Poor dear Minna,
Once more I cry to you, repeating it a thousand times: Have patience, and above all else, have trust! If you knew how you torture me with your want of the latter, I feel sure you would repent it. In brief, when you assured me you really did love me, I adjured you to prove it me by forgoing any encounter, any arraignment on that side, at least until after your cure; in return for which I promised you to fulfil on my side whatever you wished for your pacifying. But the Tempter mastered you a second time, and this time you openly broke your love and faith in me. I forgive you that, to begin with, for the awful state of health which made you almost irresponsible; and more: I forgive it you for all the future. But I now implore you, put forth all your strength of mind henceforward to preserve unshaken your belief in my sincere and lifelong sympathy, my heartfelt wish to promote your welfare, my steadfast will to harbour no ulterior hopes whatever for this life. If you are unable to do so, you will make yourself and me unhappy! I should have no need of this entreaty if you had yourself had so much mental composure from of old as to judge me justly, and in particular to form a clear idea of that relation which fills you with idle fears, as I perceive, even after your procuring yourself full satisfaction. From the other side but one reproach has been addressed to me, namely that I had ever omitted to make the purity of those relations clear to you, so that it would have been impossible for you so to insult the lady concerned. These reproaches were made me by the husband, the man who, admitted from of old to the minutest confidences of his wife, yet could ever bear himself with nobleness and friendship toward me, just because he was convinced of the purity of our relations. The only excuse I could offer in reply, was that I held it a sheer impossibility to convince yourself of such a thing — and that, alas! in spite of all my declarations, appears to be intending to prove true. — So once again, and for the last time (since you will destroy yourself if you continue thus!) — have trust! Forget in what has happened whatever seems to remain inexplicable to you (such as my familiar expressions in that letter) — and cleave alone to my explanations reiterated to you to-day! That also is what I meant by wishing to have a right sensible wife in you soon, which I hope you'll take amiss of me no longer. —
For that matter, I may simply tell you that I was really invited to Wesendonck's again last Sunday, and quite alone. I have been at the Willes' two days. Next week the Wesendoncks go away for some time. I am longing for my work again at last, and think of resuming it tomorrow. — After this serious and truly well-meant letter, I have nothing further of importance to communicate to you to-day. —
Your sufferings have touched and thrilled me much again; God is my witness how honestly and sincerely I wish you speedy convalescence. Persevere! Your illness once alleviated, you'll look at everything again more calmly, and recognise that the causes of life's sufferings do not only lie outside us, but mostly also in us. So, good recovery!
We soon shall meet again!
Thy faithful Husband Richard.
Source: Richard to Minna Wagner: Letters to His First Wife, trans. William Ashton Ellis, Vol. 1 (H. Grevel & Co., 1909), No. 121