Lucerne, Aug. 27, 59. Herewith I send you Don Felix [Draeseke], who has kept me faithful company till now. He's bringing you the Schiller, much of which (as you may easily imagine) has deeply affected me. Your note of to-day was very satirical {spottisdi) to be sure, but still it rejoiced me, as testifying to your high spirits. I feel in quite passable health these few days ; the landlord at Brunnen declared he had never seen me looking so well, as now. A pleasantly confident mood has inspired me with projects,* about which I perhaps shall soon give [you] to decide whether they're monstrous or perfectly natural. We shall see. — Don Felix pronounces the third act of the Tristan still finer than the second. I entreat you to give him a good dressing for that. Am I to tolerate that sort of thing ? I have heard nothing new from the " world," and am still in the thick of the "wood." There flit all kinds of Nibelungs and sleeping Valkyries. I have promised Don Felix some Wotan this morning, as a last farewell ; he shall report to you how it turns outf t It is just possible that this may imply the commencement of the ' composition-draft ' of act iii Siegfried, the exact date whereof has not as yet been ascertained. In favour of that supposition might be adduced the allusion to "sleeping Valkyries," the inference that Frau Wesendonck had not hitherto heard how this music " turned out," and the references to act iii toward the end of the letter of Sept. 24 (p. 177) and in that of Oct. 25 to Otto. Against, we have " Wotan " where we should have expected " the Wanderer," the " Nibelungs " who do appear in act ii (scoring of which may alternatively have been commenced), and the contrast. of "world" with "wood "so frequent in the first two acts. No doubt it is a great temptation, to make that superb invocation of Erda directly succeed the last touch to the Tristan score, i.e. after an interval of barely three weeks ; but, all things considered, we must resist it until we have more definite data to go upon. — Tr. To your cow you must soon add a lamb, and if possible, a pretty goat as well. That absolutely must be.— Yesterday I feared Vreneli was sickening for the nervous fever, and wanted to take energetic steps against it ; but she's better to-day. I think I shan't catch it myself, although it is now epidemic here. — Greet your Elves-hill and all that live thereon, and remember me ! Your R. W. SEPTEMBER 1859 TO JANUARY 1862 {Including four from Vienna) 58 58 58
Richard Wagner
Source: Richard Wagner to Mathilde Wesendonck, translated by Ellis, No. 90