Mendele: Yiddish literature and language ______________________________________________________ Contents of Vol. 08.075 October 22, 1998 1) feigl's goldene verter (sylvia schildt) 2) bandure (Itsik Goldenberg) 3) taytsh-khumesh (Itsik Goldenberg) 4) taytsh-khumesh (Marc Caplan) 5) sentence structure (David Herskovic) 6) oym ani khomo (David Herskovic) 7) Yiddish Correspondence Course (David Katz) 8) Translation in Forward (Leah Zazulyer) 9) The Well/Di Krenitse - A Naye CD (Adam Whiteman) 1)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 20 Oct 1998 22:37:05 -0400 (EDT) From: Pcreativa@charm.net (Sylvia Schildt) Subject: feigl's goldene verter vi rirndik di verter fun feigl infeld-glaser in mendele 08.073. ikh leyen di verter nokh a troyeriker moment in mayn yidish-lebn vos ikh vel aykh bkitzer bashraybn. ven nit dem vos yidish ovnt gevidmet di balibte yidishe kinsterin molly picon iz azey vunderbar matzkliakh geven, volt ikh in gantzn antmutikt gevorn efsher kenen etlekhe mendelyaner mir erklern - vayl ikh ken nit farshteyn vos ikh hob gehert un gezen. how moving were the words of feigl infeld-glaser in mendele 08.073. i read these words just after a sad moment in my yiddish life that i will describe to you briefly. if the evening dedicated to the beloved yiddish actress molly picon had not been such an outstanding success, i would have been totally discouraged. ikh hob gehat fartrakht dem tog vi a gantze yidishe simkhe, a yidishe profesorke baytog, a yidishe aktrise bay nakht. gut, ha? vart nokh a bisele. i was looking forward to the day as a whole celebration of yiddish - a yiddish professor by day, a yiddish actress by night -- sort of head and heart. but wait a minute. di profesorke hot ongeheybn gut ober altz hot gefirt tzum bashlus as yidish iz epes an iberblayb fun der geshikhte, nit bemes relevant, veltekhe yidishkeyt iz an experiment vos iz nit matzliakh geven -- un afile der kontzept fun ashkenaz iz nit relevant. the professor began well enough but everything led to the conclusion that yiddish is something of a relic of history, not truly relevant, secular yiddishkeit is an unsuccessful experiment, and even the concept of Ashkenaz is not relevant. nor religye klept tzusamen dos yidish folk.. zi hot shtark kritikirt weinreikhn un "College Yiddish" un "Say It In Yiddish" un andere azelkhe verk. ver iz di profesorke? gor a bekante yidishistke mitn nomen Ruth Wisse. ir lektzye hot geheysn "The Mysteries of Yiddish" -- loyt mayn farshtand iz der emeser "mystery of Yiddish" aza -- vos yidish lebt un shtaygt un shaft un hot a verde un iz relevant, ir af tzu lehakhes. un andere vi zi. she strongly criticized weinreich and "College Yiddish" and "Say It In Yiddish" and other such works. who is this professor? a very well known "yiddishist" named Ruth Wisse, Her lecture was called "The Mysteries of Yiddish -- according to my understanding, the true mystery of Yiddish is this -- that Yiddish lives and grows and creates and is relevant, just to spite her. and others like her. bay nakht ober, bay undzer yidish klub, yiddish fun groys boltimore, hot zikh geton af tish un af benk. nit nor hobn mir gezen teyln fun ire filmen, un gehert molly zingen ire lider, nor mir hobn gezen oytzres fun ir lebn, arayngenumen a kidish kos gegebn beydn fun prezident fun rokeach firme, photografies, a figure fun goldfadenen (aza min "yidish oscar") -- un a vizit fun picon's mishpokhe, arayngenumen di emese kuzine vos ir meydlsher nomen iz eykh molly picon - a hartzike froy. der oylem hot zikh gefilt heymish, nit kukndik af dem vos e iz altz forgekumen in a vinkl fun a bukh-gesheft. ober helft, raboysay -- vos zogt men aza profesorke -- vos git zikh op mit yidish, ober meynt ez es iz mer nit relevant. at night however, at our yiddish group, Yiddish of Greater Balitmore, it was wild. not only did we see parts of her films, and heard molly sing