JoansYiddishBlog: July 2021

Saturday, July 31, 2021

Partizaner Lid Larger Print

From: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zog_nit_keyn_mol

Original Yiddish

,זאָג ניט קיין מאָל, אַז דו גייסט דעם לעצטן וועג
.כאָטש הימלען בלײַענע פֿאַרשטעלן בלויע טעג
– קומען וועט נאָך אונדזער אויסגעבענקטע שעה
!ס׳וועט אַ פּויק טאָן אונדזער טראָט: מיר זײַנען דאָ

,פֿון גרינעם פּאַלמענלאַנד ביז ווײַסן לאַנד פֿון שניי
,מיר קומען אָן מיט אונדזער פּײַן, מיט אונדזער וויי
,און וווּ געפֿאַלן ס׳איז אַ שפּריץ פֿון אונדזער בלוט
!שפּראָצן וועט דאָרט אונדזער גבֿורה, אונדזער מוט

,ס׳וועט די מאָרגנזון באַגילדן אונדז דעם הײַנט
,און דער נעכטן וועט פֿאַרשווינדן מיט דעם פֿײַנט
– נאָר אויב פֿאַרזאַמען וועט די זון אין דעם קאַיאָר
.ווי אַ פּאַראָל זאָל גיין דאָס ליד פֿון דור צו דור

,דאָס ליד געשריבן איז מיט בלוט, און ניט מיט בלײַ
,ס׳איז ניט קיין לידל פֿון אַ פֿויגל אויף דער פֿרײַ
דאָס האָט אַ פֿאָלק צווישן פֿאַלנדיקע ווענט
.דאָס ליד געזונגען מיט נאַגאַנעס אין די הענט

,טאָ זאָג ניט קיין מאָל, אַז דו גייסט דעם לעצטן וועג
.כאָטש הימלען בלײַענע פֿאַרשטעלן בלויע טעג
– קומען וועט נאָך אונדזער אויסגעבענקטע שעה
!ס׳וועט אַ פּויק טאָן אונדזער טראָט: מיר זײַנען דאָ

-------------------

Yiddish transliteration:

Zog nit keyn mol, az du geyst dem letstn veg,
Khotsh himlen blayene farshteln bloye teg.
Kumen vet nokh undzer oysgebenkte sho,
S'vet a poyk ton undzer trot: mir zaynen do!

Fun grinem palmenland biz vaysn land fun shney,
Mir kumen on mit undzer payn, mit undzer vey,
Un vu gefaln s'iz a shprits fun undzer blut,
Shprotsn vet dort undzer gvure, undzer mut!

S'vet di morgnzun bagildn undz dem haynt,
Un der nekhtn vet farshvindn mit dem faynt,
Nor oyb farzamen vet di zun in dem kayor –
Vi a parol zol geyn dos lid fun dor tsu dor.

Dos lid geshribn iz mit blut, un nit mit blay,
S'iz nit keyn lidl fun a foygl oyf der fray,
Dos hot a folk tsvishn falndike vent
Dos lid gezungen mit naganes in di hent.

To zog nit keyn mol, az du geyst dem letstn veg,
Khotsh himlen blayene farshteln bloye teg.
Kumen vet nokh undzer oysgebenkte sho –
S'vet a poyk ton undzer trot: mir zaynen do!

-------------------------------------

English translation:

Never say that you're going your last way
Although the skies filled with lead cover blue days
Our promised hour will soon come
Our marching steps ring out: 'We are here!'

From green lands of palm to lands with white snow
We come with our pain and our woes
And from where a spurt of our blood falls
Will sprout our strength and our courage

Today the morning sun will accompany us
And our enemies will fade away with yesterday
But if the sun waits to rise
Like a password this song will go from generation to generation

This song is written with blood and not with [pencil] lead
It's not a tune sung by birds in the wild
This song was sung by people amidst collapsing walls
Sung with pistols in their hands

So never say that you're going your last way
Although the skies filled with lead cover blue days
Our promised hour will soon come
Our marching steps ring out: 'We are here'!

By Hersh Glick, 1943

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Thursday, July 29, 2021

Reyzele -- in Yiddish

Reyzele 1

Reyzele 2

Reyzele 3

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Wednesday, July 28, 2021

Reyzele in English

There standing in the street, is a still and thoughtful little house.

Inside in the attic, lives my dear Reyzele

Every evening in front to the house, I hang out.

