Volume II Part 23 (1/2)
233
January 6th, 1857
Is not this aforward to your letter as to a Christ but sad and comfortless news That you are once more confined to your bed is the crown of ether?
It see letter, which I sent you at Weiht from Munich, and the same has, I fear, been the case with my letter to M, or else she would have surely sentently return once more, because I want your definite reply as soon as possible Since you left e has taken place in iven up the annual allowance which the R's made me
In such circumstances, my only hope is the speedy success of the Hartel affair in connection with the ”Nibelungen,” which had been broken off In accordance with your kind offer, I gave you unliain tied to your bed, and cannot, in any case for the present, pay the visit to Leipzig which would be necessary for the settlement of such an affair Consider, therefore, whether you are quite confident that the bargain will be co, as I do herewith, to accept any offer, knoell that, however set more in any other way If you are quite sure of a final success, the further question would be, hoould be possible to raise some money on account at once In any case, I ask you, and authorise you, and request you, as soon as possible, to co with the Grand Duke as to whether he would be inclined to confir me a pension, or, at least, a sufficient annual subsidy for the three years which it will take en” In the eventuality of a pension for life I should, of course, accept the obligation of staying every year so to his wish, as soon as the return to Germany is opened to me You no doubt remember our discussion of this point, and of the possible concurrence of other princes well inclined towards me But what I particularly care for is SPEEDY AND ABSOLUTE CERTAINTY At this moment, when I am most in need of help, I want to know DEFINITELY howposition of hoping, expecting, wishi+ng, and desiring, which involvesme In short, I want to know WHERE to look for my friends Therefore, much-tried friend, look upon this as your last attempt at intercession between me and a world, my position towards which I er in question My aranted no sooner than at the moment when Saxony herself considers that the tientlemen like to appear independent
Farewell for today I shall very soon write to you about other matters, which, I hope, will be pleasanter to both of us
Your
R W
234
January 27th, 1857
DEAREST FRANZ,
Wretched and helpless as I a which this tiether without interest to you I enclose the letter of the person concerned, so that you may be AU FAIT at once (The enthusiasm displayed forto the testi, very handsouessed by the liking of X for hie, therefore, that he rin” at Weimar under your direction In that uidance, and that I shall have the best infor h to send for hiot back to the ood Child I a always in a state of lamentation, and must therefore wait for a favourable hour, for I do not like absolutely to deceive you You yourself are used toelse My health, too, is once more so bad, that for ten days, after I had finished the sketch for the first act of ”Siegfried,” I was literally not able to write a single bar without being driven away fro I sit down, stare at the paper, and a Walter Scott The fact is, I have once th? With ”Rhinegold” I got on well enough, considering my circumstances, but the ”Valkyrie” caused me much pain At present my nervous system resembles a pianoforte very much out of tune, and on that instrufried” Well, I fancy the strings will break at last, and then there will be an end WE cannot alter it; this is a life fit for a dog
I hope you are out of bed again I wish I were a little more like you Can you not let et to send it to ood, dear Franz You are s to all at Altenburg
235
January 27th, 1857
Your sympathy withthe necessary helpful turn to my affairs, and I therefore think it advisable to describe to you, in a feords, my situation as it has lately shaped itself, so that you may know accurately upon what I reckon, and ht the little country house after all, and offers iven up the allowance of the R's, it is important for me to settle my income on an INDEPENDENT basis It would be foolish if I tried to arrangemy provisional position to a close I aranted in the course of 1858 at the latest, and I hope that this will suddenly change my situation, to the extent, at least, that it will depend upon myself to find a solid basis for my social existence All I can rationally care for, considering that I have no chance of success in any other direction, must be to secure for myself a free, unencumbered, and not too lireat work is co appears more adapted to the achieveen” to Hartel, whoment It is most important to me that this should come to pass, and I hope, in any case, that if Hartel accepts the offer I shall receive all that is required I think they ought to pay me 1,000 thalers for each score, in each case on delivery of the old,” and perhaps for the ”Valkyrie” also, now at once ”Siegfried” will be in their hands by the end of this year However, as I reive h to keepfor several years; and if I once knohat I have, I shallresolved, in any case, to leave the ement of my income in future to my wife
I need not tell you that if you coht to be LEFT ALONE ALTOGETHER, for I have made up my mind henceforth to preserve my independence as much as possible
You now have the complete synopsis of my situation; let reat delight that you are well again I have finished the composition of th, hope to score it before leavingcomposition proper I cannot think here; I have suffered too ing