Irving The Journals of Washington Irving

1. Auflage 2014
ISBN: 978-3-8496-4223-5
Verlag: Jazzybee Verlag
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: 6 - ePub Watermark

E-Book, Englisch, 697 Seiten

These are the notebooks of Washington Irving, containing the jottings made by Irving during his travels in Europe between 1815 and 1830. These journals have been kept in the Irving family until within the last few years of the 19th century. The number of people who think they could write is larger than most of us suspect; it is pleasantly larger than the number who think they can write. There is not one of the former but will be eager to read Irving's notebooks. For they are the genuine backstage of literature. They are real notebooks: they are not journals, written with an eye on the public, as are most of the notebooks that push into print. They are not a collection of Irving's profound thoughts. Neither are they commentaries; Waterloo was but just over, but you will find in these pages few choice bits of gossip concerning the men and affairs of that momentous period. Obeying the strange impulse which seems to be common to all of us, big and little, Irving did set down each day the state of the weather and if he slept well. But this is about as far as the journalizing goes: the rest is observations, character sketches, scraps of sentences, skeleton plots-these three volumes should help to dispel the notion that writers 'make up' their books; only the poor writers invent anything, for they write for the sake of writing; fellows like Irving write for the sake of life, straining to catch and fix some of its overwhelming stream of pictures and passions.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Irving, Washington

Leseproben

THE RHINE COUNTRY, ETC.

[This note-book begins with the entry for September 6th, 1822, but the page is so very badly blurred, that it is almost impossible to decipher it. The few words that can be made out show that Irving left Mainz on the morning of September 6th in company with Lieut. Humfreys of the Royal Artillery; he travels to the country "where the best wines are"; he passes through the large basin of the valley, meets on the boat "people of amazing ignorance" in regard to the topography of the country as well as its history--"they neither of them knew how Bonaparte acted after the Battle of Waterloo," etc., etc.

The remaining notes for September 6th are more easily decipherable and are as follows:]

Dined at half-past eleven at Bingen--stop ten minutes at Cassel--passage money about six francs and a half, twenty-four kreutzers trinkgeld--arrive at Coblentz eight o'clock.

September 7th.--Leave Coblentz at half-past four in the evening in voiture for Mayence by the road thro' the Taunus Mountains--twenty-five florins the voiture--companion, Lieut. Humfreys--after crossing river road winds steeply round Ehrenbreitstein1--beautiful view from the heights, the Rhine winding among mountains for several miles--the Swiss mountains in distance--Ehrenbreitstein and the steeples of Coblentz below--peasant women crossing the fields. Solitary and quiet effect of evening among the hills--whistle of a man a mile off.

[Note 1: 1 Irving had much trouble with the name of this famous fortress. His manuscript shows various spellings.]

Valley of the Lahn--the prospect of Emshausen from the height--looking down on roofs of the houses--primitive look of town--old cross with sword hanging to it by wall--lovely ride thro' the valley of Ems.

Pass the little village of--, with octagonal tower--the Lahn--clear pastoral stream.

Nassau--castle on height--fine effect in dusk--Hotel of the Crown--old houses--watchman blows horn at night to mark the hours. Supper--chicken, meat, fruit (grapes), cheese, and bottle of wine--bed--breakfast of coffee for two, three florins thirty-three kreutzers, about eight francs.

September 7th.--Sunday--Schwalbach--alleys of trees--soft, mild, pure air--first fall of the leaf, last chirping of birds--contrast the opening of spring and closing of summer--the first putting forth of the leaves and song of the birds--the first fall of leaf and last song of birds--leaf rustling to my feet--bird faintly chirping--bell of church--distant lowing of cattle. Very breeze seems diff[eren]t--one brings with it the smell of the blossom, the other seems to whisper mournfully thro' the groves and brings the rustling leaf to our feet. My summer is nearly over--the shadows of autumn begin to come--the leaves of past pleasures are strewn around me--the joys of youth, how have they passed away--friendships faded--loves untimely fallen--hopes blighted--what fruit is there to repay this illspent summer?

On the way from Nassau to Schwalbach a carriage was for some time before us in which were a gentleman and his serv[an]t--one of the post-horses fell dead--took the gentleman in our carriage to Schwalbach--dined together--gave me his card at parting and invited me to visit him if I came in his part of the country--found it was the Baron de Berstatt,1 prime minister to the Duke of Baden.

