Mendele: Yiddish literature and language ______________________________________________________ Contents of Vol. 6.127 December 8, 1996 1) A griner shtern (Hugh Denman) 2) Muzikalishe khaneke matones (Sylvia Schildt) 3) "Hot a Yid a Vaybele" (Keyle Goodman) 4) "Hot a Yid a Vaybele" (Rokhl Bernard) 1)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sat, 7 Dec 1996 22:43:41 +0100 (MET) From: h_denman@maier.vol.at Subject: A griner shtern [Regarding Larry Rosenberg's post (6.123):] Referring to a star seen through the reverberating crystalline light of an icy winter's night as appearing to be 'green' is not really so unusual (nor necessarily so unrealistic!). Compare for example L. Shapiro's well-known story 'Gegesene teg' ("Nuyorkish", 1931, p. 104): "inmitn der nakht fun donershtog oyf fraytog hob ikh zikh oyfgekhapt fun shlof tsulib der umgeveynlakher shtilkayt un biterer kelt. a griner shtern hot getsitert in himl antkegn mayn fentster...". It is difficult to comment on imagery in the absence of the full context and unfortunately I don't have the Margolin poem to hand. But are these "guests" (including the 'green star' with its strident chromatic note) not drawn from among the repertoire of conventional Symbolist images typical of the Di Yunge poets with whose whole ethos Margolin has such an uneasy and ironic relationship? What intrigues me, on the other hand, is why the guests should be 'fun lite'. Could it be that Margolin is distancing herself from a certain cool aestheticism that, irrespective of the origins of the poets concerned, she conceives as having something essentially litvish about it? Or, as I half suspect, is there more to it than that? a freylekhe un likhtike khanike alemen Hugh Denman London 2)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 6 Dec 1996 14:45:41 +0100 From: creativa@charm.net Subject: Muzikalishe khaneke matones Etlekhe matonelekh tzu ale mendelyaner, frum un fray, alt un nay. Ikh hob tzugegebn naye verter a lid vos men hot undz gelernt in di arbeter ring shules - 8 kleyne brider. ikh hob a bisl derhayntikt di tzveyte strophe. A dank Chava Lapinen vos zi hot gikh mir gegebn di verter tzu der ershter strophe. Tzuzamen kumt dos oys azay: Akht kleyne brider, fun a groysn flam Zingen shtile lider, fun a bravn shtam. Fun a shtam fun kriger, mutik un getray Un fun shtoltze ziger iber shklaferay. Akht shtume eydes, ayer likht detzeylt Fun di elter zeydes, un zeyer likhtik velt. Fun a velt fun Yidish, s'iz nokh nit farbay Un take nit keyn khidish, vayl "am isroyel khai." Akht kleyne brider, fun a groysn flam Zingen shtile lider, fun a bravn shtam. ----------------------------------- un a nay lid tzum nign fun Dona Dona In dem templ In dem templ, zukht men beyml Beyml reyn tzu tzindn "lekht" Dan gefint men, nor a bisl, Vos es brent un brent akht nekht. Khaneke iz a yontev, a yontev fun a nes Kum-zhe esn latkes, zing un nit farges Dona, dona, dona, dona, --- dona, dona, dona, don (2) Shpiln dreydl iz a minheg Shpiln kinder, ale nekht, Gut is giml, hey iz helft nor Nun iz nisht, shin iz take shlekht. Khaneke iz a yontev, a yontev fun a nes Kum-zhe esn latkes, zing un nit farges Dona ... Latkes est mit fargenign Frish fun bulbes ersht gemakht Bazingt dem yontev fun likt un frayhayt Say batog un say banakht. Khaneke .... Kinder git men tzu matbeyes Un fun shokalad khaneke gelt Leyent mayses Sholem Aleykhem's Fun a sheyner shtetl velt. Khaneke ... ----- Definition of a living language. People speak it, make love in it, sing it, create in it, play with it. Dayenu with the Is Yiddish a Living Language nonsense. Khag sameakh ale ! Sylvia Schildt Baltimore, Maryland 3)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 06 Dec 1996 14:19:59 -0800 From: ac939@lafn.org Subject: "Hot a Yid a Vaybele" Jonathan Bellman hot gefregt vegn dem lid, "Hot a Yid a Vaybele". Ikh gedenk nor eyn ferz fun mayne kindershe yorn. S'iz grade nisht aza sheyne lid un efsher shtamt dos fun shund teyater. hot a yid a vaybele hot er groyse tsores oyb zi hot kayn kinder nit, teyg zi af kapores. Efsher ken emetser a farkertn ferz vegen mener. Keyle Goodman 4)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sat, 7 Dec 1996 21:05:51 -0500 From: rhoda@saturn.net Subject: "Hot a Yid a Vaybele" Jonathan Bellman asked about lyrics to the song "Hot a Yid a Vaybele." Ot zaynen zey: Refrain: Hot a yid a vaybele, hot a vayb a yidele. Hot a yid a vayb, a vayb a yid a vaybele. Verses: 1. Ven men hot mir nor khasene gemakht, hot men shoyn fun mir geshpast und gelakht. 2. Sorenu mayn vayb hot dem kugel gemakht, fun montik in der fri biz fraytik oyf der nakht. Oy! 3. Ven iz gekumen shabes tsu dem esn, hot Sorenu dem kugel in oyvn fargesn. Sheet music with lyrics to this song is available in The Kammen Folio of Famous Jewish Theatre Songs, volume 1. The lyrics and music to Hot a Yid a Vaybele were written by Morris Goldstein. Rhoda (Rokhl) Bernard Boston, MA ______________________________________________________ End of Mendele Vol. 6.127