But I am talking wildly. Correct me if I deserve it; I shall never be anything but a fantastic good-for-nothing.
Has Eugene sent you my medallion? It is not bad, only a little sickly.
I shall soon have to write again; I have more materials than I can deal with today.
The instrumentation of the "Rhinegold" is going on apace. At present I am with the orchestra down in "Nibelheim." In May the whole will be ready, but not the clean copy, only single sheets with illegible pencil sketches on them. It will be some time before you can see anything of it. In June I have to begin the "Valkyrie." When are you coming? You say nothing about it, and yet you talk of "verbal communications." Schindelmeisser wrote to me yesterday, asking me to come to Darmstadt on the sly on Easter Monday, because "Lohengrin" would be splendid. That I shall leave alone.
Adieu, dearest, dearest Franz. I have so many things to write to you, that I must close for today.
Convey my best regards.
Your
R. W.
ZURICH, April 9th, 1854.
151.