Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen -- Sung in Yiddish by Daniel Kahn with English Subtitles

Geven a nign vi a sod,

Vos Dovid hot geshpilt far Got.

Nor dir volt's nisht geven aza yeshue.

Me zingt azoy: a fa, a sol,

A misheberekh heybt a kol,

Der duler meylekh vebt a haleluye...

 

Dayn emune iz gevorn shvakh,

Basheva bodt zikh afn dakh,

Ir kheyn un di levone dayn refue

Zi nemt dayn guf, zi nemt dayn kop,

Zi shnaydt fun dayne hor a tsop

Un tsit fun moyl arop a haleluye...

 

O tayere, ikh ken dayn stil,

Ikh bin geshlofn af dayn dil,

Kh'hob keynmol nisht gelebt mit aza tsnue

Ikh ze dayn shlos,

ikh ze dayn fon,

A harts iz nisht keyn meylekhs tron,

S'iz a kalte un a kalye haleluye...

 

Oy vi amol, to zog mir oys

Vos tut zikh dortn in dayn shoys?

To vos zhe darfst zikh shemen vi a bsule?

Nor gedenk vi kh'hob in dir gerut,

Vi di shkhine glut in undzer blut,

Un yeder otem tut a haleluye...

 

Zol zayn mayn got iz gor nishto

Un libe zol zayn kol-mumro,

A puster troym tsebrokhn un mekhule,

Nisht keyn geveyn in mitn nakht,

Nisht keyn bal-tshuve oyfgevakht,

Nor an elnte kol-koyre haleluye...

 

An apikoyres rufstu mikh,

Mit shem-havaye lester ikh,

Iz meyle, ikh dervart nisht keyn geule.

Nor s'brent zikh heys in yedn os

Fun alef beys gor bizn sof

Di heylike un kalye haleluye...

 

.

Un dos iz alts, s'iz nisht keyn sakh.

Ikh makh dervayle vos ikh makh.

Ikh kum do vi a mentsh,

nisht keyn shiluye.

Khotsh alts farloyrn say vi say

Vel ikh farloybn "Adoynay"

Un shrayen vi l'khayem "haleluye.”

https://lyricstranslate.com/en/hallelujah-hallelujah.html-34

Here is the video sung in Yiddish by Daniel Kahn:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XH1fERC_504

                                                                  ###

A LONDON MEMORY: HAYNT IZ DO

Many years ago I had the privilege of attending a series of Yiddish classes in London.   They were held in classrooms of London University and the students came from all over the world.

On Saturdays we would take the Tube to an old formerly Jewish neighborhood where in donated space we would attend meetings of the local Yiddish group.    The format was simple -- first we sang a song together, always the same song, and afterwards everyone who had prepared something would read, recite or sing a story, poem or song that they had composed themselves in Yiddish or simply loved and wanted to share with the group.   

Then we would have light refreshments and everyone contributed to a "kitty" to pay for this and for the use of the space.  

The participants  -- mostly senior native speakers -- were warm and welcoming.  It was a lovely activity.  

Here are the words to their opening song - Khayashu  -- by Chiam Tauber.  I love this song because it reminds me to live in the present as much as I can.  Here are the words; just click once to enlarge it.  

I could not find the music on line So I just sang it myself into my computer!  I am still searching for an MP3 or similar sound file for this post! 

Also see at: http://sceti.library.upenn.edu/freedman/browse.cfm

Title: Khaye Sho (Yid) -- חיי שעה (ייִדיש)

Author: Tauber, Chaim Shmuel (Shami) טױבער, חיים שמואל (שמאי)

Composer: Tauber, Chaim Shmuel (Shami) טױבער, חיים שמואל (שמאי)

Subject: Seize Moment/Live For Today

Song Comment: Khaym Towber's radio theme song

Transliteration: CD K-029(j)

Translation: CD K-029(j)

On album: E-001(f) (David Eshet Stars of Israel -- דוד עשת)

Track ID: 8228

Author/Composer Tauber, Chaim Shmuel (Shami) טױבער, חיים שמואל (שמאי)

Artist Eshet, David -- עשת, דוד

Artist Winternitz, Dr. Khanan -- וינטרניץ, ד"ר חנן

First line: Haynt iz do, haye sho, morgn, ver veyst, vos vet zayn?

First line:הײַנט איז דאָ חיי שעה, מאָרגן, װער װײסט װאָס װעט זײַן? הײַנט איז..

