Mendele: Yiddish literature and language ______________________________________________________ Contents of Vol. 08.118 January 25, 1999 Ikhil Shraybman Part IV 1) Khalutsim (Ikhil Shraybman) 2) Der tish (Ikhil Shraybman) 3) Gete (Ikhil Shraybman) 4) Eybikayt (Ikhil Shraybman) 1)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 10 Jan 1999 22:26:19 -0500 From: Serge Mitelman Subject: Khalutsim KHALUTSIM Ba undz in Rashkev zenen nokh keyn khalutsim nisht geven. Epes vos. An onheyb. A shprotsl, vos hot zikh nokh gut nisht ongezen, iz zikh nokh gut nisht tsevaksn. A gantse kompanye emese khalutsim hob ikh plutsem derzen aroys der shtot Yos, af a flakh-tseshpreyt feld, hinter a veldl ba a griner breytlekher richke. Kh'hob demolt gedint in der rumenisher armey, in yoser regiment "Doi Transmisiuni". Nokhn natsionaln rumeynishn yontev "Tsenter may" un nokhn opgebn di shvue, durkh a yoser rov, dem keyser un dem reboyne-sheloylem, hot men ba undz, besaraber yidishe yinglekh, tsurikgenumen di biksn, oysgeton undz di grine malbushim, aropgebrakht funem kazarme-boydem undzere eygene shmates un undz avekgeshikt tsufus a tsen kilometer nokh Yos tsu a prits af "munka kimpelui" (rumenish - feld-arbet). Eyn oys-soldat undzerer hot afn veg plutsem a geshrey geton: - Zet nor, khevre... Khalutsim... Zey makhn do di hakhshara... Dernokh veln zey avekforn keyn Palestine ufshteln dos yidishe land... - Fun vanen veystu es? - hot men im gefregt. - Vos zhe, ikh ze nisht? Kh'bin blindn? - iz dos geven der logishster entfer. Mit hoykh-farhoybene farshtekte kleydlekh, mit di nakete fis in der richke, hobn dray kurts-geshoyrene meydlekh gezhmiket gret af vayse plachike shteyner. Lebn a por layvntene getseltlekh hobn zikh tsvishn tsvey tsigl geroykhert tsugedushete holeveshkes. In di hoyle layber, bloyz mit kurtse heyzlekh af zikh, hobn yinglekh un meydlekh (di meydlekh, farshteyt zikh, in lifchiklekh) geyetet rey nokh rey yunge papeshoyes. Meydlekh zenen gezesn arum a kesl un gesheylt kartoflyes, gebrokt kroyt. Yinglekh hobn gebrakht tsu trogn af di pleytses bintlekh trukene tsvayglekh funem veldl. Mir hobn zikh avekgezetst af undzere soldatske kestlekh un batrakht dos dozike bild kegn undz. Afn hartsn iz geven i freylekh (oys! oskopet funem dinen!). I troyeriklekh (farvos zhe, fundestvegn, getroyt men undz nisht? Ver zhe zenen mir es ver? Ganovim? Banditn? Farreter?). Kh'hob pavolinke farchepet a spritnem kholets inmitn zayn rashn. Mir hobn zikh bakent, gegebn zikh di hent, ikh hob im gezogt mayn nomen, er mir - zayn nomen: "Barukh"! - Zog zhe mir nor Burekh lebn - hob ikh a makh geton - vos zhe vet zayn vayter? - Vu vayter? - hot er mir geentfert - do vayter, tsi dort vayter? - Dort. Do. - Do, - hot er a vayz geton af undzere kestlekh - zestu dokh vi me shpayt af undz, me derniderikt undz, me vayzt undz az mir zenen di same-same ergste. - Un dortn? Dinen di englender, ha? - Veyst dokh - hot er geentfert - vi me zogt af yidish: "Vayter hot di ku an ayter". Mir veln dort grobn mit di negl di zamdn un di shteyner, onfirn ahin di beste shvarts-erd. Undzere kibutsim veln farmogn di shenste ki mit di fulste ayters in der velt. - Khuts