Dearest, best Wife of my heart,
Though I shall write you again the day after tomorrow, to send you your allowance, I cannot refrain from heralding it with these few lines to-day. Our first letters must have crossed, and apparently we both received them at the same time. I found yours after an evening of adventures: At noon on Tuesday I suddenly received a command from the King, through Lord Steward v. Minkwitz, to arrange a little court-concert for Pillnitz post-haste; remarkable to say, everything fitted in, everyone turned up, and so three carriage-loads of us started at 5 o'clock, Lipinski, Kummer and two others from the Kapelle for a quartet, Bielzizki and the Gentiluomo for songs. On our arrival at Pillnitz all the doors are nailed up, so to speak, not a flunkey knows anything about us; we glare at one another, and the Gentiluomo begins to scold. Then Grand Marshal v. Reitzenstein is called on the scene; he takes us at least into a room, and explains that a messenger had been despatched to countermand us, since the Grand Duchess Helene had not come to Pillnitz as invited, and consequently the whole Court had gone off to the Weinberg: the messenger must therefore have missed us. The Gentiluomo flew at the Grand Marshal so like a true comedian that we men sought to make ourselves scarce, and abandoned her to her fate; she drove back to Dresden alone, whilst we went to the hotel to stave off hunger, where we amused ourselves quite well till half-past 10, and I really was glad of the opportunity of mingling with these leaders of the orchestra for once. Lipinski turned all fire and flame for me again; with a quite heartily-meant embrace he made full amends for the wrong he had done me. So we drove home in the best of spirits, and there I found your letter, which I read in bed with great content. Yes, a letter like that does one real good; for even the shade of sadness in it strictly reposes on nothing but love, and to love and be loved remains ever a boon, even when yearning has to enter the bargain. See, at least we no longer need yearn in dread for one another now! Schlankelino will comfort himself soon enough, if only he gets on more intimate terms with the phantom Spook! —
The 3rd. That's just the way! I have been obliged to suspend writing a whole day; but you know it of old. Yesterday I had only got just so far with my letter as to be meaning to tell you how it happened that, against my immediate intention, I did not forthwith answer yours which so delighted me, when all manner of things intervened to withhold me once more. Lindenau called again, and the Rottorf, who greatly dislikes my being disturbed when at work, mistook the Premier Minister for a vagabond, and denied me to him; the poor man had to depart, leaving behind him a couple of lines in which he begged me to call on him as soon as possible. The Rottorf was frightened out of her wits when she learnt that it had been the Minister; whilst I had to dress and make off to him myself. He had shewn my composition to the King, and the latter had sat down to the piano at once, played it straight through, and expressed his great delight with it. This business gives me heaps to do, however, a hundred jobs to get things properly together. The day before yesterday I made a fine day for myself. After finishing my work, I went to dine at the Waldschlösschen alone, thence over the Hirsch through all sorts of woods and byways to the Ziegengrund, past Loschewitz to Blasewitz, and from there to the cemetery, where I gave orders for the restoration of my father's grave. It will not cost very much, and in the autumn we'll plant a couple of trees, shall we not?
— If you could only see me in my lovely summer costume! It's a perfect joy; only I made a bad choice with the violet gloves, for when I pulled them off for the first time, and was pointing with my finger on the bill of fare, the waiter bounded back in horror, for my whole hand looked just like a gigantic violet, the gloves had shed their dye so. — I've also been to the collector with the lottery coupon, and to my delight got 10 thaler, 26 ngr, for it, the whole ticket having won 50 thr; a thing that always strikes one as a present. In fact I meant at first to send it you forthwith, to buy yourself a pretty summer mantilla at Teplitz; as it occurred to me, however, that you probably could do that better in Prague, just hear how I have roughly planned the thing! You will surely come and visit me for once? Very good: you shall come for our Grand Choral festival, the 7th of July — (unfortunately I shall be unable to belong to you much at that season, as you may well imagine: Worse luck, you must think! —) and once you're here, I'll manage to get leave, perhaps for a fortnight, then travel back with you to Teplitz. We'll do all the excursions there, and go to Prague; then I'll leave you at Teplitz again, and return to Dresden, whither you shall follow me for good the end of August. But in July we'll discuss it all between ourselves; isn't that right, you good Mienel? — Pebs shall go with us, too, to Prague; it will not cost too much to travel in a carriage by ourselves, which makes a journey twice as agreeable, — and thus we'll dispose of the lottery prize! — I've had no further letters yet, excepting from the Heinefetter in the matter you know of, and from the editor of the Theaterchronik, sending me a number in which I'm highly praised as Kapellmeister. Kietz's letter to you I enclose; you will see that you may make your mind quite easy now, so I'll write you nothing more about it.
I've just had to make another break, to write a letter to the Minister; you have no idea the mass of things there are to see to. And when the unveiling affair is over, I shall have to put on seven-league boots for the Grand Choral festival; as soon as I've finished the composition, the rehearsals will come, and so on. Added to which I now have all the operas; to-day — for a variety — Freischütz!!! When I have got the composition done, too, I shall have to sacrifice my beloved morning hours for 3 weeks long (— I now rise regularly by 5 at latest —) since I perceive I must do something for my health. Consequently I have decided to go through a complete course of waters at Struwe's; much against my will, as one has to be very strict with it.
Otherwise I'm very well, thank God — the lassitude also has left me, and I am fit and fresh. If only you may get so, too; you know what I mean, so thoroughly well that one may expect something of you again, — but don't let Dr. Ullrich help you overmuch, lest it go with you as with the countess! —
Well, dear child, Eisold has just brought me my pay, tomorrow being Sunday; so it is exactly a week to-day since you left. — Herewith you therefore receive your month's money; if it doesn't last out, you know well enough to whom to apply; for you there will always be money. Deny yourself nothing, and make an excursion off and on; — they're all too far for you on foot, so drive in comfort. — Best love to the Mama. Jette was here the day before yesterday, to receive her "week's wages"; she gave herself such airs that she couldn't speak for lisping. — Fürstenau buttonholed me yesterday: hadn't I any orders for Teplitz? "No," said I; you may imagine why. — Last night there was a new farce at the Bad summer theatre; I went out to it, and ran into your butcher — what's-his-name, on the Ziegelgasse, your parents' landlord: — he also is going to Teplitz to-day, and asked if he could take anything for me. Again I said No! Everybody seems going to Teplitz, only I can't possibly contrive it; each holiday, church duty twice; and then the rehearsals: it's shameful! — Now, write again soon, and tell me a thousand things, even if just as pell-mell as in this letter of mine; I'm continually interrupted. Write me a whole quantity, for you already are writing well and as I like. No doubt you've shaken down a little better, and things are pleasing you again. How goes it with the tiny garden? — You dear good Mienel, at Pillnitz and Loschwitz I kept thinking, "You're nearer again to that foolish Minel; would you were with her quite!"
God preserve you! Farewell, farewell! Get well and cheerful! You have reason for it, since everything around us stands well, and it is a great thing to be able to say that. A thousand kisses from
Thy Richard.
I have heard nothing more of Avenarius, and have no desire to go to Leipzig! As soon as he's there again, I shall write him our orders about N., either to bring her with him in case the whole establishment is leaving Paris toward autumn, or in the contrary event to hand her over to a railway-guard on my behalf. In either case I'll send him the money he has disbursed for me till now. —
Source: Richard to Minna Wagner: Letters to His First Wife, trans. William Ashton Ellis, Vol. 1 (H. Grevel & Co., 1909), No. 4