[...] You who are all that I have, my dearest friend and prince, you who are the whole world to me and everything rolled into one, have pity on me! -
But keep calm! keep calm!
I want to say something about the Faust Overture. You caught me out quite splendidly when I tried to delude myself into thinking I had written an “Overture to Faust”! You were quite right to feel that something was missing here - and that what was missing is womankind! - But perhaps you would sooner understand my tone-poem if I were to call it “Faust in Solitude”! -
At that time I wanted to write a complete Faust Symphony: the first part (the one I finished) was indeed the “solitary Faust” - in his yearning, despairing and cursing: the “feminine” element is present before his mind’s eye as the image of his yearning, but not in its divine reality: and it is precisely this unsatisfying image of his yearning which he shatters in his despair. Only in the second movement was Gretchen - the woman - to be introduced: I already had the theme for her - but it was only a theme - : the whole thing was left to lie - I wrote my “flying Dutchman”. - It is as simple as that! - If a vestigial sense of weakness and vanity now makes me want to rescue this Faust composition from total neglect, I shall certainly have to revise certain parts of it - but only as far as the instrumentation goes: it is impossible to introduce the new theme as you wish me to: it would then become a totally different composition, and one which I have no desire to write. But if I publish it, I shall give it its proper title: “Faust in Solitude” or “The solitary Faust” - a tone-poem for orchestra. -
My new poems for the two Siegfrieds were finished last week: but I still have to revise the two earlier pieces, “the young Siegfried” and “Siegfried’s Death”, since there are now substantial changes that have to be made to them. I shall not have completed them before the end of the year. The full title is: The Ring of the Nibelung, a stage festival play in three days and a preliminary evening. Preliminary Evening: The Rhinegold. First Day: The Valkyrie. Second Day: The young Siegfried. Third Day: Siegfried’s Death. What fate has in store for this poem - the poem of my life and of all that I am and feel - is something I cannot say at present: but one thing at least is certain - if Germany does not open its borders to me in the immediate future, and if I am forced to continue this artist’s life of mine without sustenance or incentive, I shall be driven by my animal instinct for self-preservation to the point when I abandon all art. What I shall then take up to eke out my life, I do not know: but - I shall not write the music for the Nibelungs, and only somebody totally inhuman could demand that I should remain enslaved by my art a moment longer. -
Ah! I keep on falling back into the mood of self-pity which is the basic key-note of this letter! I may well be guilty of a great incivility in doing so - for you may perhaps - have needed cheering up - ! Forgive me if all I have to offer you today is hopelessness: I can no longer pretend, but, whether people despise me for it or not, I shall shout out my grief for all the world to hear and make no secret any longer of my unhappiness! What use would it be if I tried to lie to you? But there is one thing you must not forget, even if all else proves impossible! - you must see to it that we are able to meet next summer! Remember that this is absolutely necessary, - that it must be so, and that no God must be allowed to prevent you from coming here, especially since the police (fall to the ground when you hear their name mentioned!) prevent me from coming to you! - Promise me for certain when you next write that you will come! Promise! -
We shall then see whether I have managed to survive until then!! -
Fare you well!! You must make allowances for me! Regards to Hans - and - be of good cheer - you may soon be rid of me!!
Fare you well and write to me soon.
Yours,
Richard Wagner.
Source: Selected Letters of Richard Wagner, trans. and ed. Stewart Spencer and Barry Millington (W. W. Norton & Company, 1988), No. 152