in Birobidzhan, in der yidisher melukhe Birobidzhan, - hob ikh gezogt. Er hot zikh geaylt un hot mir nisht geentfert. Er hot zikh nor tseshmeykhlt, iz avek un fundervaytns mir tsugevorfn: - Kha, kha, kha... Ikh hob im mit mayn demoltiker naivkayt tsurikgevorfn: "Kha, kha, kha..." Undzere beyde khakhayen hobn in der luftn zikh bagegent, ibergemisht zikh, a kaykl geton zikh ineynem, vi a laykhter duner. Gekayklt zikh eyns afn andern, geranglt zikh eyns mitn andern, vi se ranglt zikh gelekhter mit geveyn. [Forverts, #31206, oktober 16, 1998. Copyright Ikhil Shraybman. Reprinted with author's permission. Transliterated by Shaya Mitelman] 2)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 10 Jan 1999 22:26:19 -0500 From: Serge Mitelman Subject: Der tish [Balibter zhaner - miniatyurn.] DER TISH Dovid Bergelson flegt zogn: A kalike zetst zikh tsu tsum tish a gvir un heybt zikh uf a kaptsn. Hu-ha. Flam-fayer. Fule keshenes mit suzhetn, problemen. Gezeens un geherts. Aroysgeleyents un oysgelernts. Moral-gibenish un velt-oysgleykhenish. Metaforn, aynfaln, glaykhvertlekh. Ps...mamesh a kase-kostn ful mit vert-papirn. Un - a nudne narishe oystrakhtenish. - An emeser zetst zikh tsu tsum tish a kaptsn un heybt zikh uf a gvir. Ay, der tish. Ay, dos tsuzetsn zikh. Der nit-emeser zitst afn tish raytndik, vi af a ferdl, shturkhet im mit di zilberne shporn zayne, flit mit im iber toln un iber berg, vi in a multi-maysele. Der emeser trogt af zikh dem tish, vi der gekreytsikter dem kreyts, barg aruf, barg aruf. Oder - antloyft gor fun im. Der tish loyft im nokh, pakt im sof-kol-sof, bindt im tsu tsu zikh mit a shtrik, shrayt on af im: zits, parkh eyner. Zits! - Farvos zhe zetst zikh der emeser tsu tsum tish a kaptsn? - hob ikh a freg geton. - Iber di shvere nekht zayne, - hot mir Bergelson geentfert. - Paynikndike nekht on shlof, on ru: falshevestu nit? Zogstu dos rikhtikste vort? Hert zikh emetser? Gleybt zikh emetser? Ot zits ikh itster oykh bam tish, nokh aza-o materndiker nakht, a kaptsn. Vel ikh zikh ober ufheybn khoch a shtikele gvir? Bald nokh der milkhome, ven kh'hob umkerndik zikh in kimat ingantsn khorev gevorenem Keshenev, koym gekrign a shtikl dakh ibern kop, bin ikh bald avek afn mark un s'ershte gekoyft a tish. An alter, dafke dembener, tish mit kurtse unter-gezoygene fis un mit on a shier mol-lekhelekh umetum. Kh'hob dem tish getrogn afn kop, mit di fis zayne aruf, funem mark aheym iber der gantser shtot. Un take in yenem tog ongeshribn af im a briv Falkovichn ( Elye Falkovich iz demolt geven der hoypt-redaktor in "Emes" farlag ), er zol mir opgebn mazltov - kh'hob shoyn, danken got, lebn vos tsu zitsn un shraybn. Falkovich hot mir bald geentfert beze-haloshn: "Befeyresh, a sheynem mazltov aykh. Ba groyse, shteyt ergets, shraybt aleyn der tish". Kh'veys nokh adayem nit tsi Falkovich hot dos gemeynt ernst, tsi er hot zikh poshet azoy a khokhme geton. (Neyn. Elye Falkovich iz geven tsu an ernster mench er zol zikh veygn azelkhe zakhn khokhmenen). Kh'veys nor, az biz haynt hot nokh mayn tish keyn eyn shure mayne aleyn nit ongeshribn. Keyn nisim gesheen nit. Groyse vern nit fun der heler hoyt. [Di Pen, #16, november 