Your letter and your declaration of affection, infinitely kindly and friendly, both touched and cheered me yesterday. From my soul I thank you for your love, my dear lad; God knows I return it! See, a tear has fallen on the paper, I am a soft fellow! I have much, for I have a friend, and the good God will surely give the rest, too!
Your inquiry as to how things are going here strikes heavily on my heart. It is certain now that I shall leave here by May 1st, for, firstly, Bethmann would produce no opera during the coming three summer months and, secondly, even if he wished to do so it could not be, his finances are in such confusion. I have spent the last three weeks now without a brass farthing in my pocket; it is a scandal! I will try to settle my affairs here and then go for a time to Leipzig and finish my opera Das Liebesverbot there. The performance of two duets from it has aroused my fairest hopes for it. What shall you do next? Probably you will travel? Ach Gott, ach Gott, my whole soul relaxes blissfully when I think of travel, but I am held fast to the futilities of some fixed locality or other as by bands of iron!
I shall have an inane life in Leipzig, that I can see beforehand, but I look forward to the near future quite without joy and only think of the more distant with pleasure, sometimes, though, with dread! God, supposing the sunshine of Italy is to remain but a northern mist for me! It would be too horrible! Laube is free, at least from jail, but he is still a prisoner, for he has got to go to Liegnitz!
I feel in a very good humour with you this month, so I send you kind messages from Minna, the dear child, and will overlook your hopeless naivete about her and me; she is as fresh as ever, but pale, sometimes!
Richard Wagner
Source: Letters of Richard Wagner, Volume 1, ed. Altmann/Hull (London: Dent, 1927), No. 18