File talk:Mayerling.final letter.jpg

The second and third names appear to be "Spindler" (?) and "Latour" (almost certainly).

Whose translation is this?

Most of the translation of Mayerling's suicide note to Stephanie is quite correct, however, there are two little inconsistencies in meaning. I wouldn't use "poor wee one" when referring to his daughter, but I think "poor little one" is much more on target. "Wee" is a word not commonly used in the United States (unless one is trying to sound Irish). The word also implies something much smaller than just "little." On the other hand, in the original, "die arme Kleine," the word "little" is capitalized, and therefore used as a noun for his daughter, a form English doesn't have; thus, "little one" has to be used to convey the meaning. "Wee" adds a meaning that the German letter doesn't have.

And the second problem I have with the translation is when Mayerling wrote, "Ich gehe ruhig in den Tod," he was not using the word "ruhig" in the sense of "quiet!" The translation should be, "I go calmly to my death."

Catwoman07076 (talk) 09:52, 11 January 2008 (UTC)