Mendele: Yiddish literature and language ______________________________________________________ Contents of Vol. 3.131 November 12, 1993 1) A poem by Leyb Kvitko (Bob Rothstein) 1)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu Nov 11 23:36:34 1993 From: ROBERT A ROTHSTEIN Subject: A poem by Leyb Kvitko Since Mendele has been silent of late, I hereby offer a favorite poem by the Soviet writer Leyb Kvitko for those who are raising Yiddish-speaking children (and for anyone else who might enjoy it). I actually first read it in Samuil Marshak's Russian translation. (In the interest of saving space, I've put the last ten stanzas in a second column.) Dos ferdl fun banakht Gekumen tsu forn Firt Maksl dos ferdl, der pape banakht, di mame er vekt. er hot fun der rayze Er geyt tsu tsum pape, a ferdl gebrakht. er rayst im di dek. A ferdl aza mins, Zey zaynen farshlofn vi Maks hot gevolt: un entfern koym: der kop un di tloen --Me zet nit dos ferdl! mit shvartsn gemolt. Me zet nit di tsoym! Nit poshet mit shvartsn, Iz firt er es vayter, nor take lakirt, Zayn ferdele firt, un take dos tsayml un klapt mit a hentl mit zilber batsirt. dem shokhn in tir. Aza min vil Maksl Se ligt nokh der shokhn, shoyn zeyer fun lang, fun bet fregt er: --Ver? ot shteyt es, dos ferdl, --Ikh vil dir bavayzn, aleyn af der bank. Bavayzn mayn ferd. Un kukt zikh af Makslen, --Ikh hob es gezen... se vart un se kukt, Mayn tir iz farmakht. nor Maksl veyst gornit, --Du host nit gezen, er shloft un genug! s'a nays fun banakht! Fartog ersht derzet er, --Ikh ken es, dayn ferdl, tseshrayt zikh nit shir: ikh ken es genug. --Se dakht zikh, a ferdl --Du kenst es nit, kenst nit. farlofn tsu mir! Ot tu nor a kuk! Vos iz es, a kholem --Ikh zog dir, ikh ken es, tsi take a ferd? ot her, az ikh ken: Er raybt zikh di oygn Eyn kop hot dayn ferdl. un kukt alts un klert. --Vi veystu es den? Un bald mit di hentlekh --Her vayter, dayn ferdl a freydikn patsh: fir fislekh farmogt! --Se gor nit keyn kholem! --Fir fislekh? Fir fislekh! S'a gantser ferdatsh! Vi veystu es, zog? Arop un gekhapt es Farkhidesht iz Maksl, un tut es a fir, farkhidesht un klert: a tsiter tut Maksl "Er hot nit gezen ba yedn zayn rir. un ken es, mayn ferd! A kop -- iz a kop, Vi kon er es kenen? un an ek -- iz an ek! Az s'iz gor ba mir!" Bakukn di fislekh Un Maks, a farklerter, er leygt zikh avek. kukt shtil af der tir. Se geyt, az me shlept es! Se shteyt, az men vil! Un oyb es tseleygn, Iz ligt es dir shtil. Bob Rothstein ______________________________________________________ End of Mendele Vol. 3.131 Send submissions/responses to: mendele@yalevm.ycc.yale.edu Other business: nmiller@starbase.trincoll.edu Anonymous ftp archives available on: ftp.mendele.trincoll.edu in the directory pub/mendele/files