# Magic mirror in my hand, who is the fairest in the land?



## Encolpius

Hello, there is no need to make any comments about that sentence, all children know it....no literal translation, but your version, please...thanks. 

*English *Disney version: Magic mirror on the wall, who is the fairest one of all?

*Hungarian*: Tükröm, tükröm, mondd meg nékem, ki a legszebb e vidéken. [*my mirror, my mirror*, tell me who is the prettiest in this area]


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## ger4

German: Spieglein, Spieglein an der Wand, wer ist die Schönste im ganzen Land?
Literally: Mirror, mirror (diminutive) on the wall, who is the most beautiful (fem.) in the whole country?


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## SuperXW

Mandarin Chinese (simplified characters):
魔镜魔镜告诉我，谁是天下最美的女人？
Literally: Magic mirror, magic mirror, tell me: who is the most beautiful woman in the world? 
The latter part could vary, but all versions started with "magic mirror, magic mirror..."


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## bibax

It seems that most versions rhyme.

Czech (several slightly different variants):

„Řekni mi zrcadlo, kdo je na světě i v zemi zdejší, kdo je nejkrásnější?“

„Zrcadlo, zrcadlo, řekni mi, kdo je v zemi zdejší, nejhezčí a nejkrásnější?“

_Mirror, mirror, tell/say me, who is [in the world and] in the local country, who is [the prettiest and] the nicest (most beautiful)._


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## apmoy70

In Greek:


*«Καθρέφτη, καθρεφτάκι μου στον τοίχο πάνω τώρα, ποιά είναι η ομορφότερη σ' ολόκληρη την χώρα;*
[kaˈθɾefti kaθɾeˈftaci mu ston ͜ˈdixo ˈpano ˈtora pça ˈine i omoɾˈfoteɾi soˈlokliɾi ti ˈxoɾa] --> lit. _mirror, my little mirror on the wall now, who is the fairest one in the whole country?_ (it rhymes in Gr.).
The fairy tale is very well known here, called *«Η Χιονάτη και οι επτά νάνοι»* [i çoˈnati ce i eˈpta ˈnani] --> _Snow White and the seven dwarves_.


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## mataripis

Tagalog: Mahiwagang salamin sa dingding, sabihin ngayon din , sinong may anyo at tikas na angat sa balat ng lupa!


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## Anja.Ann

In Italian:

"Specchio, specchio delle mie brame, chi è la più bella del reame?" (Literally: "Mirror, mirror of my (heart's) desires, who's the most beautiful girl in the realm?"


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## Radioh

SuperXW said:


> Mandarin Chinese (simplified characters):
> 魔镜魔镜告诉我，谁是天下最美的女人？
> Literally: Magic mirror, magic mirror, tell me: who is the most beautiful woman in the world?
> The latter part could vary, but all versions started with "magic mirror, magic mirror..."



Ours is similar to yours. It's like a poem 'gương kia ngự ở trên tường, thế gian ai đẹp được dường như ta'(lit. Mirror, mirror on the wall, in the word, is there anyone as beautiful as I am ?)
R.


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## amikama

The Hebrew version is:
מראה מראה שעל הקיר,
מי היפה בכל העיר?

_Mirror, mirror on the wall,
Who is the [most] beautiful in the whole town?_


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## Evgeniy

Russian, by Alexandr Pushkin: «Свет мой, зеркальце! скажи, да всю правду доложи: я ль на свете всех милее, всех румяней и белее?» It appears self-contradictory to me (still very nice, maybe in part even because of the contradiction). Approximate translation: "My light, little mirror, tell me, and say all truth: am I the one who is the nicest of all, the rosiest of all, and the palest of all?" "My light" is an address of caress. Of course, the entire question rhymes, it contains four rhyming lines.


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## Encolpius

very interesting, many languages use "-mirror, mirror-"


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## marco_2

Polish: *Zwierciadełko, powiedz przecie, kto jest najpiękniejszy w świecie? *(= Little mirror, say though, who's the fairest in the world?)


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## animelover

Japanese:

鏡や、鏡、壁にかかっている鏡よ。国じゅうで、だれがいちばんうつくしいか、いっておくれ。
Kagami ya, kagami, kabe ni kakatteiru kagami yo. Kuni-juu de, dare ga ichiban utsukushii ka, itteokure.

