Miezel, Miezel!
Something else has arrived! A letter from Riga from Hofmann in which he writes as follows:
"I deem it my duty to report to you that your great tone creation The Flying Dutchman has been performed here on the 22nd of May (Old Style) with great success.
"On the 25th it was repeated with the same success and the next performance is to be in Mitau," etc.
With this he enclosed, besides the program—a printed notice from the Zuschauer—which I am going to send to the Theater-Chronik and wherein my inspired, stupendous, rapturous creation is praised and also the performance greatly extolled. You too will read all this later on; now I am to use it for other purposes.
Miezel, Miezel, is this not splendid, even if only for the fact itself? O God, the clock is just striking the quarter! This morning I have a rehearsal of Die Jüdin at eight o'clock. Now, what do you think? What do you say to my Dutchman? Doesn't he behave well? Greetings to Mama! Excuse my terrible rush but I am writing five letters along with this! Farewell, my most, most good, good little wife.
Your
Mannel
Source: Letters of Richard Wagner: The Burrell Collection, ed. John N. Burk (Macmillan, 1950), No. 51