Posts filed under ‘.yi’
Eternal Echoes: Songs & Dances for the SoulOYFN VEG SHTEYT A BOYM
אױפן װעג שטײט א בױם – Shir Al Etz
Oyfn veg shteyt a boym,
Shteyt er ayngeboygn,
Ale feygl funem boym
Zaynen zikh tsefloygn.
Dray keyn mayrev, dray keyn mizrekh,
Un der resht – keyn dorem,
Un dem boym gelozt aleyn
Hefker far dem shturem.
Zog ikh tsu der mamen: -her,
Zolst mir nor nit shtern,
Vel ikh, mame, eyns un tsvey
Bald a foygl vern…
Ikh vel zitsn oyfn boym
Un vel im farvign
Ibern vinter mit a treyst
Mit a sheynem nign.
Zogt di mame: – nite, kind -
Un zi veynt mit trern -
Vest kholile oyfn boym
Mir far froyrn vern.
Zog ikh: -mame, s’iz a shod
Dayne sheyne oygn
Un eyder vos un eyder ven,
Bin ikh mir a foygl.
Veynt di mame: – ltsik, kroyn,
Ze, um gotes viln,
Nem zikh mit a shalikl,
Kenst zikh nokh farkiln.
Di kaloshn tu zikh on,
S’geyt a sharfer vinter
Un di kutshme nem oykh mit -
Vey iz mir un vind mir…
- Un dos vinter-laybl nem,
Tu es on, du shovte,
Oyb du vilst nit zayn keyn gast
Tsvishn ale toyte…
Kh’heyb di fligl, s’iz mir shver,
Tsu fil, tsu fil zakhn,
Hot di mame ongeton
Ir feygele, dem shvakhn.
Kuk ikh troyerik mir arayn
In mayn mames oygn,
S’hot ir libshaft nit gelozt
Vern mir a foygl…
Oyfn veg shteyt a boym,
Shteyt her ayngebogen,
Ale feygl funem boym
Zaynen zikh tsefloygn…
.en translation
ON THE ROAD STANDS A TREE
On the road stands a tree,
it stands bent and deserted,
All the birds of that tree
have flown away.
Turn toward the west, turn toward the east,
And the rest – turn toward the south,
And the tree is left alone
abandoned to the storm.
I say to momma–”Listen,
If you don’t stand in my way,
then, one and two,
I’ll quickly become a bird…
I’ll sit in the tree
And lull it
during the winter and comfort it
With a lovely tune.
And momma says, “No, child,”
And weeps bitter tears -
G-d forbid, in the tree
you might freeze.
So I say, “Momma, it’s a waste
of your lovely eyes,
Because before you know it,
I’ll be a bird.”
And momma cries: – Itzik, my Crown,
As G-d would want,
take a scarf with you,
Lest you catch cold.
“Put on your galoshes,
It will be a severe winter.
And take your fur hat, too.
Woe is me!
“And take your warm underwear,
put it on, foolish child,
Lest you become a guest
among the dead…
I lift my wing, but it’s hard…
Too much, too many things
Has momma put on
her weak little fledgling.
I look sadly straight forward
into my momma’s eyes,
Her love did not allow me
to become a bird…
On the road stands a tree,
it stands bent and deserted,
All the birds of that tree
have flown away.
Oh Chanukah
Oh Chanukah, Oh Chanukah
Come light the menorah
Let’s have a party
We’ll all dance the horah
Gather round the table,
We’ll give you a treat
Dreidels (or Sevivon) to play with,
And latkes to eat
And while we are playing
The candles are burning bright
One for each night,
They shed a sweet light
To remind us of days long ago
One for each night,
They shed a sweet light
To remind us of days long ago.
Yiddish transliteration
Oy Chanukah oy Chanukah
A yontif a sheyner,
A lustiker a freylekher
Nisht do nokh azoyner
Ale nakht mit dreydlech shpiln mir,
Frishe heyse latkes, esn on a shir.
