Tuesday, 12 January 1875
After a small scene fit for the occasion, I leave for Paris.Mardi, 12 janvier 1875
How I should love to do without these scenes — but the fact is, when I don't make one I get nothing.
Que je voudrais me passer de ces scenes, mais c'est que quand je n'en fais pas je n'obtiens rien.
Truly these people will give me a dreadful character. But what is one to do.
Vraiment ces gens-la me feront un horrible caractere. Mais que faire.
Tomorrow is our New Year.1 I grow sad when I think how holidays are neglected in our household. Holidays such as Christmas or New Year ought to be spent with one's family — it would maintain good relations, respect, and everything else. One ought to pay the greatest attention to small things; they are what make life, and by neglecting them one becomes worse than an animal.
Demain c'est notre jour de l'an. Je deviens triste lorsque je pense comme on neglige les fetes chez nous, les fetes comme Noel ou le jour de l'an devraient se passer en famille...
To make an end of the old year I fell asleep at a quarter to twelve and woke at a quarter past twelve in the new year 1875 — but that is Russia, and my own new year began twelve days ago.
Pour en finir avec la vieille annee je m'endormis a douze heures moins le quart et me reveillais a douze un quart dans la nouvelle annee 1875, mais c'est en Russie et ma nouvelle annee a moi est commencee depuis douze jours.
The railway carriage exhausts me horribly — if I did not read, I do not know what I should do.
Le wagon me fatigue horriblement et, si je ne lisais pas, je ne sais ce que je ferais.
Notes
Russian New Year falls on 13 January (Gregorian calendar), corresponding to 1 January in the Julian calendar used by the Russian Church. ↩