Quite cloudy & gray early, & a little rain; fine at noon.

Rose at 5.30. Got out paper & brushes, & divided luggage till 8. Breakfast.

Straw hatted women of Florence. ― Carriage to Villa Albrizzi, where Galileo lived. Very grand view of Florence, but wanting the River. On to the Certosa d’Ema: much like other Convents. ― Drove back by Poggio Imperiale, & left a letter for Mr. Lever ― home by 12.

Wrote to C. Fortescue ― badly ― & to T. Cooper & read the Woman in White.

4. Table d’Hôte ― Mr. Kearney ― & lo! Πέντε κυρίαι ποῦ ὀμιλήσουν Ἑλλενικήν!1 ― Mr. Barff of Zante & his family. Pleasant enough.

Cloudy ― & thundering rain; was ever such Italian weather?

At 5.30 walked out solo ― up nearly to the Albrizzi & ˇ[then] to the Badia Oliveto: no very perfect view. The quiet & courtesy & intelligence of these people is everywhere delightful.

Then, crossing the bridge of chains, I walked all down to the end of the Cascine ― lovely Nightingales! & back ― fireflies & frogs ― by 8.30. ―

Mr. Lever asks me to dine  tomorrow.

Some rain.

Out of the day & night,
A joy hath taken flight!2

X2

[Transcribed by Marco Graziosi from Houghton Library, Harvard University, MS Eng. 797.3.]

  1. Five ladies that spoke Greek (NB). [↩]

  2. P.B. Shelley’s lines from “A Lament” (1821) had become almost proverbial:

    I.
    Oh, world! oh, life! oh, time!
    On whose last steps I climb
    Trembling at that where I had stood before;
    When will return the glory of your prime?
    No more―O never more!

    II.
    Out of the day and night
    A joy has taken flight;
    Fresh spring, and summer, and winter hoar,
    Move my faint heart with grief, but with delight
    No more―O never more! [↩]