Translation by 菊池寛 'Kikuchi Kan' (1949). Keep in mind this is not so well-known in Japan.


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## Ghabi

Cantonese (rhyming words highlighted): mo1geng3 mo1geng3 lei1go3 sai3gaai3 seong6 bin1go3 zeoi3leng3 lit."magic mirror, magic mirror, this world in, who the most beautiful?"


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## rusita preciosa

In Russian is a bit complicated.

The saying that everyone knows is not from the Disney movie or the fairy tale, it is from a Pushkin poem "The Tale of the Dead Princess and the Seven Knights":
Свет мой, зеркальце! Скажи 
Да всю правду доложи:
Я ль на свете всех милее,
Всех румяней и белее?

My draling mirror (diminutive)! Say
But tell the whole truth:
Who in the world is the prettiest,
The most red-cheeked and the most white[skinned]?


From the Disney movie (I had to look it up):
Зеркало, открой секрет, кто красой затмил весь свет? (it rhymes)
Mirror, reveal the secret, who overshadowed the whole world with beauty?


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## Evgeniy

rusita preciosa said:


> The saying that everyone knows is not from the Dianey movie or the fairy tale, it is from a Pushkin poem "The Tale of the Dead Princess and the Seven Knights":


Never known of that Disney movie. Now the question is, where they both got it from; I am sure that this proverb must have ancient roots, only in Russian it had to be put in form by a well-known author.
PS: those two quotes of Pushkin are translations of the same question; RP's interpretation of how one could be both red and white at the same time is plausible, but otherwise my translation is more faithful on two points.


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## rusita preciosa

Evgeniy said:


> PS: those two quotes of Pushkin are translations of the same question; RP's interpretation of how one caould be both red and white at the same time is plausible, but otherwise my translation is more faithful on two points.


Oops, I didn't see your response above (guess I should read the threads more carefully before posting). Your translation is good too.



Evgeniy said:


> Now the question is, where they both got it from; I am sure that this proverb must have ancient roots, only in Russian it had to be put in form by a well-known author.



Wiki says this:





> German scholar Karlheinz Bartels suggests that the German folk tale "Snow White" is influenced by Maria Sophia Margaretha Catherina von Erthal, who was born in Lohr am Main in 1725. After the death of Maria Sophia's birth mother in 1741, her father Philipp Christoph remarried. Claudia Elisabeth von Reichenstein, the stepmother, was domineering and greatly favored the children from her first marriage. The Queen's iconic mirror, referred to as “The Talking Mirror,” can still be viewed today at Spessart Museum in the Lohr Castle, where Maria Sophia was born...


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## Minnie121728

Espejito, Espejito, quien es la mas bella*


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## Zsanna

Encolpius said:


> ...*Hungarian*: Tükröm, tükröm, mondd meg nékem, ki a legszebb e vidéken. [*my mirror, my mirror*, tell me who is the prettiest in this area]



That's interesting: the Hungarian version I know (obviously before the Disney version) is:
Tükröm, tükröm, mondd meg nélem, ki a legszebb _a világon_? (= in the world)


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## DarkChild

Evgeniy said:


> Russian, by Alexandr Pushkin: «Свет мой, зеркальце! скажи, да всю правду доложи: я ль на свете всех милее, всех румяней и белее?» It appears self-contradictory to me (still very nice, maybe in part even because of the contradiction). Approximate translation: "My light, little mirror, tell me, and say all truth: am I the one who is the nicest of all, the rosiest of all, and the palest of all?" "My light" is an address of caress. Of course, the entire question rhymes, it contains four rhyming lines.


In Bulgarian folklore very often a beautiful girl is described as being white (light skin) and have rosy cheeks. This was the standard of beauty. Often one would hear a wish for да сме бели и червени, здрави и засмени (to be white and red, healthy and smiling), especially for Mama Marta holiday. And on Easter, a red colored egg is rubbed against the children's cheeks so that they can be red too.
 So, in your example I don't think they mean to be red-skinned, but have red cheeks.


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## DarkChild

In Bulgarian:

„Огледалце, огледалце я кажи,                    огледалце, огледалце не лъжи –
                    има ли по цялата Земя
                    друга, с мойта красота?”

