Such bursts of uncontrollable poetic impulse as came to me to-day, and the last three days, only come rarely in each year. It was in such a burst last year (1889?) that I wrote ‘The Weird of Michael Scott’ (each part at a single sitting).
Feb. 4th. Wrote the Sospiro ‘To my Dream.’
Feb. 5th. Between 10 p.m. and 1.30 a.m. wrote the poem which I think I will call ‘Fior di Memoria’ (about 175 lines).
Feb. 7th. We went to Ettore Roesler Franz’s studio. His water-colour drawings of (mediæval) Rome as it was from the middle of the century to within the last 7 or 10 years very charming and deeply interesting and valuable—and at the same time infinitely sad. Those of the Prati di Castello and the Tiber Bank and Stream especially so: instead of this lost beauty we have hideous jerry buildings, bad bridges, monotonous and colourless banks, and dull municipal mediocrity and common-place everywhere.
There might be a Weeping Wall in Rome as well as in Jerusalem. Truly enough there will soon be absolute truth in Bacon’s noble saying ‘The souls of the living are the beauty of the world’—for the world will be reduced to the sway of the plumber and builder, and artificial gardener and Bumbledom.
In evening wrote “Primo Sospiro di Primavera.”
8th. In forenoon wrote “The White Peacock” (56 lines)—a study in Whites for Théodore Roussel. Also “The Swimmer of Nemi” (Red and White) 42 lines. In evening revised the “Swimmer of Nemi” and partly rewrote or recast. It is much improved in definite effect; and gains by the deletion of 9 or 10 lines, pretty in themselves but not in perfect harmony. Wrote the poem commemorating the strange evening of 17th Jan.... called it “A Winter Evening” (35 lines). Later. Wrote the poem called “Scirocco” (June), 67 lines. To bed about 12.30.
10th. Gave first sitting to Charles Holroyd for his Etching of me.
11th. Gave Charles Holroyd a second sitting. Between 9 and 2 a.m. wrote
“The Naked Rider” (70 lines)
“The Wind at Fidenae” (38 lines)
“The Wild Mare” (32 lines)
“A Dream at Ardea” (In Maremma) 215 lines.