Brahms replied in detail, expressing the "great and genuine" pleasure he received from the letter, calling Lachner's analyses unusually perceptive and insightful, then saying "I would have to confess that I am, by the by, a severely melancholic person, that black wings are constantly flapping above us".
Brahms responded at length, expressing his profound pleasure from the letter, commending Lachner's analyses as remarkably astute and insightful, before admitting "I must confess that I am, by the way, a deeply sorrowful person, with dark wings constantly hovering above us".