Your friend,

Richard W.

286.

Milan, March 25th, 1859.

My Franz,

I am once more on my travels without having told you anything about them; tired out as I am by the Brera, the “Cena”, the Cathedral, etc., I do not want to go to bed before sending you two words of news.

In order not to interrupt the composition of my third act, I came to the conclusion that I ought to begin it in a place where I might finish it.  I have selected Lucerne for the purpose; you know how dearly I love the Lake of Lucerne; the Righi, Pilatus, etc., are indispensable remedies to me and my blood.  I shall live there in solitude, and at this time of the year shall easily find a most desirable lodging.  There I mean to work splendidly.  My Erard has already preceded me.

My health gives me still much trouble, otherwise I am fairly well off, but with your friendly cousin in Vienna, who thinks so little of your advantage, I have still a bone to pick.  About that next time.  I should, no doubt, have had news from you if, in my last letter, I had not again given you such a dose of gravy.  I should have been only too happy to receive a sign of life from you, even if that matter had not been mentioned with a word.  I hoped for it from day to day, and in that idle hope neglected advising you of my intended change of abode.

As soon as I am settled again I shall write better and more, without waiting for you to ask me.  For today these preliminary lines must suffice.  A thousand cordial greetings.

Your

R. W.

Lucerne, poste restante.

287.

Be heartily welcomed on the Lake of Lucerne, my dear, great friend.  “Tristan” will once again enjoy and derive strength from Alpine air before he leaves you for ever to shine on others.  At Carlsruhe they are afraid that he will not arrive punctually at the appointed time.  Devrient, whom I saw here and at Jena, told me so lately.  The first performance is wavering between September and December—­the birthday of the Grand Duke or that of the Grand Duchess, and I have already announced myself as the inevitable guest.

Your dose of gravy, as you put it, was not particularly palatable.  At our next meeting I shall have to say much about it, unfortunately of the negative kind.  Nevertheless, I hope to be able at the same time to propose to you a different arrangement (if that is the name) with which, no doubt, you will agree.  First of all, however, “Tristan” must be finished, engraved, and performed, and after that we will, without delay, take the “Nibelungen” affair seriously in hand, and set it right to your satisfaction.

The Princess and her daughter are going to Munich next week (Kaulbach is painting the portrait of Princess M.).  I stay here till Easter, and then go on a visit to Prince Hohenzollern at Lowenberg, Silesia.  From the middle of May to the beginning of June I shall pitch my tent at Leipzig, where all manner of things will happen.  Later on, for Whitsuntide, grand Schiller festivities are announced here.  Whether they will take place is very questionable, but in any case I shall have to get the music for the festival-play by Holm (VOR HUNDERT JAHRERI) ready, which will be something of an effort.