Thank God, dear Minna, a letter has arrived to-day! If none had come to-day, I meant to send a telegram to Tröger; I had firmly settled that. For I believed that, had you written on the 4th (Monday), the letter could have got here by Wednesday (the 6th). — But it has taken a day longer, since to-day is the 7th; so perhaps you also did not get my birthday wishes duly on the 5th, but a day too late! I'm truly sorry! In every way your birthday's falling there has been a regular teaser. I had promised my household, the day before, that a "half" should be cracked in your honour; but on the morning of the 5th I unfortunately arose with a sore throat, brought on through a chill in my bath: I had a slight touch of fever, and thought needful to diet myself strictly all day, to prevent the inflammation getting thorough hold and my labouring under it about a fortnight, like my poor dear wife. Moreover, Nette also had been seized with the quinsy, which accordingly must have been smuggled into our house by yourself; she is barking finer and more expressively than Peps, and — as one used to say — has got a rouser. Under such circumstances I also refused an evening invitation to Wesendonck's, whither Sulzer had been bidden as well (on account of your birthday). So the day passed fairly dismally, but I decreed that if a good letter arrived from the wife the next morning, the "half" should be drunk on the 6th. Well, the quinsy had left me by the morning of the 6th, but — the letter also stayed away; which so annoyed me all day, that I worked like a fury, but thought of no half. In fact I became quite alarmed about you, and tortured myself with the blackest of fears; so that I had a wretched night's sleep, got up for 2 hours, and longed for day to come and bring the chance of tidings. Now they've — arrived, and at least I see that the journey passed off without actual mishap, and you have reached the bosom of your family. No wonder, on the other hand, you're feeling so knocked up; looking back, it really was a great stupidity for you to have taken this fatiguing journey so soon; we won't commit it again! And now I beseech you by everything in the world: take it easy; be boundlessly lazy, and cosset yourself to your heart's content! Don't think of leaving Zwickau till you are in perfect condition again. What you write me of the amiable brother-in-law, a doctor, has rejoiced me quite: under care such as that, I foresee, you'll succeed in thorough convalescence. Poor woman, you need it! I am very glad about the good old mother, too, and stout Lotte and the old man with all his wits about him have also put me in good humour. In short — the long-deferred shall come to pass to-day, and your birthday be kept by us after the event; in fact with the Wesendoncks, who have had the good idea of inviting me and Nette to dinner to-day. There a whole must do duty! —
Otherwise I have nothing — as you may well conceive — to tell you of ourselves; I go on working (a little too hard, I fear), and look neither left nor right. Neither has anything occurred. Merely a Privy Commerce-Councillor Moritz Cohn from Dessau has called on me, filled his mouth with my fame, and finally declared he knew you very well from Dessau days: you had had a recommendation to him from Kaskel the banker, and I was simply to remind you of the "Concordia" (Pretty tales! and I, poor beggar, to be asked to pass them on!!)
Wesendoncks want to decoy me into flitting with them for a couple of days; but they haven't caught me yet: I do not feel like flitting. Peps has done another good tramp with me; Jacquot makes constant progress: "Donnerwetter" he had already got pat, and to-day, after many rehearsals, he piped the Rienzi correctly. Else it's very still with me; no letters at all! But just you write me all the more, and they shall ever be my dearest letters! Give my heartiest greetings to all at Zwickau, and tell them I should like to be there too; but, were I to attempt it, probably I should have to stay in Zwickau rather longer than either they or I might care for.
Now, farewell, dear good Wife! Tomorrow I expect with great delight a second letter from you; may it bring me good news of your being well! With that wish I mean to drink your health to-day.
Only be thoroughly lazy, and for once seek the Castle of Indolence! Farewell, and get well!
Thy Richard.
Source: Richard to Minna Wagner: Letters to His First Wife, trans. William Ashton Ellis, Vol. 1 (H. Grevel & Co., 1909), No. 67