Mendele: Yiddish literature and language ______________________________________________________ Contents of Vol. 4.239 December 17, 1994 1) Errors (Bob Werman) 2) Yiddish texts for Found Treasures (Leah Zazulyer) 3) Yiddish words to Schubert's St\"andchen (Martin Davis) 4) Curses! (Varda Ullman Novick) 5) Sholem-Aleykhem's wry aphorisms (Louis Fridhandler) 1)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 16 Dec 94 11:12 +0200 From: rwerman@vms.huji.ac.il Subject: errors I would like to point out one interesting error that might save others trouble in the future. As Santayana said, "He who fails to learn from history (my error in this case) may be forced to repeat the same error." Rashi, in the Joseph story, has several comments about the word, na'ar [nun-eyin-resh] used to describe Joseph. In the first case Rashi takes the word in its verb form to mean dandify oneself. In the second case, Rashi says "shote [shin-vav-tet-heh]" or fool. There is no doubt that Rashi knows the primary meaning of na'ar to "youth" or "lad." For some time now, I have been looking for evidence that Rashi knew the German of his day and sometimes I imagine that he also knew Yiddish in the tenth century, before Yiddish is generally thought to have arisen. I have found some 30 la'azim of Rashi's that are pretty definitely Germanic. So I jumped on this one; after all, narish, narishkeit, in German and Yiddish both, means foolish. But tracing down Rashi's source, it appears just that way, shote, in Bereshit Rabba [Genesis Rabba], a 3rd century midrashic collection, long before anyone spoke either German, let alone Yiddish. My mistake, mea maxima culpa. Of course the Teutonic word "lochs" or variants of it, mean salmon or many, as in one, two, ... nine, ten, lochs all the way down to the Middle East. So I will keep trying and probably make even more egregious errors. Bob Werman 2)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 15 Dec 1994 14:12:16 -0500 (EST) From: watson@uno.cc.geneseo.edu Subject: Yiddish texts for Found Treasures At the Toronto Yiddish Conference I arranged a meeting of Steve Dowling, from the Workman Circle's Jewish Book Center, and publisher Margi Wolfe of Found Treasures: Stores by Yiddish Women Writers. The purpose of the meeting was to encourage an inexpensive copy of the Yiddish originals for the texts used in the book. It was my understanding that all such texts are available through Frieda Forman of Toronto, one of the book's editors. It was also my understanding that such a reproduction, in the format of a study guide, so to speak, was feasible via Workman's Circle facilities, and agreeable to the editor. My original intent in encouraging this endeavor, enthusiastically supported by other conference members, seems obvious. However, a more subtle, and perhaps equally as important reason is now apparent to me: It has come to my attention from a variety of sources, that translation/ adaptation/ideological issues loomed large in the final and sometimes arbitrary or unauthorized "editings" or proposed editings that took place before the book's ultimate publication. Thus, such a study guide would lend itself to discussion on many levels, and be an important historical document, in and of itself, for this noteworthy book, and even for future books. Further, it would allow for the addressing of some of these issues if and when the book is reprinted in Germany, Israel, or elsewhere. As much as I, an essentially uninvolved reader of the book, admire it and the work of the group, and the book's concept, I feel impelled to urge the development of the study guide promptly. In an age of much translation, too much adaptation, and a host of "isms", those of us who hunger for each new source want to, must understand the context and history of that which we read. Leah Zazulyer 3)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 15 Dec 94 17:26:41 -0500 From: davism@turing.cs.nyu.edu Subject: Yiddish words to Schubert's St\"andchen ("Serenade") Listening to this song this morning, I remembered that my father had taught it to me with Yiddish lyrics. Something like this: Mayne lieder shiken tvilles Durkh di nakht tsu dir Shayn bistu In gartn zitst du Kum arup tsu mir Nakhtigalen kenen fielen Benkshaft, liebes, veh Az zie vilen hertser rieren Vaynen Zingen zay Vaynen Zingen zay Anyone out there know the provenance of these lyrics? Martin Davis 4)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 15 Dec 1994 14:37:22 -0800 (PST) From: vunovick@netcom.com Subject: Curses! Yud Rozof asks for Yiddish curses. I can't provide any "real Yiddish vulgarity," but I can share the words to a song I learned as a youngster (some of the words are not Yiddish): Do, re, mee-sl Brekh a fisl. Neyn, neyn -- brekh a beyn! Ver geharget b'a treyn; Fal arunter fun a pleyn Ishke, pishke -- plots a kishke. Ahhhhhhhhhh-meyn. Varda Ullman Novick 5)---------------------------------------------------- Date: 15 Dec 94 20:43:56 EST From: 74064.1661@compuserve.com Subject: Sholem-Aleykhem's wry aphorisms Sholem-Aleykhem's ironic twists sometimes border on cynicism. His experiences with the rough money-grubbing publishing business may have been a factor. This may have moved him to propose humorous but wry parodies of well-known aphorisms: Here are a couple: 1. "Ver iz a khokhem? Der vos lernt zikh op fun yedn eyntsikn. Ver iz a held? Der vos nemt ayn dem yeytser-hore. Ver iz an oysher? Der vos bagnugt zikh mit dem vos er hot." (Azoy zogn di _KhZ"L_, (khes zayen lamed.)) Un ikh zog: Ver iz a khokhem? Der vos hot gelt. Ver iz a held? Der vos hot gelt. Ver iz an oysher? Der vos hot gelt. 2. "Der vos ken gut mentshn, der antloyft nit fun mentshn un yogt zikh nit nokh zey." (Azoy zogt Mark Avrelius.) Un ikh zog: Der vos ken gut mentshn, der antloyft fun mentshn vu der shvartser fefer vakst. Translation: 1. "Who is a wise person? The one who learns from each and every one. Who is a hero? The one who controls his passions. Who is wealthy? The one who makes do with what he has." (So say our sages of blessed memory.) And I say: Who is a wise person? The one who has money. Who is a hero? The one who has money. Who is wealthy? The one who has money. 2. "The one who knows people well does not run away from people nor chases after them. (So says Marcus Aurelius.) And I say: The one who knows people well runs from people to where the black pepper grows. These are from a 1903 feuilleton, Aforizmen, in Di Yidishe Folkstsaytung. Louis Fridhandler ______________________________________________________ End of Mendele Vol. 4.239 Mendele has 2 rules: 1. Provide a meaningful Subject: line 2. Sign your article (full name please) A Table of Contents is now available via anonymous ftp, along with weekly updates. Anonymous ftp archives available on: ftp.mendele.trincoll.edu in the directory pub/mendele/files Archives available via gopher on: gopher.cic.net Send articles to: mendele@yalevm.ycc.yale.edu Send change-of-status messages to: listserv@yalevm.ycc.yale.edu a. For a temporary stop: set mendele nomail b. To resume delivery: set mendele mail c. To subscribe: sub mendele first_name last_name d. To unsubscribe kholile: unsub mendele Other business: nmiller@mail.trincoll.edu