837. THE SUDDEN DEATH OF CHARLES DICKENS-HELEN ZIMMERN (1846-1934) English author, translator and interpreter of German and Italian authors; wrote Schopenhauer, His Life and Philosophy, The Hansa Towns, Tripoli and Young Italy, among others. Very rare, fine content A.L.S. "Your Affect. Niece Helen Zimmern", 6pp. 8vo., Canonbury Square, London, June 12, 1870, to her uncle Emil Lehmann in response to some technical questions about the translation he was working on for the German edition of Charles Dickens' Edwin Drood. Lehmann who was having difficulty putting Dickens' distinctly English words into understandable German sentences, and had asked his niece to help him with some words that did not exist in the German language. Zimmern begins her letter with the very sad news "...At the same time that your letter of queries on the subject of Edwin Drood reached me you must have heard of the sudden & quite unexpected death of poor Charles Dickens [June 9, 1870]. It seems somehow incredible that he, who has amused us so long & so often should be gone - there will be few I think in England who in hearing of his loss will not feel as if they had lost a personal friend...". Undoubtedly the question of whether Dickens had finished writing Edwin Drood was being asked even before his death, as Zimmern advises "...Only on Monday last, I heard from Anthony Trollope...And from him to[o] I heard that he fancied 'Edwin Drood' was finished all but the two last numbers. Do you know if this is the case? And will this sad event stop your translation? For his fame I think he died in time, for to judge from the involved & effected style of 'Edwin Drood,' 'The master's hand was losing its cunning'. To reply to your questions I will begin with that curious term 'gentlemanly ashes' under which I understand 'as pale as the ashes of a good cigar' as I believe the better the cigar is, the whiter the ashes should be. P. 66 'This rare closet had a lock in mid-air' etc., the more I read this sentence the more it seems to me that the cupboard was like one of those old oaken rococo concerns that you meet with occasionally in artists studios, rather like a guillotine or English window with the lock mid-way just where the lock of the widow is. But I may be quite wrong...By yellow or drab continuations are meant 'trousers', continuations being a slang term for those articles of attire. Now comes the sentence which I feel most hesitation about being able to answer by letter, it is far easier by word of mouth. I mean the bombastic harangue of Mr. Grewgious on the subject of 'the thorn of anxiety'. It is particularly difficult to me as I do not know the story, it being against my principles to read a novel that comes out in numbers. I don't like light food by teaspoonfulls. Therefore I do not know to which the 'it' to which Mr. G. refers means; though I presume it is the mystery; & in wanting to wish the man something pleasant in toasting him, the 'thorn of anxiety' the thing that must most weigh on the man's mind, is what he thinks will probably be most desirable & nearest the mark, so he hopes that it may come out at last. But as I say, in this I may be totally wrong, not knowing the story, & only having the June number in my possession, because wanting to answer your questions as well as I possibly could, I sent for it. P. 83, 'Some Queer Joss' - A Joss is the carved image of a Chinese god, generally represented in some squat position* [in a note below Zimmern explains: *"but often also of an Egyptian rigidity & straightness"] very much like one sees images of Brahama, Vishnu etc.; they are very common here & the term quite colloquial. Eerie, is one of the pretty soft catch words for which we have no English equivalent, but in which the Germans abound the use of which has become common in England although not recognized by the best dictionaries. It means 'unheimlich gruselich'. Groin has four widely opposed meanings, but as I fortunately have the book before me I know that the meaning there is architectural. A groin is the line made by the intersection of two arches which cross each other at any angle. This being Sunday I can unfortunately not go to the Museum & look out the German term in an architectural dictionary, mine does not give it. I am therefore uncertain whether 'gegliederte fenster' is the right expression. If you like & it is not too late, I will make sure of this next time I go. The baleful tree of Java means the Upastree which is...supposed to kill all those who lie down under it, & with which the young woman in the l'Africaine 'consoles herself when she is left by Vasco Di Gama.' Antiaris toxicaria is the Latin name in which it rejoices, & I believe a skirt made from its fibres is held to be about as unpleasant a garment as the famous shirt of Nessus. 'Convey the wise it call' is not in Henry IVth as Tony supposes but in the 'Merry Wives of Windsor' Act I Scene III. 'Nym:' The good humour is, to steel as a minutes rest. Pistol: Convey, the wise it call: steel...Used by Shakespeare as you see in a wholely different sense to Dickens who means the legal term 'convey' to transfer to transmit land, estates etc. 'Railway clips' are those steel prongs used by the ticket collectors when they snip a piece out of your tickets, & are, if I am not very much mistaken, employed in Germany as well as here; no doubt you know the German name for them. Finally 'circumlocution department' is a term first invented by Dickens in 'Little Dorrit' Chapter 10 apropos to the Crimean War, when the tedious & roundabout doings of the government offices really exceeded themselves, since then the term as one of opprobrium[h] as come into vogue & is I believe often employed by Anthony Trollope. Doubtless the translator of 'Little Dorrit' has given the phrase some specific German name. I hope dear Uncle Emil that I have answered all your questions as you wanted them answered. Particularly about the last sentence I could not clearly make out from Tony's letter what you wanted to know about it...". Slight fraying to outer margins of final page, with a 1" tear at top margin, otherwise in very good condition. A rare content letter, written just three days after Dickens' death, which tends to include the reader in the Mystery of Edwin Drood as it was unfolding in 19th century Europe. $2,500 - 3,500