Cosima's Diaries

Diary Entry of November 2, 1882

Overview

Bad weather and interruptions keep R. from comfort, but he remains intellectually alert, weighing Parisian attempts at Faust and speaking simply about the difficulty of declaiming Goethe without falsifying him. A cold but peaceful evening closes the day on a restrained, domestic note.

Content

Thursday, November 2:

All Souls' Day!... R. is not well, he has frequent spasms and intends, among other things, to give up black coffee after lunch. Various grievous impressions sadden us, among others the condition of my father, and do not allow us to enjoy the fine weather; we visit Herr v. Volk., to see his watercolors of Venice, and R. is in good spirits during the visit.

Since I am not entirely well, R. goes out alone, and I receive friend Mimi, with whom I talk about our loss, feeling shattered by it anew. R. takes out Elective Affinities and reads to me the conversation between Mittler and Eduard, and the ensuing discussion restores us to our wonted path! R. remarks how various things have their hour - Calderon, for example, who no longer gives him pleasure, and even this touching Elective Affinities.

We joke about the renunciation of Charlotte and the captain, since the others love each other simply; but here, too, R. rather misses that natural language which makes Goethe so outstanding in Werther, in Götz, in Faust.