Link to Family Tree to understand family relationships.
Like the letter we saw yesterday, today we have a letter written in old German script to his sister Eva. Both letters were sent from San Diego where he was recovering from an illness he contracted serving in the South Pacific. Yesterday’s letter was written on official USO stationery, while today’s was on Christian Science Service Center – the center appears to be one of the many places in San Diego mentioned by Harry that provided a welcome and resources to soldiers.
13 October, 1945
Dearest little Eva!
I haven’t received your letter in which you criticized my Erlking [Elf King] and I must say that I am very surprised by your lack of sense of humor. What is your complaint, my dear lady? Hell and damnation! Did you really think that I was responsible for such a murder of the Elf King? My own sister!
Many thanks for the dictionary.
Speaking of critiquing – after I put my last letter in the mail box, I remembered that I was mistaken in one of the expressions that I used. Instead of “press your thumbs”, I should have said “hold your thumb.” I humbly beg your pardon. Such a mistake will not be made again.
I want to draw your attention to the fact that I am writing this letter without a dictionary. I know that applauding yourself stinks, but you have to admit that I have not entirely forgotten my German.
(🎵 Do you know the country where the lemon trees bloom...?...tra la la”🎵)
My plan is to ride with some of the others tomorrow to Mexico. The hospital will provide us with horses. I have an inkling that on Monday I will have a callus on my rear end.
The … of Aunt Matilda was very good. Quite a coincidence, n’est-ce pas?
How is it going with my married sister and brother-in-law? Are the dear relatives still on the warpath with you? You have no idea how much you’re losing out on because of that.
San Diego is a miserable city. There’s nothing better to entertain a serviceman than many drinking establishments and prostitutes and such. About a week ago I went to the zoo and spent a whole afternoon there. From now on, I will stay in the hospital and will have fun with the horses. We also have a pretty good swimming pool that we can use every day.
As far as my health is concerned, I am on the road to recovery and I hope to be discharged from the hospital very soon.
Your favorite brother
Harry
P.S. Many greetings to the family. (Heinrich, you’re terrifying me!) (you ain’t a’kiddin’)
When Amei Papitto translated the letter, she pointed out that Harry had been correct in the original letter when he used the German expression akin to our “cross your fingers.” In German, they say “press your thumbs” which Harry used correctly in the previous letter October 11 post. Here, he corrects himself, but incorrectly. Amei mused that perhaps Harry and Eva had some childhood memory of using the wrong expression – I like that idea – that he is referring to the past that only they share.
In this letter, Harry harks back to their mother’s beloved Goethe three times – letting his sister know that their mother is present in his thoughts as they work to bring her to the U.S.
The first Goethe reference is to a poem referring to a German legend about an Elf King which was set to music by Franz Schubert.
Second, quoting the poem “Kennst du das Land, wo die Zitronen blühn?" from his second novel Wilhelm Meister’s Apprenticeship. which was set to music by Robert Schumann and Franz Schubert. Johann Strauss II wrote a waltz inspired by the poem.
Finally, in the postscript he quotes Goethe’s Faust, the same quote he uses on the back of an undated photo which we saw in the March 27 post:
PH.0695.1945