Audio: Freedman Sound Archives at Penn Libraries (temporarily unavailable)

Track comment: "Transitory Pleasure" ""חיי-שעה

                                                    ###

   

SHPRAYZ IKH MIR

shprayz ikh mir mit gikhe mit gikhe trit,

nokh a ferdl tsum yarid, tsum yarid.

mitn tayser kling ikh mir, kling ikh mir,

un a lidl zing ikh mir, zing ikh mir.

tsu der shtot iz vayt, nokh zer vayt,

shteyt a kretshmer bay der zayt, bay der zayt.

brayt tse ofn iz di tir, iz di tir,

kretshmer gib a glezl, gib a glezl mir.

Jaj, daj daj...

 

nokh a glezel, nokh eynz, nokh a gloz,

gizt mir on der bale, der balebos,

vos mir shtot un ven mir ven yarid,

az keyn ferdl darf ikh nit, darf ikh nit.

 

dos ferdl hob ikh nit gekoyft, nit gekoyft,

un dos gelt shoyn lang farzoyft, lang farzoyft,

un far tsores shpring ikh mir, shpring ikh mir,

un a lidl zing ikh mir, zing ikh mir.

Jaj, daj daj...

Lyrics at:   https://lyricstranslate.com/en/preßburger-klezmer-band-shprayz-ikh-mir-lyrics.html

 and see: 

Preßburger Klezmer Band - Shprayz Ikh Mir

• Artist: Preßburger Klezmer Band
• Also performed by: Hamburg Klezmer Band

You can hear various performances of this lively song at Amazon Music searching on the phrase  "Shprayz ikh mir."  

Years ago at a residential Yiddish class I attended in London, there were three young men from Berlin who had a klezmer band that performed all over Germany.  None of them was Jewish, but apparently klezmer from any source was popular in Germany at the time.  They were in the music track of this London-based Yiddish program where they, along with other klezmer bands and Yiddish performers, received coaching as well as language instruction.    This was their "signature" song!      

                                                        ###

KHAYE'SHU by Chiam Tauber (Haynt iz Do)

This song means a lot to me!  When I was in London years ago I met with a local Yiddish group on Saturday afternoons, and each meeting would begin with this song.  

I have never been able to find it anywhere else, and all I have is this worn copy of the song sheet they gave me.  If anyone knows more about it please let me know!  

I'm searching for a good sound file to post!

Please scroll sideways just a bit to see the Yiddish letters!  

And elsewhere I've pasted easier to see transliteration.

###

ARUM DEM FAYER

Arum dem Fayer

Arum dem fayer, mir zingen lider,

Di nacht iz tayer, men vert nit mider.

Un zol dem fayer farloshn vern, 

Shaynt oyf der himl, mit zayne shtern.

To kroint di kep mit blumen krantzen, 

Arum dem Fayer, mir freylekh tanztn,

Vayl tants un lid iz unzer lebn, 

Dernokh in shlof, khaloymes shvebn.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tV6MZQswzZ8

With Lodz Kinderchor

and

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

With Svetlana Kurdish and Mendy Cahan, and more.

and

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWo3WNfoE6I

SONG FROM THE GHETTO and HOLOCAUST DAYS (A Yiddish song). Singing by Tova Ben-ZVI. Translation into English by Alexandra Shamarova, Mr. Luis Lazaro Tijerina:

A few liberties with words but with fairly good English translation

A Klezmer Version

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

And music from:

https://prexmusic.com/arum-dem-fayer-81/

YIDDISH STUDES TODAY FROM DUSSELDORF

Always on the lookout for bilingual Yiddish books -- these help me learn -- I happened on a link to a book of poems but Avrom Sutzkever, one of my favorites, with facing pages in Yiddish and English, published by the Dusseldorf University Press (DUP).

DUP publishes a website called Yiddish Studies Today at:

https://docserv.uni-duesseldorf.de/servlets/DerivateServlet/Derivate-23711/27_Leket_Beider_Eastern_Yiddish_Toponyms_of_German_Origin_A.pdf

In English, it appears to be part of a larger work, as its pages are 437-466, and includes a long bibliography.  The section here is entitled Eastern Yiddish Toponyms of German Origin by Alexander Beider. 

I don't know if this Institute publishes other bilingual books, but if they do I want to find them!  The print is a little small for me but I appreciate the content. 

                                                 ###                                                            

  

Zog nit Keynmol

https://genius.com/Gevolt-zog-nit-keyn-mol-lyrics

Lyrics: Hersh Glick

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