_pp_ _ppp_ weisst du mir von der Er-de rau-hem Rück-en. wot-test thou of the earth's far stretch-ing sur-face. _pp_ Nun sag-e mir wahr wel-ches Ge-schlecht Now rede me as well what is the race wohnt auf wol-ki-gen Höh'n? wards the wel-kin a-bove? WANDERER. _molto moderato_ _dolcissimo_ _pp_ <<< >>> _pp_ Auf wol-ki-gen Höh'n woh-nen die Göt-ter The wel-kin a-boveward well the Æ-sir Wal-hall heisst ihr saal licht al-ben sind sie; Where they dwell is wal-halla light-elves of heav-en; The address of Mime to the Wanderer is an admirable specimen of the Wagnerian declamation. The phrase in the accompaniment marked A has previously been made known as illustrative of Mime's labor as a smith, and it is here followed by B, a motive which has been identified in the score with Mime's meditation. The two phrases used here plainly say, "Mime is thinking," and the text and action show us that he is thinking very hard about the question which he is to ask the Wanderer, for he has wagered his head that this Wanderer cannot correctly answer three questions. He has answered two and this is the third. The Wanderer is Wotan, father of the gods, in disguise, and when he is asked who live in the sky, he rises to his feet and, while his face glows with celestial light, he answers in a passage of broad and noble arioso. The orchestra, at the point marked "dolcissimo," begins to accompany him with the Walhalla motive, whose meaning has been clearly brought out in the finale of "Das Rheingold." It makes no difference at all whether you know the names of these motives. Their significance has already been shown on their first appearance in the score. And even if it had not, they form an accompaniment thoroughly suited to the meaning of the text to which they are allied.