Although The Lost Mother (also translated as Mei Niang) is adapted from Goethe's The Pupils of William mestel, the theme of the original work, that is, William's philosophy of life, is hardly mentioned in this opera. The whole drama has become a sincere and enthusiastic girl, a frivolous but charming love story between Felina and William. Although this change has been criticized in Germany, the light, sentimental and beautiful music is loved by the world. It is said that Wagner is also deeply interested in this work. There are two kinds of this work: the French version of comedy and the German version of tragedy. The former was written for the Paris Opera House where comedies were staged. Because of his success at that time, he wrote a tragic ending for other opera houses (especially Germany).