Dearest Old Fellow!
Many thanks for your letter, to which I at once answer in the briefest way just what is absolutely necessary! About the portrait you have made a silly mistake: the water-colour drawing is the original, and the phototype is taken from the water-colour drawing. This by way of rectification. It would be only fair to the lady artist if she were named on the lithograph: her name is Clementine Stockar-Escher.
I know Härtels are slow, and wish first to see the original: you ought certainly to have been able to manage that at once. But now in a word: let Hanfstängl commence immediately, and for the present directly to my order and at my cost. If the plates are ready, send Härtels an impression, and ask if they will publish it, provided the costs be made good. If they will not, I will pay, and you must think of some one to whom you could give the sale on commission: perhaps one could try again with the good M. The principal thing is for the plate to be ready: the caricatures of me which are now bought annoy me much. (Apropos! Let the R.'s see the original at once.)
For your willingness to attend to the Lohengrin work, in spite of your suffering, I heartily thank you; if you soon get it done — well and good; but one must not flog a willing horse.
Good heavens! if only there were an end to these misunderstandings of Fischer's! What you again reproach me with is really absolute nonsense; I never said anything of the sort. Leave the whole bother alone; there's nothing in it but empty straw. We know, I think, how we stand with each other!
I was very sorry to hear you had been bad again for three months: I hope you are better now.
You are probably quite clear now about the copy of my new poem: in ordering the number, I certainly thought of you and Fischer, but not exactly about P.; so that came casually betwixt and between. You old discontented doubters, you!!
I was quite astonished about Wilhelm's route to Japan: I always thought it went from North America round Cape Horn. Well, that's all right! but it's a capital joke after all. Dearest friend, in future we shall bring up our sons by first sending them on a journey round the world. What miserable toads are we! for we spend our dear lives in dreaming of heaven, and never get the least glimpse of earth!
M.'s sisters grow younger every day. Minna is quite pleased with our lovely new home. Greetings to your household and to our friends! Take care of yourself, and cure your stomach for the sake of your eyes! Again, many thanks for your letter! Farewell!
Your
R. W.
The phototypist who made the copy was stupid enough to leave the water-colour drawing exposed to the sun, and it became quite faded, etc. Hence the Stockar's request to take more care of it.
I am now up to my ears in muddle, on account of my musical performances. I am getting my orchestra from Switzerland, France, and Germany: it makes a lot of correspondence! So forgive this hasty scrawl!!
Source: Richard Wagner's Letters to His Dresden Friends, Theodor Uhlig, Wilhelm Fischer, and Ferdinand Heine, trans. J. S. Shedlock (Scribner & Welford, 1890), No. 172