I whistle and call out Reyzl! Come come come!

A window opens. the old little house awakes,

And soon in the quiet street rings out, A sweet voice: Reyzele is speaking!

Wait a little longer my dear, I shall soon be free.

Walk around the street a while, One, Two, Three!

I walk cheerfully, singing and cracking hazelnuts,

Then I hear skipping down the steps, her little feet.

As she comes down the last step, I embrace her lovingly,

Quietly I kiss her head, come come come.

I ask you Dovidl, don't whistle anymore!

You hear, he's whistling says mother, She's pius; it upsets her.

Whistling, she says, is not for Jewish boys, it's only good for THEM!

Simply give a sign in Yiddish; One, Two, Three!

From today I won't whistle anymore, that I swear,

To please you I will even become pius, my modest one!

Whenever you want, Reyzl, I will be as observant as your mother.

And go every Sabbath to the synagogue! Come, Come, Come!

I believe you, my beloved, and for that, David,

I shall knit for you a nice tfiln bag, with a Star of David,

When people in the synagogue will be pleased, you will tell them:

Reyzl, my beloved, knitted this! One Two Three!

Thank you for your present' I love you Reyzele!

I love your mother, I love the street, I love the old little house!

I love the stones near your house, since you tread on them!

Listen, your mother is already calling, Reyzl! Come, Come, Come!

I go cheerfully, singing and cracking hazelnuts,

I hear running on the steps, her little feet.

The little house again stands thoughtful, the street again quiet.

Come to me in my dreams, Reyzl, Come Come Come!

###

Sunday, July 18, 2021

ARUM DEM FAYER

A "campfire" song I love!

Arum dem Fayer

Arum dem fayer,

Mir zingn lider,

Di nakht is tayer,

Men vert nit mider.

Un zol der fayer,

Farloshn vern,

Shaynt oyf der himl,

Mit zayne shtern.

To kroyn di kep,

Mit blumenkrantzn,

Arum dem fayer,

Mir freylekh tantzen,

Vayl tantz un lid

Iz undzer lebn,

Dernokh in shlof,

Khalolymes shveben.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Roughly translated:

Around the fire we sing songs,

The night is lovely, we don't get tired.

And should the fire go out

Stars will shine in the sky!

So crown you head with garlands of flowers,

Around the fire we'll dance happily!

Because dance and song are our life,

Later in sleep we'll weave dreams!

Here's a link where you may be able to listen:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IAP7PbOZmOU

A nice video; hear it slowly first and then up to a good tempo!

It notes:

"Shpielberg performs Arum Dem Fayer featuring Svetlana Kundish and Mendy Cahan. Shpielberg is Daniel Hoffman - violin, Tal Kuhn - contrabass, Eli Preminger - Trumpet, Yair Salzman - drums, and Ira Shiran - accordion."

Sunday, July 4, 2021

America the Beautiful

Also for July Fourth:

America the Beautiful with Binyuman's Schechter's Yiddish Philharmonic Chorus!

With English Subtitles.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-UVVNE9wcg4&list=UUbCGJxhJOEDDlHxZqhp4cgQ&index=19

Or:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-UVVNE9wcg4&list=UUbCGJxhJOEDDlHxZqhp4cgQ&index=18

###

The Star Spangled Banner -- Af Yidish

Today, for July 4, 2021, here are two versions of our National Anthem in Yiddish.

The first features Binyumen Schechter's Yiddish Philharmonic Chorus, with a running transliteration and translation subtitle.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JkxCkt-HsHw

The second is from one Dr. A. Sen, with whom I am not familiar.

Here is Dr. Sen's transliteration of the first stanza:

O'zog, kenstu sehn, wen bagin licht dervacht,

Vos mir hoben bagrist in farnachtigen glihen?

Die shtreifen un shtern, durch shreklicher nacht,

Oif festung zich hoiben galant un zich tsein?

Yeder blitz fun rocket, yeder knal fun kanon,

Hot bawizen durch nacht: az mir halten die Fohn!

O, zog, tzi der "Star Spangled Banner" flatert in roim,

Ueber land fun die freie, fun brave die heim!

The entire document is below, with the Yiddish transliteration, the version in Yiddish letters, and the original by Francis Scott key.

To print a larger copy, drag the picture to your desktop and print from there!

Have A Happy and Meaningful Fourth of July!

