| Description | [Diary Transcription]
296
1838
July
at 2 1/4 at a little distance, left, hameau de Saussa [Saussa Debat] — cross another stone bridge over little gave, and in
20 minutes to 1/2 hour after alight at 3 1/4 on the Saougué [Saugué] on a little rocky, turfy, knoll at a
little distance from the cottage of the proprietaire Caoube (or, as pronounced, Cowbě the final e merely of use
in lengthening the b) — unsaddled the horses to graze as usual on these occasions — A- [Ann] had the yolk of
one hard boiled egg and I the white, and she then began to sketch the Marboré and cirque, and I sat under
a little wall under the little wind (vent d’Espagne) writing pencil notes and contemplating the
scene, and looking at my Charpentier-map — the Saougué [Saugué] a large good mountain — plenty
of good près (meadows) and pasturage ou paccage — As we stand here, on a green rocky
butte, near the cottage and (looking South) the Cirque de Gavarnie and Marboré en face — all quite
clear as it has been all the way we have come though, on setting out this morning, there were a few white clouds
floating about that made us doubt our good fortune for today — could see more or less of
the Marboré from about 2 1/4 — In front as I now stand at 3 1/2 p.m. (have put on my tartan
cloak — my linen damp from the heat of the sun in the steep ascent; and here the air being frais)
in front, Cirque and Cascade seen from the top of its great shoot — a white frothy line
the top of the Cirque (i.e. the foot of the 1st gradin or talus of snow) seems about, not quite
2/3 of the height of the great shoot of the cascade — 3 gradins or talus of snow to the foot of the great
walk of rock (muraille) whose top is covered with snow, but not more than a speck or 2 visible from here — the top line
of the Marboré forming a magnificent segment of a circle, the amphithéatre par excellence, begins on the
west with the snow-striped Mont Taillon, and going from West to East (from right to left as I stand)
comprises the Taillon, fausse brêche, brêche de Roland, larger tour du Marboré,
lesser tour du Marboré, then a levellish line in the middle or swell of the segment, and
then the indented range of Astazou shooting up mid-way into the huge bluff
round-headed pic d’Astazou fit rival of Taillon on this side, and usher of the cylindre
and Mont Perdu on the other as seen from the Vallée d’Estaubé — Dividing the segment of circle into 3 parts
from West to East, the Taillon and 2 brêches and the larger tour = 1/3 the smaller tour and the levellish line
to the range of Astazou (that is the Cirque) = 1/3 and the range of Astazou = 1/3 the middle part
being rather the smallest of the 3 parts — Mont Perdu not seen from here — to the left — South
East — shut out by the Piméné and its long crête ending at the Pic of the Coumelie — the pic
du Piméné the veritable pic of the Coumelie — it looked so high and so pointed, and steep, and
bare and inaccessible, A- [Ann] had said, does it not seem almost impossible that we should have been there?
it does indeed look a giddy height — (vide line 17 page 290.) Vignemale not in sight — hid
by the large mountain forming the North side of the Vallée d’Ossonne and the Pic Blanc an immense
high round rocky head seeming, not far from us right, West, and its range sweeping round
to the North, and with the Pic d’Aspé etc. behind us forming our valley — It would be easy to
descend from here where we are upon Gavarnie, but we have no peep into its valley, except upon the
[margin text:] Saougué [Saugué]
Marboré.
Piméné.
297
1838 July
E
ponts de niège at the bottom of and upon the arène of its cirque, and of course no peep into the Vallée d’Ossonne — Behind us,
North, after the debouche of our valley into that of Gavarnie a little to the Southward of Gèdre, fourche
de Brada — Pic Long — and East of us Canelon (like a little pyramid on a huge truncated cone) and Port
du Plan turning round (South) in the distance above the Chapelle de Héas — behind the Brada, the
Hourquette de Mow Copperat and Mow Copperat itself — (vide line 9 from bottom of page 294.) —
merely a few streaks of snow on this side the Piméné, and none on the Coumelie [Coumély] — on the
range of the Pic d’Anstazou [Astazou] bits of snow in the hollows — Tallion [Taillon] horizontally striped with snow —
or rather leaning towards the Cirque, on the ledges of its stratification — snow on the gradins
or talus of the Cirque and on both sides of them up to the top — gradins or talus of snow up to the foot
of the larger Tour du Marboré and largeish glacier between the Taillon and crête going up to the
fauche brêche — the snow on the East side of the crête and between the crête and the brêche de Roland not seen from here — the brêche itself bouché
(blocked) by the end of the crête (as seen from here) of high rock behind east of which one goes
to the brêche — This seems the best point of view for the cirque and Marboré — nothing to
compare with them except perhaps les Murailles d’Estaubé? The one on one side the
Piméné, the other on the other — and one can pass to the other side by Gavarnie, by
the mountain d’Allanz down which we descended — the cascade de Gavarnie being a mere line
here, leaves the Cirque and Marboré to their own merits — of the cirque de Gavarnie
and Murailles d’Estabé which is the finer coping? The Marboré with its
tours, and brêches, and Tallion [Taillon], and Astazou; or Mont Perdu with his glaciers and
brêche and cylindre and ports de Pinède and Vieux? The soul of chivalry — the spirit
of romance would give the casting vote to Marboré for Roland’s sake? — had just written
the above notes at 4 1/2 — then looking at my map till 5 5/.. then went to A- [Ann] could give her 1/2 hour for beginning colouring her sketch — left
her for an hour, and went and stood talking to the guides till 6 5/’’ — when A- [Ann] had just done
her colouring sufficiently — (the best sketch by far she has ever done yet) and came to tell us to be off —
she had lost one of her brushes — seeking for this and her eating a biscuit and taking a little
sip of noyau took us 20 minutes — when (they had misunderstood about saddling the horses)
we set off walking homewards at 6 25/.. and left the men to follow with the horses —
we had come according to Charpentier along the Vallée de Poeyasbé — but in my talk with the
guides, they did not seem to allow this — said the Mountain we were on was the Sougué a very large mountain
seeming to form the whole of the south side of this valley up to the Pic Blanc and on the opposite (north) side was the
Pic d’Aspé — Aspé simplement — not Poeyaspé — asked the meaning of the word Poey — it had no meaning —
but on X [cross] examining Pierre and found that poey means a butte or monticule — vide Chaussenque [Chausenque] ii. 299.
‘Pouey, puch, pech, Puy, etc. — Montagne’ [therefore] I cannot help thinking Charpentier probably right —
In 20 minutes A- [Ann] and I had walked to the stone bridge, at 6 3/4, over the little gave — at 7 (the horses had got up to us)
[margin text:] which the finer? Cirque de Gavarnie or Murailles d’Estaube?
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