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"Durch alle Tone tonet
Im bunten Erdentraum
Ein leiser Ton gezogen
Fur den, der heimlich lauschet."
("Through all the sounds of nature,
In earth's fair dream of joy,
An under-current soundeth
For him whose ears can hear."]
I mean, therefore, to work at it and penetrate it through and
through, so as to make the utmost possible effect with it.
As to the "Kinderscenen," I owe to them one of the greatest
pleasures of my life. You know, or you don't know, that I have a
little girl of three years old, whom everybody agrees in
considering angelic (did you ever hear such a commonplace?). Her
name is Blandine-Rachel, and her surname Moucheron. [Pet name;
literally, "little fly."] It goes without saying that she has a
complexion of roses and milk, and that her fair golden hair
reaches to her feet just like a savage. She is, however, the most
silent child, the most sweetly grave, the most philosophically
gay in the world. I have every reason to hope also that she will
not be a musician, from which may Heaven preserve her!
Well, my dear Monsieur Schumann, two or three times a week (on
fine and good days!) I play your "Kinderscenen" to her in the
evening; this enchants her, and me still more, as you may
imagine, so that often I go over the first repeat twenty times
without going any further. Really I think you would be satisfied
with this success if you could be a witness of it!