her songs, but we also viewed treasured of her life, including a kiddush cup given to oth of them (molly & yonkl) by the president of Rokeach, photos, a statue of Goldfaden (a sort of Yiddish oscar) -- and a visit from picon's family, including her real cousin, whose maiden name was also molly picon - a darling lady. the audience felt at home, despie the fact that the program took place in a corner of a bookstore. but help, ladies and gentlement -- what do you say to this kind of professor - who is involved with yiddish, but believes it is no longer relevant. sylvia schildt baltimore, maryland 2)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 21 Oct 1998 10:06:12 -0400 (EDT) From: "Robert Goldenberg" Subject: bandure By chance I recalled a word used frequently by tate-mame both from Bessarabia (now Moldova), in the context of some large, awkward object: "a groyse bandure." Couln't find it in Weinreich, but Harkavy gives "something big & clumsy." Stutchkoff lists it with musical instruments, (perhaps a type of percussion instrument?) with alternate spelling "bandore," which is listed in Harkavy. Can anyone give the derivation of this word? Does anyone recall hearing it or using it at home? Itsik Goldenberg 3)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 21 Oct 1998 10:06:13 -0400 (EDT) From: "Robert Goldenberg" Subject: taytsh-khumesh Jeffrey Bennett asks where one can obtain a taytsh-khumesh (Mendele 08.073(6)). Try the National Yiddish Book Center, 1021 West Street, Amherst, MA 01002-3375 (888-4-BIKHER, www.bikher.org). Itsik Goldenberg 4)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 21 Oct 1998 10:54:03 -0400 (EDT) From: Marc Caplan Subject: taytsh khumesh B'tshuve khaver Jeffrey, mekuyekh dem taytsh khumesh-- Mayn kale un ikh lernen toyre fun khumesh Beys Yehude, vos hot di ale parshes toyre mit Rash"i un a por andere meforshim ibergetaytsht af yiddish. Dos loshn un di ortografye zaynen zeyr altmodish, un di oysyes zaynen kleyn, ober es iz in der emesn eyne fun undzere greste mekhayes tsu folgn nokh di peyrushim tsvishn dem loshn-koydeshdikn origynel un dem taytsh in der serye. Loyt undzer farshtanen, shtamt di Beys Yehude serye funem sof 19tn yor-hundert. Mayn kale, Brukhe, hot a serye vos iz aroysgegebn gevorn in di tsvantsike yorn--fun Poylin, meyn ikh. Ikh hob ha-yor gekoyft a vunderlekh sheyn eksemplar, gedekt mit sheyne bloye un goldene hiler, gedrukt in der letster tsayt, mistome in dem yor-tsenlekh. Dos tekst hot in gantsn nisht gebitn tsvishn di tsvey eksemplarn. Ikh hob bashtelt di serye fun Eichler's in Boro Park. Oyb me vet onklingen dem "yediyes" numer ("information," b'laz) in Brooklyn [1-718-555-1212] un betn dem numer fun Eichler's Judaica af 13tn evenyu un 50ster gas, ken men zikh farbindn mit der krom. Di serye Beys yehude hot gekost an erekh $40, nisht kukndik af post-hatsoes. Iz, lernt afn rekhtn fus! Marc Caplan Iker shakhakhti: Eichler's hot oykh andere sforim af yidish-taytsh: l'dugme, an ibergezetste Pirkey-oves; Eyn yankev, vos iz a serye gemores mit taytsh; Pietrushke's ibergetaytshete Mishnayes; Shivkhei haBeShT un andere biografyes fun lomdn un gedoylim; Tseyne-ureyne (zeyr shver tsu leynen!), A"A. 5)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 21 Oct 1998 11:37:09 -0400 (EDT) From: David Herskovic Subject: sentence structure Last shabes I had reason to tell my my son not to take something away from his younger brother. I said to him 'nem es nisht tsi fin eym'. It then occured to me that I could just as well have said 'nem es fin eym nisht tsi', and set me thinking whether both are equally acceptable. Also is there any rule as to the positioning of verbs in yidish. For eg. we say 'kidish gemakht, sholem genimn, tfilin gelaygt' but not shakhris gedavnt, matse gegesn or countless other examples. David Herskovic 6)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 21 Oct 1998 11:50:09 -0400 (EDT) From: David Herskovic Subject: oym ani khomo All I know about the song [08.072:5] is that I remember it as a child. My father tells me it was sung in der lager. I can add a few lines nebekh nebekh nebekh haharigo olekho nebekh nebekh nebekh venekhsheves ketsoyn tivkho 1 khotsh khaotsh khotsh zriyo bayn makhiseho 2 dokh dokh dokh khaviko idviko bokh 3 lomir dertsayln... 