Volume II Part 36 (1/2)

Your

F L

WEYMAR, April 6th, 1859

288

LUCERNE, April 19th, 1859

Tell me, dearest Franz, hoould you feel if you were in my position? I have repeatedly asked you to send me your neorks as they appear The ”Ideals” has appeared, but you are silent on the subject Now I read the publisher's announcement of the appearance of ”Dante” Hoould you feel if this happened to you? Do you still harbour your strange illusions about me? That surely is impossible

The weather is bad; I aht hts

Let me hear, let me see

Your

R W

289

DEDICATION OF THE ”DANTE” SYMPHONY

As Virgil guided Dante, so have you guided ions of life-tone imbued worlds From the bottom of his heart calls to you:--

”Tu se lo mio maestro, el mio autore!”

and dedicates this work to you with invariably faithful love

Your

F LISZT

WEYMAR, Easter 1859

290

LUCERNE, May 8th, 1859

I should prefer not to write to you today, dearest Franz, because I am not in the proper , I make at least this atte exactly what the result will be If you suddenly were to enter my solitude,--that would be a chance of the possibility of a possibility But you see, while the third L (Lucerne) has been totally forgotten Well, I stick to Lucerne, and, carefully considered, it is the only place in the world which is at present possible to ine, that I do not live a life in the proper sense of the word; the only thing that could help etfulness, of that I have still less than of life, and this state of things has lasted for a period which I soon shall count by decades Excepting the servants, I see and speak to no one; just iood people, I fear you leaveof ”too late” will one day be brought home to you in connection with me It is very well to say: ”Get ”Tristan” ready, and then we shall see” But how if I did not get ”Tristan” ready because I could not get it ready? I feel as if I should break down pantingly in sight of the goal

Once at least every day I look at ood will, but my head is waste, my heart empty, and I stare at the mists and the rain-clouds, which, ever since I have been here, have debarred nant blood by pleasant excursions People say: ”Go to work, then all will be right” Very well in its way, but I, poor devil, lack routine, and if ideas do not come to s this! and what is worse, there is no chance of helping ainst me Work alone is to help me, but who is to help me to the possibility of work? I have evidently too little of what you have too much

I am full of enthusiasm for the German Confederacy of the Teutonic nations For heaven's sake do not let the villain L