Richard Wagner

“ Pointing to his sword.
Far as north from east and west,
So far was Brünnhild' removed.
GUTRUNE
But how got Gunther his wife from thee?
SIEGFRIED
Through the flames of the fire as they faded,
When day dawned, through the mist
She followed me down the hill;
When near the shore,
None observing,
I gave Gunther my place,
And by the Tarnhelm's magic
Wished myself straight to thee.
A strong wind drives the lovers
Merrily down the Rhine;
Prepare to greet them with joy.
GUTRUNE
Siegfried! Such is thy might,
I am afraid of thee! ”

“ How fashion the free one By me unshielded, In his proud defiance Most precious to me? How get me the other Who, not through me, But of himself Will perform my will? O woe of the gods! Horrible shame! Soul-sick am I Of seeing myself In all I ever created.
The other whom I so long for,
That other I never find.
The free by themselves must be fashioned,
All that I fashion are slaves!
Brünnhilde But the Wälsung, Siegmund, Works for himself. Wotan Wild I roamed In the woodland with him, Ever against the gods Goading him to rebel. ”

“ Woglinde Of the star resplendent Down in the depths Whose light illumines the waves?
The Three Rhine-Maidens
Together. See how gaily We glide in the glory! Wouldst thou also Be bathed in brightness, Come, float and frolic with us!
Wallala la la leia lalei!
Wallala la la leia jahei!
Alberich Has the gold no value Apart from your games? It were not worth getting! Woglinde He would not scoff, Scorning the gold, Did he but know all its wonders!
Wellgunde That man surely The earth would inherit Who from the Rhinegold Fashioned the ring Which measureless power imparts. ”

“ As Bulow had to complete the preparations for his concert, I drove out alone with Cosima on the promenade, as before, in a fine carriage. This time all our jocularity died away into silence. We gazed speechless into each other's eyes; an intense longing for an avowal of the truth mastered us and led to a confession—which needed no words—of the boundless unhappiness which oppressed us. The experience brought relief to us both, and the profound tranquillity which ensued enabled us to attend the concert in a cheerful, unembarrassed mood. ”

“ Wotan Fools, would ye flout me? Have a care, rash ones! I know: Brünnhilde Fain ye would hide. Leave her, the lost one Cast off for ever, Even as she Cast off her worth! The Valkyries To us fled the pursued one,
In her need praying for help,
Dismayed and fearful, Dreading thy wrath. For our trembling sister Humbly we beg That thy first wild rage be calmed,
Wotan Weak-hearted And womanish brood! Is this your valour, Given by me? For this have I reared you Bold for the fight, Made you relentless And hard of heart That ye wild ones might weep and whine
When my wrath on a faithless one falls? ”

“ Greet for me Wotan,
Greet for me Wälse
And all the heroes,
Wishmaidens lovely
Greet thou also,
And tell them I will not come!
BRÜNNHILDE
Nay, having looked
On the Valkyrie's face,
Thou must follow her forth!
SIEGMUND
Where Sieglinde dwells
In weal or woe,
There will Siegmund dwell also;
My face grew not pale
When I beheld thee:
Thou canst not force me to go!
BRÜNNHILDE
Force thee can none
While thou dost live;
Fool, what will force thee is death
Warning of death
Is what I bring.
SIEGMUND
What hero to-day
Shall hew me down?
BRÜNNHILDE
Hunding's hand in the fight. ”

“ But my success with Friederike was all the greater; we danced like mad through the many couples of peasants until at one moment we got so excited that, losing all self-control, we embraced each other while her real lover was playing the dance music. For the first time in my life I began to feel a flattering sensation of self-respect when Friederike’s fiance, on seeing how we two flirted, accepted the situation with good grace, if not without some sadness. I had never had the chance of thinking that I could make a favourable impression on any young girl. ”

“ That Mime is dear to thy heart.
SIEGFRIED
I said I could not bear thee;
Forget not that so soon.
MIME
[Recoils, and sits down again apart, opposite Siegfried.]
The wildness that thou shouldst tame
Is the cause, bad boy, of that.
Young ones are always longing
After their parents' nest;
What we love we all long for,
And so thou dost yearn for me;
'Tis plain thou lovest thy Mime,
And always must love him.
What the old bird is to the young one,
Feeding it in its nest
Ere the fledgling can flutter,
That is what careful, clever Mime
To thy young life is,
And always must be. ”

“ Here the whole matter is in the hands of one man—the ballet-master—and that man knows his business. Fortunately, he is in a position to dictate the rate of movement to the orchestra, for the expression as well as for the tempo, and he does so, not according to his individual whim, like an operatic singer, but with a view to the ensemble, the consensus of all the artistic factors; and now, of a sudden, it comes to pass that the orchestra plays correctly! A rare sense of satisfaction will be felt by everyone who, after the tortures of an opera, witnesses a performance of one of those Ballets. ”

“ Fafner Do not dally; Promptly pay! Fasolt Long waits our reward. Wotan
Turns sternly to Loge. Speak up surly one! Fail me not! How far hast thou ranged and roamed?
Loge Still with reproach Is Loge paid! Concerned but for thee, Thorough and swift, I searched and ransacked To the ends of the earth To find a ransom for Freia
Fair to the giants and just.
In vain the search, Convincing at last That the world contains Nothing so sweet That a man will take it instead
Of woman’s love and delight. ”

“ He rises and walks to the hearth. Pale and deeply moved, Sieglinde looks on the ground. Hunding
Rises. I know a wild-blooded breed;
What others revere It flouts unawed: All hate it, and I with the rest.
When forth in haste I was summoned, Vengeance to seek For my kinsmen’s blood, I came too late, And now return home To find the impious wretch
In haven under my roof.——
My house holds thee, Wölfing, to-day; For the night thou art my guest.
But wield to-morrow Thy trustiest weapon. I choose the day for the fight:
Thy life shall pay for the dead. ”

“ At the beginning of a new waltz this demon of the Viennese musical spirit shook like a Pythian priestess on the tripod, and veritable groans of ecstasy (which, without doubt, were more due to his music than to the drinks in which the audience had indulged) raised their worship for the magic violinist to almost bewildering heights of frenzy.
The hot summer air of Vienna was absolutely impregnated with Zampa and Strauss. A very poor students’ rehearsal at the Conservatoire, at which they performed a Mass by Cherubini, seemed to me like an alms paid begrudgingly to the study of classical music. ”

“ As booty mine is the ring.
Loge Not so. The ring Must go with the ransom.
Wotan Boldly ask what ye will:
It shall be granted; But not for all The world would I give you the ring.
Fasolt
Furious, pulls Freia from be­hind the hoard. All is off! The bargain stands: Fair Freia ours is for ever!
Freia Help me! Help me!
Fricka Heartless God, Grant it! Give way! Froh Keep not the gold back! Donner Give them the ring too! Wotan Let me alone! I hold to the ring.
Fafner stops Fasolt as he is hastening off. All stand dismayed; Wotan turns from them in anger. The stage has grown dark again. ”