Mirror, mirror (diminutive), do tell,
Mirror, mirror, do not lie,
is there over the world
another one as beautiful as I


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## 810senior

In Japanese:
鏡よ、鏡よ、鏡さん、この世で一番美しいのはだあれ？(Mirror, mirror, mirror-san, who is the fairest one in the world?)


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## Encolpius

810senior said:


> In Japanese:
> 鏡よ、鏡よ、鏡さん、この世で一番美しいのはだあれ？(Mirror, mirror, mirror-san, who is the fairest one in the world?)



鏡さん - that's extremely fascinating. Are there any other examples san is used with things? (other fairy-tales maybe)


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## Red Arrow

The Dutch version also uses a diminutive.

_Spiegeltje, spiegeltje aan de wand.
Wie is het mooiste van het land?_

(Little) mirror, (little) mirror on the wall.
Who is the most beautiful of the country?

Wow, it was very tempting to write ''of us all'' instead of ''of the country''


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## 810senior

Encolpius said:


> 鏡さん - that's extremely fascinating. Are there any other examples san is used with things? (other fairy-tales maybe)


I'm afraid I don't know about the others. To me, _things+-san_ sounds adorable and affectionate for dedicated things, as though a little girl would say. (of course in daily speaking, we don't say to things in a title of _san_, just in tales.



Red Arrow :D said:


> The Dutch version also uses a diminutive.


I super do like diminutives.  Maybe Italian would do so though I'm not sure of that.


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## Encolpius

You can check the Italian version here and it does not use diminutive, although just like in Czech it would be possible... and the reason is diminutives might change the meaning of the original word and as we know from the fairy tale it is a rather big mirror on the wall not a small pocket mirror for ladies, while language using compounds (German, Dutch, Hungarian...) do create a compound word to change the original meaning


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## MyriadLeaves

If memory seves me right:
_Lille spejl på væggen der,
Hvem er skønnest i landet her?_
(Little mirror on the wall/ Who is the fairest in this land?)
(From the Danish dub of the cartoon)


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## Medune

Brazilian Portuguese:
Espelho, espelho meu,
Há alguém mais bela do que eu?

Mirror, oh my mirror,
is there anyone fairer than I?


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## rainingmind

_Espejito espejito que me ves, la más hermosa dime quién es.
_
(y si no responde):

_Oh espejito, dímelo ya, porque a la espera me veo desmayar!
_

[Mirror mirror that sees me, the most beautiful, tell me who is. 

(and if it doesn't answer):

Oh mirror, tell me now, because while waiting I think I'll faint!]


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## ilocas2

Encolpius said:


> no literal translation, but your version, please...thanks.



My Serbian version:

Čarobno ogledalo u mojoj ruci, reci mi, ko je u ovoj zemlji najlepši?

Magic mirror in my hand, tell me, who is the most beautiful in this land?


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## Nawaq

I don't like the Disney movie, so I don't remember what the queen say, but the part I know is :

"_Miroir, mon beau miroir, dis-moi qui est la plus belle ?_" 
(lit. mirror, my beautiful mirror, tell me who is the most beautiful ?)

If I look a bit on the internet, they also propose something that goes :

"_Miroir magique au mur, qui a beauté parfaite et pure ?*_"
(lit. mirror on the wall, who get perfect and pure beauty ?)
* love this one, plus it rythmes. 

(*French*)


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## Penyafort

This is the version in the official Catalan and Spanish dubbings of last year's Snow White film, as heard from the trailers.

*Catalan*
_Mirall, mirall, gran meravella, _
_qui és de totes la més bella?_
(Mirror, mirror, great marvel, 
who is of all (women) the most beautiful?)

*Spanish *_(European dub)_
_Espejo, espejo mágico, dime una cosa, _
_¿qué mujer de este reino es la más poderosa?_
(Mirror, magical mirror, tell me one thing,
what woman in this kingdom is the most powerful?)​I'm quite surprised at the last one, since they used _poderosa _'powerful' instead of the traditional _hermosa _'fair', said in the English version.
​


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## Testing1234567

Ghabi said:


> Cantonese (rhyming words highlighted): mo1geng3 mo1geng3 lei1go3 sai3gaai3 seong6 bin1go3 zeoi3leng3 lit."magic mirror, magic mirror, this world in, who the most beautiful?"


In Traditional Chinese script: 魔*鏡*、魔*鏡*，呢個世界上邊個最*靚*？


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