irst she refuses tartly but by and by she seems to relent, and
pointing to the large basket in which the wood had been let down to the
children she invites him to get into it and says that she will draw him
up.--Kunrad complies with her wish.

While she slowly winds the basket up her three companions peep round
the corner and perceive with delight, that Diemuth's trick is
successful, and that the bird is caught. The tercet of the maidens is
one of the loveliest pieces of music ever written.

Before the basket reaches the balcony, Diemuth pretends that her
strength is failing. At his entreaties she loosens and lets down her
long hair, but when he tries to grasp it she jerks it back with a cry
of pain and rates him harshly.--At last he perceives, that she has been
fooling him all the time. He is helplessly caught in the trap and the
returning citizens seeing him hanging between {436} heaven and earth
deride him, congratulating Diemuth on having caught such a fine bird.

Then Kunrad rises in a towering rage. Loudly invoking the help of his
friend and master, the mighty sorcerer, he suddenly plunges the whole
town into utter darkness. When the good citizens of Munich find
themselves deprived of fire and light, they break out into loud
lamentation; the frightened children wail and the head officials of the
town vow to hang Kunrad for his insolence and his witchcraft.

At this moment the moon shining through the clouds throws her light
upon Kunrad, who has swung himself on to the balcony, and smiling down
upon the people he pronounces a powerful oration upon their
narrowmindedness.

He reminds them, that the owner of his house, whom they drove out of
the town, Richard Wagner was one of the greatest masters the world had
ever seen and who would have brought them fame and greatness, if they
had not rejected him. He, Kunrad (Richard Strauss) claims to be his
successor, who is to carry on the great work nothing daunted, and in
spite of all the small minds of the world.

For his helpmate he has chosen Diemuth, but she too has failed to
understand, that love is higher than even virtue and morality, and for
this reason he has extinguished their lights and fire, to show them,
that all light comes, from love, and that without love the world is
dark and cold.

{437}

As soon as he has ended, Diemuth softly opens her door and draws Kunrad
in. The citizens, convinced by his burning words begin to praise him
and acknowled