Thursday, July 25:
Fidi is not at all ill; but R. and I spent a restless night, R. up from 2 to 6, goes downstairs, reads Faust in my room; but despite the disturbance he starts the day in good spirits and does some more work on his revision. He has given up Strauss, too dry and boring, the Ginnungagap of boredom! Referring to his article, he says, "I shall look forward to the theologians' letters."
Invited by friend W. to write something about architecture, Herr Reichensperger rather comically says, among other things, "In fact I support the Catholic party." We decide to take no account of party affiliations on condition that no party views are expressed by party members in articles written for us. A poem attacking the Jews, written in a very repulsive form, pleases R. only to the extent that it suggests the emergence of some sort of popular feeling in this direction. He says, "Better barbaric than this present attitude."
He reads Le Curé de village with enjoyment and renewed admiration for Balzac, wonders whether Balzac would not have found him quite unacceptable. I: "Not at all, if he had only heard something from your works and seen you." Pleasure in Fidi's good health; the night before last R. had seen him fall, and he recalled his dream anxiously when he heard that Fidi's bath had upset him.
In the afternoon, while R. is working on his revision, I read Opera and Drama. Afterward he plays something from Parsifal, Kundry's "Ich bin mude," then reads to us, myself and the W.'s, his article, which is no more an article than the "Kaisermarsch" is a march! "Salvation to the savior," I say to R., "that is the motto for this concluding article." "You are bold, my little woman," he replies.
He intends to make some alterations in the proofs, regarding Christ's return to earth, for instance, he says his words are somewhat colorless, for he had wanted to avoid being emotional or ironic, with regard to what the theologians have made of Christ, and his assertion that the second coming of Christ can be hoped for only when they have put an end to their confusions. Young Herr Pliiddemann here, R. very gay and friendly: "You are off to St. Gallen, as musical director, and I go empty-handed!" Herr P. talks about E. T. A. Hoffmann, and R. says that Herr Fischer, the chorus master, who had known Hoffmann, maintained that R. resembled Hoffmann in appearance, or, rather, had reminded him of him; R. observes that this does not surprise him. In the evening some more talk with R. about his article; this is theology, such as Dante discerned and felt it in the characteristics of Beatrice but could not express in words. R. thinks he will do no more writing.