I dreamt that Kinowsky had got on the train in order to murder R.; R., on the other hand, dreams sweetly, and Fidi dreams most beautifully of his father’s birthday — which accords well with my own thoughts, now often occupied with R.’s approaching birthday. — R. writes to Frau Wesendonck, likewise concerning the advance! … I make some calls. In the evening I receive a pretty letter from Marie Hohenlohe; R. writes to Herr Scaria, who has simply returned the part with a card — he wishes to have nothing to reproach himself with in this matter. In the evening read a splendid novella by Lope de Vega[1] (I paid no heed to the title, as usual; the chief persons were Laura, Kisardo, Marcelo). — Reflections that Germany’s present military greatness is but ephemeral, such phenomena being frequent enough in history! … America and Russia are the future. The present economic calamity shows but too clearly that our statesman is no statesman at all, but merely a diplomat, one who looks only to foreign affairs. We have now the gold standard — and nowhere any gold. — Meanwhile France flourishes.
[1] Lope de V. Carpio (1526-1635), span. Dichter, seine Novellen übersetzte L. Richard, »Lope de Vegas romantische Dichtungen«, 9 Bde. 1824-28.
Revised English translation by Jo Cousins.