R. at work continually; he complains that in this composition he can picture nothing himself at all—things were otherwise with the Kaiser March, and even with Rule, Britannia, where he imagined a great ship; here, however, he sees nothing save the 5,000 dollars he has demanded, and which he may perhaps not receive. In the evening a conference; our dear Feustel brings with him and reads aloud an article from the Frankfurt Newspaper, “R. Wagner and Criticism”,[1] which is altogether excellent. On the whole the state of affairs is tolerable; only Feustel communicates that Otto von Bismarck has declared to Jachmann that, since his advice—to go to the Reichstag, where he would have exerted all his power on behalf of the cause—was not followed, he wishes henceforth to know nothing more of the matter! …
[1] From Hofmann, editor of the Weser Newspaper, see also 28 Jan. and 15 Feb.
Revised English translation by Jo Cousins [© Jo Cousins | WAGNER Salon]