1 treated like sheep for slaughter 2 dispersed amongst her persecutors 3 cleaves and clings to you David Herskovic 7)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 21 Oct 1998 12:37:11 -0400 (EDT) From: "KATZ, DAVID" Subject: Yiddish Correspondence Course re: Brian Poulin, Information on Yiddish Correspondence Course [08.073] Kh'heys Dovid Katz un kh'voyn in Dallas, Texas. Kh'bin an onheybndiker student fun mame-loshn, un mit a yor tsurik, hob ikh farendikt tsvey clasn, un , vos zenen (vi zogt men af yidish?) far der yidisher shprakh fun der universitet fun Wisconsin. Di clasn kostn an erekh $400 yeder eyner un nitsn Weinreich's mit tsvey tsugob-bikhelakh. Der adress fun der universitet iz: University of Wisconsin - Extension 104 Extension Building Madison, Wisconsin 53706 1-800-442-6460 Zayt ale gezunt! David Katz 8)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 22 Oct 1998 07:24:16 -0400 (EDT) From: Leah Watson Subject: Translation in Forwards With regard to the subject of translations into English in the English language edition: It is with regret that I have noticed that many are not really translations, but rather adaptations, which sacrifice much to the notion that rhyme is the most important aspect to preserve, and not other poetic aspects such as "voice", "tone", assonance, form or structure, and formality or informality of language... Of course this becomes especially hazardous in rendering song lyrics. Can we have some discussion of this? It is informative, for example, to compare the Victorian and the modern translations of the great Indian poet/writer Rabandranth Tagore. The Victorian translators of Tagore, who were British, thought that there was a need to "ELEVATE" his language. By the same token, some translators are still trying to elevate Yiddish along the lines of some Victorian concepts. We can do better. Why can't the Forwards publish some of the very fine existing translations from Yiddish that are more faithful to text AND to the notions of contemporary poetry? Leah Zazulyer 9)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 22 Oct 1998 07:42:02 -0400 (EDT) From: Adam Whiteman <74031.775@compuserve.com> Subject: The Well/Di Krenitse - A Naye CD Far di vos hobn nit gehat di gelegnhayt tsu hern dem nayem kompakt disk Di Krenitse/The Well fun Khave Albershteyn un di Klezmatics....farfelt es nit. Siz an uysnam! Fuftsen lider fun tsivshn di beste yidishe shraybers fun di letste 125 yor mit muzik fun Khave Albershteyn. Di aranzhirungen fun di Klezmatics zenen farkhapndik. Tsvishn di vos ikh gefin zikh zingn tsu zikh aleyn afn metro az ikh for tsu der arbet zenen Ver Es Hot un Vek Nisht beyder fun Avrom Reyzn, Binem Hellers Mayn Shvester Khaye, Velkhes Meydl S'Nemt a Bokher fun Zishe Landau, Di Goldene Pave fun Anna Margolin, un Zayt Gezunt fun Leivikn. Khave Albershteyn iz tsvishn di getseylte isroeldike zingers vos zingen af hebreyish un shem zikh nit tsu zingen af yidish eykh. Mit dem disk vaystzi uys az zi hot nit kin meyre tsu blaybn nor bay di alte shlagern nor brengn arayn nayem repertuar af yidish. Yasher keyekh tsu Khave un di Klezmatics....ikh hof az dos iz nit der letster disk tsuzamen! Adam Whiteman ______________________________________________________ End of Mendele Vol. 08.075 Address for the postings to Mendele: mendele@lists.yale.edu Address for the list commands: listproc@lists.yale.edu Mendele on the Web: http://www2.trincoll.edu/~mendele http://sunsite.unc.edu/yiddish/mendele.html