Monday, December 24:
R. dreamed of a friendly association with Lachner, who, in a performance of Fidelio, cut out the Allegro in the Overture. “This might have a deeper significance,” R. thought to himself, “since the Overture does not really fit the work.” But when he discovered that L. had inserted a chorus of his own (reapers or something of that sort) into the beginning, he lost patience. Then he found himself in a hall full of ancient busts, but they were talking, and it seemed that one of them was [Wilhelmine] Schröder-Devrient, whereupon R. said to himself, “I would not like to dream that I kissed her, for it is not good to kiss dead people in dreams.”
R. does some work; I was occupied all day long by the Christkind. At last, at about 6 o’clock, I came into the salon and was greeted with a song, “Welcome, dear Christ!” When he came home and saw the house and “all its joys,” it had occurred to R. that Christ was not only a “bringer of salvation,” but a “bringer of joy” as well. Under Lulu’s supervision the children learned the words at once and sang them very nicely.
R. had built up a splendid pile for me, including the “manuscript,” inscribed “from the one who loves you” (he wrote “ripF” - Loldi’s word for “liebt” - to rhyme with “Manuskript”), he says, “One must be able to joke about the sublimest of things” - that is a sign of happiness! And a thousand other things, all sought out with kindness and loving care. [Attached to this page: a water-color drawing with the inscription, “Japanese negligé given to me by Richard, Christmas 1877.”]
All this had led to a long correspondence between him and Judith, during which it had unfortunately become clear to him that even the best of French people cannot overcome certain limitations. For instance, Judith cannot believe that it is impossible to translate Parsifal into French! But of course they do not know the other thing.
Splendid evening, the children bubbling over, memories of Italy, Eva sings “The delight and of transfigured pain!” R. and I went to bed at 11 o’clock; we could still hear the bells. R.’s words to me were overwhelming.