Geshvinder, tsindt kinder
Di Chanukah likhtlech on,
Zogt “Al Hanisim”, loybt Got far di nisim,
Un lomir ale tantsen in kon.
Zogt “Al Hanisim”, loybt Got far di nisim,
Un lomir ale tantsen in kon.
Yiddish literal translation
Oh Chanukah, Oh Chanukah
A beautiful celebration.
Such a cheerful and happy one,
There is none like it.
Every night with the dreidels we will play,
Fresh, hot latkes we will eat endlessly.
Come quickly children
Light the Chanukah candles
Say “Al Hanissim”, praise God for the miracles,
And we will all dance together in a circle!
Say “Al Hanissim”, praise God for the miracles,
And we will all dance together in a circle!
I Have a Little Dreidel
I have a little dreidel. I made it out of clay.
When it’s dry and ready, then dreidel I shall play.
Oh dreidel, dreidel, dreidel, I made it out of clay.
Oh dreidel, dreidel, dreidel, then dreidel I shall play.
It has a lovely body, with legs so short and thin.
When it gets all tired, it drops and then I win!
Dreidel, dreidel, dreidel, with leg so short and thin.
Oh dreidel, dreidel, dreidel, it drops and then I win!
My dreidel’s always playful. It loves to dance and spin.
A happy game of dreidel, come play now let’s begin.
Oh dreidel, dreidel, dreidel, it loves to dance and spin.
Oh dreidel, dreidel, dreidel. Come play now let’s begin.
I have a little dreidel. I made it out of clay.
When it’s dry and ready, dreidel I shall play.
Oh dreidel, dreidel, dreidel, I made you out of clay.
Oh dreidel, dreidel, dreidel, then dreidel I shall play.
Yiddish transliteration
Ikh bin a kleyner dreydl, gemakht bin ikh fun blay
Kumt (or to) lomir aleh shpiln, in dreydl eyns tsvey dray.
Oy, dreydl, dreydl, dreydl, Oy, drey zikh, dreydl, drey
To lomir aleh shpiln, in dreydl eyns un tsvey.
Un ikh hob lib tsu tantsn, zikh dreyen in a rod
To lomir ale tantsn, a dreydl-karahod.
Oy, dreydl, dreydl, dreydl, oy, drey zikh, dreydl, drey
To lomir ale shpiln, in dreydl eyns un tsvey.
other variants
I have a little dreidel
I made it out of clay
And when it’s dry and ready
Oh dreidel, I shall play
Oh, dreidel, dreidel, dreidel
I made you out of clay
And when you’re dry and ready
Oh Dreidel we shall play
Oh, dreidel, dreidel, dreidel
I made you out of wood
And when you are all ready
I’ll play you when I could
Oh, dreidel, dreidel, dreidel
I made you out of glass
And when you are all ready
I’ll play you on the grass
Oh, dreidel, dreidel, dreidel
I made you out of gold
And when you are all ready
I’ll play you in the cold
Oyfn Pripetchik
אױפֿן פּריפּעטשיק
By Mark Warshavsky
Oyfn pripetchik brent a fayerl,
un in shtub is heys.
Un der rebe lernt kleyne kinderlakh
dem alef-beyz.
Zet zhe kinderlakh,
gedenkt zhe, tayere, vos ir lernt do.
Zogt zhe nokh a mol un take nokh a mol:
“Komets-alef: o!”
Lernt kinderlakh, lernt mit freyd,
lernt dem alef-beyz.
Gliklekh is der Yid, wos kent die toyre
un dos alef-beyz.
.en translation
At the fireplace
At the fireplace a little fire burns
And in the room it’s warm.
And the Rabbi teaches little children
The aleph-bet
See you children-dear,
Remember dear, what you’re learning here.
Say once again, and then once again,
“Komets-alef: o!”
Children, learn with happiness,
Learn the aleph-bet.
Lucky is the jew who knows the Torah.
And the aleph-bet.