1995. Copyright Ikhil Shraybman. Reprinted with author's permission. Transliterated by Shaya Mitelman] 3)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 10 Jan 1999 22:26:19 -0500 From: Serge Mitelman Subject: Gete GETE - Hert uf kh'bet aykh, - zogt zi tsu mir. - Ir kentekh zayn mayn foter. Un bald take git zi tsu: - Neyn... Mayn zeyde! Ikh fal ba zikh nit arop. - Nu, iz vos? - zog ikh. - Gete, veyst men, hot ba di akhtsik yor zayne gehat a gelibte, iz zi alt geven arum finef un draysik. Zi tut a heyb uf tsu mir eyn oyg. Eyn rege. Ikh red tsu ir vayter: - Nor dos iz nokh gornit. Di gelibte Getes hot farmogt a zibetsnyorik tekhterl. Hot zikh Gete in dozikn tekhterl farlibt. Vos heyst farlibt? Azoy zikh farknakt, az er iz azh krank gevorn, mamesh geblibn lign tsu bet. Zi heybt uf tsu mir beyde oygn. Rakhmonesdik. S'iz ir a rakhmones af Geten. - Nor dos iz nokh gornit, - zog ikh. Azoy-o krankerheyt hot er dem tekhterl ongeshribn a poeme vegn libe, iz dos geven di shenste libe-poeme Getes. A gantse zun tut zikh a tsegis af ir ponem. Ikh red vayter: - Nor dos iz nokh oykh gornit. Gete hot mit zayn gelibters tekhterl khasene gehat. Mit ale pishchevkes. Kedas Moyshe veYisroel, vi me zogt. Ariber tsvey hundert gest zaynen geven af der khasene. M'hot gehepet bizn vaytn tog arayn. Zi, di gelibte Getes, heyst es, shoyn di shviger zayne, hot gornit ufgehert tantsn. Alemol mit an andern. Di mezinke oysgegebn, vi me zogt. Zi heybt di oygn ire mer nit uf. S'iz ir a veytik un a bushe far Getes shviger. - Nor dos, - zog ikh, - iz nokh nit ingantsn. Gete hot mit zayn yung vaybl opgelebt bizn sof fun zayne teg. Un nokhn toyt zaynem hot zi keynmol mer mit keynem nit gevolt khasene hobn. Zi tut zikh azh a khap bam hartsn. Ikh nem zi arum, gib ir a kush. Zi tulyet zikh tsu mir. Un tsitert, fil ikh, in mayne hent. [Di Pen, #31, februar 1997. Copyright Ikhil Shraybman. Reprinted with author's permission. Transliterated by Shaya Mitelman] 4)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 10 Jan 1999 22:26:19 -0500 From: Serge Mitelman Subject: Eybikayt EYBIKAYT Zi iz geven alt un krank. A tife skeyne on eyn tson in moyl. Af ir kerper - keyn eyn ort nit on kneychn, on geruntsltkayt. A beynerdik ponem, ayngefalene bakn, vayse shitere hor afn kop, alt un shterblekh krank. Zi hot shoyn fun dray teg nit gegesn. Di tokhter iz geshtanen iber ir mit a mane-kashkele in di hent. - Mame, kh'bet dikh. Eyn lefele khoch. - Genug. Loz mikh op. - Me muz esn, mame, me muz esn! - Me darf kumen ahin zat?... Dos zaynen geven ire letste verter. Zi hot farmakht di oygn. S'hobn ongehoybn tantsn kegn ir fayerlekh, vasern. In di vasern hobn vi in an akvarium umgeshvebt nakete yinglekh. Eyn yingl hot zi arumgekhapt, tsugekvecht tsu zikh. Zi hot far hanoe azh a krekhts geton. Dos iz geven ir letster krekhts. Zi iz antshlofn gevorn. Af eybik. [Di Pen, # 31, februar 1997. Copyright Ikhil Shraybman. Reprinted with author's permission. Transliterated by Shaya Mitelman] ______________________________________________________ End of Mendele Vol. 08.118 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://metalab.unc.edu/yiddish/mendele.html