Hollander would be my Don Juan; the only thing now was to find
the music for it. As towards the end of the previous winter I
still entertained the hopes of being permitted to treat this
subject for the French Opera, I had already finished some of the
words and music of the lyric parts, and had had the libretto
translated by Emile Deschamps, intending it for a trial
performance, which, alas, never took place. These parts were the
ballad of Senta, the song of the Norwegian sailors, and the
'Spectre Song' of the crew of the Fliegender Hollander. Since
that time I had been so violently torn away from the music that,
when the piano arrived at my rustic retreat, I did not dare to
touch it for a whole day. I was terribly afraid lest I should
discover that my inspiration had left me--when suddenly I was
seized with the idea that I had forgotten to write out the song
of the helmsman in the first act, although, as a matter of fact,
I could not remember having composed it at all, as I had in
reality only just written the lyrics. I succeeded, and was
pleased with the result. The same thing occurred with the
'Spinner's Song,' and when I had written out these two pieces,
and, on further reflection, could not help admitting that they
had really only taken shape in my mind at that moment, I was
quite delirious with joy at the discovery. In seven weeks the
whole of the music of the Fliegender Hollander, except the
orchestration, was finished.

Thereupon followed a general revival in our circle; my exuberant
good spirits astonished every one, and my Avenarius relations in
particular thought I must really be prospering, as I was such
good company. I resumed my long walks in the woods of Meudon,
frequently even consenting to help Minna gather mushrooms, which,