I've read the beautiful fairy-tale out to the Erard: it assured me by a doubly fine tone that it had understood it well! —
The same day you received my sketches; so it was a case of exchange-of-matter! I am obsessed by my work now, and regard it as a moral victory over myself if I can pause and abandon one page for the day. How ever shall I feel when I've ended? I have still some 35 pages of the full score to do: in 12 days I expect to get through with them; how ever shall I feel then? I fancy, somewhat fagged at first; even to-day my head's quite dizzy. And ah, how I depend on the weather! If the air is light and free, you can do anything with me, the same as when one's fond of me; contrariwise, if the atmosphere weighs on me, I can stoutly rebel, at utmost, but the beautiful comes hard.
I lack elbow-room. God, how the world is closing ever tighter on me! How much easier might everything be made for me.
No matter, we'll console ourselves; and after all, I know no one with whom I'd exchange.
— My salutations to Cleobis and Biton; those were the names, if I mistake not, of your two good mother's-sons in Argos? They're old acquaintances of mine. What a pity the Greeks were such a long way behind us! There's absolutely nothing Abstract in their religion: 'tis nothing but a matchlessly luxuriant world of myths, and all of them so plastic and pregnant that one can never forget their shapes again: and whoso fathoms them aright, finds the deepest world-view sunk therein. But, they just made no dogmatic system of them; they poesied and portrayed. Entire artists, profound and genial! Glorious folk! —
Ah, how it revolts me when I look thence to our Europe! And Paris? — It will be a clear case of taking good care — to isolate oneself and keep alone! —
About the finished Tristan another day.
It would be fine if we still could combine a Pilatus ascent; farther than that I suppose I shan't get, with my "recreation-trips." I'll write you two best children of man exactly when I think to put the last stroke of my pen to the partitur. If it's possible then, do come: alone I won't go up Pilatus. And then we'll also plan our farewell dinner at the Villa (Franca) Wesendonck. I expect to have finished — as said — the end of the first week in August.
And now, good God protect you, and all your house, and the dépendance into the bargain! Best thanks for all kindness and love, and especially for the fir-tale. Hearty greetings to the cousin, niece and nephew!
Your R. W.
Source: Richard Wagner to Mathilde Wesendonck, trans. William Ashton Ellis (Charles Scribner's Sons, 1905), No. 88