Edward Spencer Dodgson an Hugo Schuchardt (106-02447)

von Edward Spencer Dodgson

an Hugo Schuchardt

Bilbao

08. 09. 1893

language Englisch

Schlagwörter: Azkue y Aberasturi, Resurrección María de

Zitiervorschlag: Edward Spencer Dodgson an Hugo Schuchardt (106-02447). Bilbao, 08. 09. 1893. Hrsg. von Bernhard Hurch (2015). In: Bernhard Hurch (Hrsg.): Hugo Schuchardt Archiv. Online unter https://gams.uni-graz.at/o:hsa.letter.3347, abgerufen am 29. 03. 2024. Handle: hdl.handle.net/11471/518.10.1.3347.


|1|

Dear Professor Schuchardt,

the new railway from Las Arenas at the mouth of the Nervion, (perhaps neurri on, as it is tidal, and thus serves as a measure for those on its banks) was opened on Monday, and so today, Wednesday the 6th of September 1893, I came down to its terminus at Plencia, the name of which I have seen written Palencia in a book on Spain published in Latin by the Elzevirs about 250 years ago. The stations are these San Ignacio, Algorta, Guecho, Berango, Sopelana, Urduliz, Plencia. This place is on an arm or reach of the sea, what Spaniards call a ria, which runs up into a thick wood where the Marques de Torrecilla is still building a most romantic fancy castle in 13th century Gothic. I visited it in 1887. I reached Bilbao on Monday after 3 nights at Durango and two at Azpeitia whence I think I wrote to you. I walked out to Elorrio on Sunday as it was fiesta there. I heard a very good sermon in Biscayan at high mass in the magnificent church there in Basque Gothic, which, as you know, is charactized by lofty round columns. The best specimen of it is at Deva, which alone merits a voyage from New Zealand or Japan to feast ones aesthetic nature on. The Church and cloisters of Oñate are also very impressive. I owe 50 pesetas for Basque books to Florentino Elosu the bookseller of Durango who has lately set up a printing machine. Azkue went on Friday to Loyola for exercicios, that is retreat as English Catholics say. It is a mere pretext I suppose for meeting D'Abbadie who arrives at Azpeitia for his fiesta Euskara on the 9 th. The Basques here on the coast assure me that they always say da purely and clearly like all other Basques. Azkues fancies have to be stamped out like other cosas de España. What you say about my feeling that my poverty hinders my liberty from being perfectly enjoyed and my services towards you more real being unintelligible is very funny. If I were richer my liberty would be turned to better uses, and I coud buy more books for you. The world despises and hates those who are poor, especially when it finds that they are better educated than itself. To me my poverty is all the more painful because I believe that my family is quite rich enough to give me all that I need and so to enable me to marry. Sagasta if he were more sagacious would profit by the Basque origin of his name, for Sagasta is a variety of sagatza which means el mimbre. I notice an increasing tendency among the Spanish Basques to imitate the French infinitive voir for pour voir, which is really as old as St Jerome who has videre Petrum for ad videndum Petrum, ikusten where good Basque requires ikustera or ikusteko; to put a y’ before initial a; to pronounce Basque z as if it were Spanish like English th. I shall soon send you a little book in tolerably good Biscaian by a tailor at Gernika. I sent yesterday La Union Vascongada containing the first Basque letter known.

E. S. Dodgson.

1 Bilbao is occupied by the troops – Biba or Viba or Biva la Republica is written up in many places.

|2|

1 Randnotiz auf der linken Seite.

Faksimiles: Universitätsbibliothek Graz Abteilung für Sondersammlungen, Creative commons CC BY-NC https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ (Sig. 02447)