Saturday, September 18, 2021

Alix's dreams that she wrote about in her diary, dated December 1889

Source:

Olga Grigor'eva at lastromanovs on VK










The diary entries about the dreams:

DECEMBER
1889 Dreams
1 Dreamt. Eilers & Riechmann were lying wounded on the Heidelberger Strasse, & Bägel told Gretchen [and] me some long history. Riechmann said he did not mind dying, only was sorry that the Opera will have such a loss when he was dead. —

II. A long expedition with Wales Cousins &c put my hand in my mouth & drew out lots of teeth & Würfel.

III. That A.[unt] Beatrice had a little girl, wh. died.

IV. That a large party of us were going on a steamer, but before getting onto it, had to jump down a bit, — my turn came. I jumped remained however high in the air, held my petticoats tight round me tho they were flying about & then that someone was smiling at me, I said then "you" — and just that moment Gretchen stopped me, & told me not to use such strong language in speaking to the people, so I did not get further than saying "you". — Whilst I was still in the air all the others started off in the steamer. Now I am changed into the Baboon out of "She", but am hansome & have lovely gold curls & am called Edward. — Two men passing said, I gave him such hard strokes with my hammer across his hand that he had to remain in the air. Then I hid. —

V. Saw 2 men rushing up the stairs, into Frl. v. Bechtold's room, hunting her & then killing her & throwing her out of the window. The one's name was something like Keechfick. Jacked why they did not finish them. They did not know why they could not.

VI. Then I was in a large town with a Portfolio under my arm, with Pässe large pink paper, nothing written on them, only a scratch. When I showed them to the Wächter, I said they were right, & after looking at them. He agreed, as everything they do not understand is a correct Pass. The scratch on the paper I told him, ment something. He let me pass. I gave all the rest of them away. Then there was a Versammlung & lots of schoolchildren were presenting. There was lots of talking & looking the classes, the children showing their lesson books, &c. —

VII. Were in a sort of hospital. Louis in Bed, Victoria standing. — Two men dying in the room, all of a sudden Grd Mama comes in & a shot is fired at her. — I discover a man sitting in a tree, who did it, he gets down walks slowly away. I look out of the window, he sees it smile & bows, & I recognize ones of the young men who skated with us at Annichkoff & he had a green cap on. (In reality never skated with him.) —

VIII. Received heaps of letters. A. Beatrice little Girl died was going to be buried, we & Aunt stood to watch the funeral, she thought it funny the Child should lie buried, when she never knew it had died. Ella sends me for a Cloak. At last I find it, & a her own Knitted under jacket she puts on. — Letters were very nice.
——
In 8 days dreams... with the exception of no: I. wh. was earlier. —


Above: Alix.

Notes: Würfel = dice.

"She" = an 1887 fantasy/adventure novel by H. Rider Haggard that is about the journey of a man named Horace Holly and his ward Leo Vincey to a lost kingdom in the African interior. They encounter a group of natives and their white queen Ayesha, who reigns as the all-powerful "She" or "She-who-must-be-obeyed". It was with this novel that Haggard developed many of the conventions of the lost world genre which became popular in the late Victorian and Edwardian eras and which countless authors have emulated.

Pass = pass.

Wächter = guard.

Versammlung = assembly.

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