My dear, kind friends,
So! now you may rest! The incomparable has been achieved. And if, one day, the fruits of the most characteristic and German art are really to ripen - an art which I nurture within my spirit and which, in its depth and beauty, must surpass all else that other nations have ever created for their own greater glory, so you may be certain that you dear people will never be forgotten by the world, for your deeds have marked the onset of spring, a spring which gave warmth to my work, and strength and light to my artistic urge! -
We cannot praise ourselves in this way: we put forth shoots, we blossom and flourish together, each of us through the other! Intimately familiar, we work as one! -
And now - rest! You have earned the right to remain silent henceforth, if it pleases you to do so. What you have accomplished must remain imperishable in its influence! - If the weather proves clement, I would suggest that the three of us should set out, tomorrow perhaps, in search of relaxation and recreation! Let me know whether this is acceptable! -
Wholly yours,
Richard Wagner.
Source: Selected Letters of Richard Wagner, trans. and ed. Stewart Spencer and Barry Millington (W. W. Norton & Company, 1988), No. 326