Dorothy at Grasmere

Reading through the journals of Dorothy Wordsworth (1771-1855) during the pandemic in 2020, 2021, & 2022. Tweets by @EATeVault

[Dorothy at Grasmere @GrasmereJournal]

William very nervous-- after he was in bed haunted with altering "The Rainbow."

[Dorothy at Grasmere @GrasmereJournal]

#OTD 5/14/1802: "A very cold morning-- hail and snow showers all day. We went to Brothers' wood, intending to get plants and to go along the shore of the lake to the foot.

[Dorothy at Grasmere @GrasmereJournal]

Met Wm at the top of White Moss. We walked a little beyond Olliff's. Near ten when we came in. Wm and Molly had dug the ground and planted potatoes in my absence. We wrote to Coleridge-- sent off a letter to Annette, bread and frocks to the C.'s-- Went to bed at half past eleven.

[Dorothy at Grasmere @GrasmereJournal]

I was oppressed and sick at heart for he wearied himself to death. After tea he wrote two stanzas inthe manner of Thomson's 'Castle of Indolence', and was tired out. Bad news of Coleridge."

[Dorothy at Grasmere @GrasmereJournal]

#OTD 5/9/1802: "The air considerably colder today but the sun shone all day. William worked at "The Leech Gathere" almost incessantly from morning till tea time. I copied "the Leech Gatherer" and other poems for Coleridge.

[Dorothy at Grasmere @GrasmereJournal]

I had a letter brought me from Mrs Clarkson. While we were walking in the orchard I observed the sorrel leaves opening at about nine o'clock. William went to be tired with thinking about a poem."

[Dorothy at Grasmere @GrasmereJournal]

#OTD 5/7/1802: "William had slept uncommonly well so, feeling himself strong, he fell to work at 'The Leech Gatherer'. He wrote hard at it till dinnertime then he gave over tired to death-- he had finished the poem. I was making Derwent's frocks.

[Dorothy at Grasmere @GrasmereJournal]

The sloe thorn beautiful in the hedges, and in the wild spots higher up among the hawthorns. No letters. William met me. He had been digging in my absence and cleaning the well. We walked up beyond Lewthwaite's-- a very dull sky, coolish crescent moon now and then.

[Dorothy at Grasmere @GrasmereJournal]

Wrote to Coleridge, and I wrote to Mrs Clarkson part of a letter. We went to bed at twenty minutes past eleven with prayers that Wm might sleep well."

[Dorothy at Grasmere @GrasmereJournal]

#OTD 4/30/1802: "We came into the orchard directly after breakfast and sat there. The lake was calm-- the sky cloudy. We saw two fishermen by the lakside. William began to write teh poem of the celandine. I wrote to Mary H. sitting on the fur gown.

[Dorothy at Grasmere @GrasmereJournal]

We stayed till the light of day was going and the little birds had begun to settle their singing. But there was a thrush not far off that seemed to sing louder and clearer than the thrushes had sung when it was quite day. We came in at eight o'clock, got tea.