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Friday, July 2, 2021

Friling by Shmerke Kaczerginski

http://hebrewsongs.com/?song=friling

(Much more about this song at the above URL)

FRILING

פרילינג

Ikh blondzhe in geto
Fun gesl tsu gesl
Un ken nit gefinen keyn ort
Nito iz mayn liber,
Vi trogt men ariber?
Mentshn, o zogt khotsh a vort.
Es laykht oyf mayn heym itst
Der himl der bloyer
Vos zhe hob ikh itst derfun?
Ikh shtey vi a betler
Bay yetvidn toyre
Un betl a bisele zun.

Chorus:

Friling, nem tsu mayn troyer
Un breng mayn libstn
Maynt trayen tsurik
Friling oyf dayne fligl bloye
O, nem mayn harts mit
Un gib es op mayn glik.

Ikh gey tsu der arbet
Farbay undzer shtibl
In troyer, der toyer farmakht.
Der tog a tsehelter
Di blumen farvelkte,
Zey vanynen, far zey iz oykn nakht.
Far nakht oyf tsurikvegs,
Es noyet der troyer,
Ot do hostu libster gevart.
Ot do inem shotn
Nokh kentik dayn trot iz,
Flegt kushn mikh liblekh un tsart

Chorus

S'iz hay-yor der friling
Gor fri ongekumen,
Tseblit hot zikh benkshaft nokh dir,
Ikh ze dikh vi itster
Balodn mit blumen,
A freydiker geystu tsu mir.
Di zun hot fargosn
Dem gortn mist shtraln,
Tseshprotst hot di erd zikh in grin
Mayn trayer, mayn libster,
Vu bistu farfaln?
Du geyst nit aroys fun mayn zin.

Chorus

I wander through the ghetto
From lane to lane
Useless, no solace I find.
My beloved is gone
How can I go on?
Someone, oh say just a word!
My house is aglow now
The sky's like a blue dome
But what is there left in my life?
I stand like a beggar
At each of these doorways
And beg for a little bit of sun

Refrain
Springtime, please take my sorrow
And bring my loved one,
My dear one back to me.
Springtime, upon your wings of blue
Take my heart with you
And bring love back to me

I go to my work
And pass by our small house
In sadness, the door is closed tight
The days is full of sunlight
But flowers won't bloom now,
They're wilting, for them too it's night
At night when returning
The sadness is burning
Right here love, you waited for me
Right here in the shadows
I still hear your footsteps
You kissed me so passionately

Refrain

Springtime is with us
This year very early
My longing for you is in bloom.
I see you before me
Adorned with spring flowers
Smiling, you will greet me soon
The sun's rays have lit up
The garden with sunlight,
Turning the hard earth to green.
My dearest, my loved one
Are you gone forever?
I can't get you out of my mind.

Chorus

This moving song memorializes the author's wife who perished in the ghetto.

Written by the poet after the death of his wife in April 1943. Kaczerginski joined the partisan forces following the liquidation of the ghetto in September 1943. After the war he compiled several hundred poems and song lyrics. He survived the war to meet his death in a plane crash in 1954. The music is by Abraham Brudno, who, following the liquidation of the ghetto was deported to a concentration camp in Estonia, where he died.
(from liner notes to "We are Here - Songs of Remembrance, Hope, and Celbrat)

http://www.hebrewsongs.com/?song=friling

LYRICS

Shmerke Kaczerginski (1908-1954 Poet Partisan of Vilna)

MUSIC

Abrom Brudno (Died in the Holocaust 1943)

Thursday, July 1, 2021

UNTER DAYNE VAYSE SHTERNE -- UNDER YOUR WHITE STARS

Notes from Save the Music:

This song was written in the Vilna ghetto, words by Abraham Sutskever (1913-2010); music by Abraham Brudno (?-1944). It was first presented in the ghetto theater in the play ” Di Yogenish in Fas” (the hunt in the barrel, a pun on Diogenes in a barrel.) It was first sung by Zlate Katcherginsky. After the liquidation of the ghetto, Sutzkever joined the partisan fighters. He survived the war and lived in Israel where he edited the literary quarterly “Di Goldene Keyt”. Sutzkever died January, 20, 2010 The composer, Avrom Brudno, following the liquidation of the Vilna ghetto, was deported to a German concentration camp in Estonia, where he died. YW