Category: Cosima Wagner Diaries

The children, all by themselves, stick 61 candles on R.’s bathtub and surround it with wreaths and bunches of flowers, merry laughter about it all. Doves fly out of the loft for the first time and flutter around our house. I make no celebrations for R. this year. Marie Dönhoff…

Up early in order to complete the poem, then gave it to the children. Drove with Frau v. M. to the Eremitage, in the after noon to the theater, then to the Fantaisie.  Letter from my father in Florence, letter from Herr Muchanoff, I make up my mind to travel…

Thought of the proverbs—talked about education (accursed is knowledge without action, accursed the man without knowledge, etc.). One should put less emphasis on knowledge than on aesthetic feeling, good speech, good manners — the Greeks recognized and discovered the right way. What would be right for the Germans? Honorableness, modesty….

Letter from a man in Kolberg, nephew of the lady who wanted a certificate of patronage; he sends another 300 thalers and says it is his aim to devote himself to this theater of ours. — Yesterday another letter arrived from the AA.Z. editor, thanking R. for his letter and…

R. orchestrates again; I do nothing much except look around, read with Loldi (German stories, etc.), and drag myself about, for I still feel very unwell. In the afternoon played with the children, since they had some young guests.  In the evening we wanted to read Pericles, but could not…

Wrote all kinds of letters, to Warsaw, Berlin, etc.; besides that still many tasks of arrangement. R. orchestrates a page of his score, but is still not feeling entirely well. In the evening we finish Titus in great astonishment. —  In the morning our two cocks amused us greatly by…