Thursday July 19. Yesterday was Commencement at Cambridge but the intense heat made a thinner assemblage than usual. Mr R.W. Emerson came down to go although Edward has already left for Iowa. Jamie did not go with him at which he expressed some astonishment then asked him if he had heard of the...

Friday 20th Dear J. gone to town—a cool soft day. Went to the beach before six and found the tide nearly high, the sun was partly veiled and the sea rocked with a low voiced motion while faint color awaked upon it—a few bathers came to go into the water. All was ineffably calm and sweet with...

Saturday. Bessie Andrew came down last night with Jamie. Mr B. brought them over in his boat—the sea was calm and the soft sunset light irradiated the bay. Went to the beach again before breakfast—the sea was a deep blue-grey and the sky over hung with clouds; yet once the sun glimmered upon...

Sunday. Thick mist and rain—walked to the beach; a struggling beam of the sun at noon-day showed the far islands, silent, shrouded—very solemn and lonely—as I walked I discerned at length the foot-prints of feet which lay parallel with mine. I looked again—they were my husband’s....

Monday morning opened in rain notwithstanding Jamie and Bessie went to town by the early train barely getting away because the wagon was late. Sat at home writing and reading with nothing to disturb the quiet but the chirping of the hens, the call of the ducks and at times a bird.

Tuesday. A glorious day, by six o’clock the Sun had won the victory. We could not resist the beach directly after breakfast although the sun shot his gold darts through us reflected from the sea and sands. Three small French children joined us in our walk. Louise, Therése, Ida, the oldest...

Wednesday. We went to Boston together. It was old Sally’s funeral. She was buried from the Home in Charles St. at 10 o’clock so I had only time enough to prepare the flowers. Her poor little face so crumpled up by wrinkles like a piece of wet and crinkled parchment during her life was...

Thursday. Friday. Saturday. A season of frequent showers. Every day the low rumble of thunder has arisen in the south or east, every day the sunlight overcast and the rain for nearly an hour each day running in gulleys down towards the bay.

Sunday on the rocks with my love. A light shower.

Monday. Left for the Isles of Shoals. On our way we heard of the success of the cable. What happiness for Mr Field[s]—at length, after 8 years of disappointments—peace in Europe reported as the first message.

How resplendent was the awaking day! We leaped up to find the sun shimmering over rocks and sea and through the morning mist. The wide ocean was before our windows. After speedy bath and dressing we found ourselves ready for the day and after a short walk on the piazza Miss Mary sat by the piano...

Wednesday—resting—writing up this. In the evening Mr Parton came down with Mr Fields. Mr Parton is a tall slender man with the sight of one eye apparently destroyed. He has not the air of a talker or man of the world, rather that of an introspective mind. Nevertheless he is not by any means...

August second. On the beach and rocks.

3d Out all the morning until eleven in the wondrous weather. Read Swinburne’s poems and ballads. He is drunk with the beauty and hot with the wine of life—he flings his arms about you and draws you away and kisses you to sleep while he sings. Also a little Indian poem by Aldrich utterly...

Sunday August 5. Last night the rain poured again in torrents and the thunder rolled but day arose cool and perfect in youth and glory. We passed the morning on the beach, on eagle rock and walking through the path of the ferns in Dana’s Woods, where the ground was over-laid with cornel...

Monday. Read Thomson’s poems—Castle of Indolence especially, lying in the grass.

Tuesday. August 6th [sic] A morning of wonderful beauty, the atmosphere of crystalline cleanness, a fresh air bringing you good news from the far seas. Jamie stayed in Manchester and Dr Bartol rowed us across the bay and pioneered us to woodlands more beautiful than any I have before seen...

Wednesday. Morning cool and breezy with a fore cast of autumn, afternoon hazy and warm. The boat came over in the sunset holding an unusual load and we strained our eyes to see who the load might be as they rounded the point moving slowly through the glassy water. Presently we discerned Mr & Mrs...

Thursday. Alas! for our guests! It rained all day after the early morning, hard, we could not leave the house but sat chatting about books and folks the live-long day. God forgive us! if we did not the best thing at least we tried to make others happy but an idea comes over us in this world that...

Friday. Exquisite weather which changed early. Drove our guests to Beverly to see Lucy Larcom. We found her arranging flowers in her small antique study and preparing for a quiet day of work—so far she had been clearing away dust and doing the hand labor necessary that her fine headwork might...

Saturday morning. Yesterday did not continue to bear the stamp of perfect beauty but today the rains have cleaned the air, there are no clouds and the serenity is unchanged.

Sunday. Another wondrous day! Such a day! How can we thank our God for such a day! My darling and I passed the morning on the rocks by the sea. He went to walk with Mr Bartol in the afternoon.

Monday—a morning of mist. Upon awaking the fog-bell was the first sound which fell upon our ear. After breakfast the rays of the burning sun fell through the watery drops of which the sky seemed made up and shone classily on the grass and flowers. The cobwebs “shook their threaded tears in...

Tuesday. Went to Coffin’s Beach. The day was perfect. Lillian was obliged to stay behind but we were a party of seven. She decided to remain at the last moment only and afterward her husband said “He was glad she could not go—he should only have been tormented all the day with the feeling...

Wednesday. A day of rain—walked over the pebbly shore at low water far away towards the point; the clouds were not yet ready to drop upon us but a low soft odor of sea-things filled the air and the still warmth of mid-summer.