[Note 1: 1 Wilhelm Ludwig Leopold Rheinhard Freiherr von Berstett (1769--1837) had a career in the Austrian army, before, in 1809, he entered the service of the grand-duchess of Baden. Under her successor his success was distinguished as minister and diplomat until his retirement in 1831, which was due to the effects of the revolutionary movements of the period.]

September 11th.--Evening, half-past six--seated in summer-house above garden of Cassino--lovely view over the Rheingau to the Taunus Mountains--grapes ripe--partridges in neighb[ou]r[in]g field--Rhine gliding along--river under poplars--Biebrich with groves behind it--fortifications on this side of stream with solitary Austrian sentinel--waggons wheeling along the roads thro' gardens on the fine plain below Mayence--sound of evening bells from red towers of Mayence--fine aërial tints of the Taunus Mountains.

[Between this and the entry relating to Hirschhorn, Irving has jotted down the name of "Joseph Eckel, Grossherzoglich Hessischer Hofbuchbinder"--(Court Binder to the Grand Duke of Hesse) and a note regarding Munden, the actor.]

Munden2--took small country box near Highgate--climbed over wall to avoid leaving money with his wife when he was going to Liverpool.

[Note 2: 2 Joseph Shepherd Munden (1758--1832), the famous English comic actor, to whose genius Charles Lamb devoted an essay. The inclusion of this anecdote here may warrant the inference that Irving met Munden in Germany.]

Hirschhorn--small town on the Neckar--dine there on Tuesday, September 25th, on our way from Darmstadt to Heidelberg--old castle above the town. A very indifferent country inn--landlord a red faced, pot-bellied little man in old military trousers with red stripe along seam and some remnants of tarnished lace and a white night-cap on head--his belly had outgrown his trousers and was gradually intervening between his waistband and his waistcoat--his high military cocked hat was ostentatiously hung up in the eating room and upon our asking if he was an old soldier he brought in his military coat with epaulets and let us know that he was captain, or amtsman, in the Landwehr, a kind of militia, or yeomanry.

Little German court of Duchess of Baden--vast, desolate palace--yawning court--the grand maîitre has the habit of yawning--real dull little town.

Homburg--two ladies of Honor--two gentlemen of the court.

Route from Heidelberg to Strasburg,1 etc.

[Note 1: 1 This is Irving's usual spelling--a compromise between the French Strasbourg and the German Strassburg.]

September 30th.--Monday. Leave Heidelberg for Carlsruhe in voiture--eleven florins to Carlsruhe, trinkgeld and chanson.

Half-past two--seated beside the road under a tree--beautiful, serene day--broad, rich plain with villages, spires, and tracts of forest land--trees tinted with autumn--line of blue Haut2 Mountains on frontier of France--herd of cattle grazing in plain--labourers in fields--last songs of birds, or rather chirping--lowing of cattle--cawing of crows--distant line of Odenwald Mountains with shadows resting upon their forests.

[Note 2: 2 Apparently the Hautes Vosges.]

From Carlsruhe to Strasburg.

October 2d.--Leave Carlsruhe. Beautiful plains like table with mountains of Black Forest to the left--misty--fine day--peasants at work in fields--cocked hats--large blue coats.

Story of Wemyss--officer shot thro' with musket ball--put hand to breast--"Oh, it's nothing"--rode on--turns pale and sick--falls dead from horse.

Baden Vehmgericht.1

[Note 1: 1 More usually Fem--or Fehmgericht. For these important Westphalian courts of justice, see Scott's "Anne of Geierstein," especially the introduction.]

Pastoral scenes in Swabia--tracts of verdure--Eberstein among black pines.

At Bühl--old town where we drank wine--we entered upon the Pays d'Or, so called on acc[oun]t of fertility--country similar to that of the Bergstrasse, but richer. New wine carried in waggons with ribbands and flowers in spigots.

Pass the little village of [Sasbach] where Turenne was killed.2

[Note 2: 2 In 1675. The celebrated French Marshal was engaging the Imperial General Montecuccoli.]

Arrive at Kehl late in the evening and put up at Rehfuss.

Rastadt3--in Swabia on the Murg--1714, peace between Emperor of Germany, Charles VI, and Philip V, after fourteen-year war--1796, French defeated the Austrians--1799, French plenip [otentiar]y assassinated. Old Margravite palace red with flaming gilt figure...