August 18 Wednesday – The anniversary of Susy Clemens’ death. From Sam’s Aug. 22 letter to Wayne MacVeagh:

Four days ago [Aug. 18] the anniversary of our unspeakable disaster came, & trailed its black shadow over us, we went apart, each to himself, & sat in the gloom of that eclipse until the first natural light came & the first stage of our changed pilgrimage was behind us. I suppose it is still with you as with us—the calamity not a reality, but a dream, which will pass,—must pass.

Paine writes,

As the first anniversary of Susy’s death drew near the tension became very great. A gloom settled on the household, a shadow of restraint. On the morning of the 18th Clemens went early to his study. Somewhat later Mrs. Clemens put on her hat and wrap, and taking a small bag left the house. The others saw her go toward the steamer-landing, but made no inquiries as to her destination. They guessed that she would take the little boat that touched at various points along the lake shore. This she did, in fact, with no particular plan as to where she would leave it. One of the landing-places seemed quiet and inviting, and there she went ashore, and taking a quiet room at a small inn spent the day reading Susy’s letters. It was evening when she returned, and her husband, lonely and anxious, was waiting for her at the landing. He had put in the day writing the beautiful poem, “In Memoriam,” a strain lofty, tender, and dirge-like—liquidly musical, though irregular in form [MTB 1047]. Note: the poem would be published in the Nov. 1897 Harper’s Monthly.

Sam also wrote “In My Bitterness,” a short piece written on the same paper as “In Memoriam”; it may have been written this day or nearly so [MTFM 129-32]. Note: see also NB 42 TS 25-7.

Sam’s notebook:

Villa Buhlegg, Weggis, Lake Lucerne, Aug. 18/97.

One year to-day since the great disaster fell. Livy went away to be alone. She took the steamer & spent the day solitary in an inn in an unknown town up the lake—a village. I spent the day alone under the trees on the mountain side writing some lines–a lament for Susy in the form of an allegory.

Powers notes that it was the first known time Livy ever chose seclusion in an emotional time over Sam’s company [MT A Life 585].