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| Oifn oivn zitst a meydle |
On the oven sits a young girl |
| Un zi heft a zaydn kleydl. |
Embroidering a little satin dress |
| Tumba...Iz a bocher ongefloygn, |
A young lad comes flying in |
| Un hot dem fodem opgetsoygn. |
And pulls out the thread |
| Ay du bocher, ay du fayer! |
Oh, you rascal, you firebrand |
| S'vet dich kostn zeyer tayer. |
This will cost you dearly. |
| Nit mit shtrik vel ich dich penten |
I won't tie you with rope |
| Nor mit mayne vayse hentlech! |
But only with my white hands |
| Ch'vel nit fregn dich funvanen- |
I won't ask you where you're from |
| Ch'vel nit oplozn fundanen |
But I won't let you out of here! |
| Ch'vel dich haldzn, ch'vel dich libn. |
I will hold you, I will love you. |
| Iz der bocher dort farblibn. |
And so the lad remained. |
| Oifn oivn zitsn tsveyen- |
On the oven, two are sitting |
| Nit zey heftn, nit zey neyen. |
 Neither
embroidering or sewing. |
| Avre tu puerta cerrada |
Open your locked door |
| Que en tu balcon luz no hay |
On your balcony, there is no light |
| El amor a ti te vela |
Love becomes you |
| Partemos mi flor |
Come with me, my flower |
| Partemos de aqui. |
Come away with me |
| Yo demandi de la tu hermozura |
I was seeking your beauty |
| Come te la dio el dio |
The beauty G-d gave you |
| La hermozura tuya es pura |
It is pure and clear |
| La merezco solo yo. |
Only
I deserve it. |
| Padre santo |
Almighty G-d, |
| En esta klara i solemna ora |
In this clear and solemn hour |
| Ke esto despuesta para bendizir a miz fizhus |
I wish to bless my children. |
| Segun el dezeo de madre ke konsiento |
As a mother who feels deeply |
| Se, o djo, siempre pronto |
Please, G-d, always be willing |
| A eskuchar de loz altos sielos |
To listen in the heavens above |
| Mi orasion i bendision ke jo |
To my prayer |
| Bendigo a miz fizhus |
and benediction for my children |
| Mi dio |
My G-d |
| Tu ke me iziste alargar la vida |
You have lengthened my life |
| En dandome fizhus a mi lado |
By giving me children to stay by me |
| Az me esta buendad |
Let me deserve |
| Emprezenta me los para buena vida |
that you give them a good life |
| I ventura |
And let me |
| I meresime a ver kon miz ozhus suz mazal |
see with my own eyes their good fortune |
| I suz prospero inflorisido |
and their prosperity, |
| Padre piadozo |
Merciful
G-d. |
| Shlof mine kind, shlof keseyder, |
Sleep my child, keep sleeping |
| Zingen vel ich dir a lid. |
I will sing you a song |
| Az du mine kind vest elter vern |
As you, my child, become older |
| Vestu visn an untershid. |
You will realize there is a difference. |
| Az du mine kind vest elter vern |
My child, as you become older |
| Vestu vern mit laytn glaych. |
You will learn like everyone else |
| Damolst vestu gevoyre vern |
Then you will understand |
| Vos heyst orim un vos heyst raych. |
The
difference between rich and poor. |
| Bin ich mir gegangen fishelech koyfn |
I went to buy fish |
| Hob ich mir gekoyft a hecht. |
And I bought myself a pike. |
| Un ver es iz shuldig in undzer libe |
And whoever is guilty of coming between us |
| Der zol oysgeyn vi a lecht. |
Should blow out like a candle. |
| Dai, dai, dai, dai...... |
Dai, dai, dai, dai...... |
| Az a kartyozhnik shpilt in kortn, |
When a gambler plays cards |
| Farshpilt er doch nor zayn gelt |
He only loses his money. |
| Ich hob farshpilt mine yunge yorn, |
I have played away my youth |
| Finster iz doch mine velt. |
And now my world is dark. |
| Dai, dai, dai.... |
Dai, dai, dai.... |
| On keyn tsigl, on keyn shteyner, |
Without brick, without stones |
| Ken men keyn hoyz nisht moyern. |
You can't build a house. |
| Ay, s'iz nisto aza mentsh oyf der velt; |
There isn't a person in the world |
| Vos er zol mich nisht badoyern! |
who wouldn't pity me. |
| Dai, dai, dai.... |
Dai, dai, dai.... |
| Farshpilt er doch nor zayn gelt |
He only loses his money. |
| Ich hob farshpilt mine yunge yorn |
I
have played away my youth. |
| Veulai lo hayu hadvarim meolam |
And perhaps these things never happened |
| Veulai lo hishkamti im shachar lagan |
I never rose at dawn to plant the fields with my own
hands |
| Le'avdo beze'at apay... |
Never did I purify myself in your azure waters |
| Shel Kimmeret sheli, hoy Kinneret sheli |
Perhaps it was a dream, my Kinneret. |
| Heyayit o chalamti chalom |
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| Durme Durme hermozo hijico |
Sleep, sleep my little boy |
| Durme Durme con sabor |
Sleep well |
| Cierra tuz luzios ojicos |
Close your eyes |
| Durme con sabor |
Sleep well |
| A la skola tu te iras |
And as you grow up |
| En la Ley t'ambezaras |
You
will learn the laws of our tradition |
| Oy, dortn,dortn, ibern vaserl, |
Oh, far away, across the water |
| Oy, dortn,dortn, ibern brik, |
Far away across the bridge. |
| Fartribn hostu mich, in di vaytene lender, |
You have chased me away to faraway lands |
| Un benkn, benk ich noch dir tsurik. |
And I long to return to you. |
| Oy, vifl oventlech, tsuzamen gezesen |
Oh, many evenings we sat together |
| Oy, vifl oventlech, shpet in detr nacht. |
Many evenings 'til late in the night. |
| Oy, vifl trerelech mir hobn fargosn, |
How many tears we shed |
| Oy, biz mir hobn di libe tsuzamen gebracht. |
Until our love brought us together. |
| Oy, dayne eygelach, vi di shvertse kershelach, |
Oh, your eyes are like black cherries |
| Un dayne lipelach, vi rozeve papir. |
Your lips like rose paper |
| Un dayne fingerlach, vi tint un vi feder, |
And your fingers- may they be as pen and ink |
| Oy, shraybn zolstu ofte briv tsu mir. |
That
you should write to me often. |
| In veldl baym taykhl, dort zaynen gevaksn |
In the little woods by the river grew |
| Margaritkelech elent un kleyn- |
Daisies, orphaned and small- |
| Vi kleyninke zunen mit vaysinke shtraln |
Like little suns with white rays |
| Mit vaysinke, tra-la-la-la. |
With white, tra-la-la-la |
| Gegangen iz Khavele shtil un farkholemt, |
Khave walks dreamily silent |
| Tselozn di gold-blonde tsep- |
With her blond hair loose about her. |
| Dos heldzl antbloyzt un gemurmlt, gezungen |
Her shirt is unbuttoned and she hums |
| A lidele: tra-la-la-la. |
A little tune: tra-la-la-la. |
| Do kumt ir antkegn a bokher a shvartser, |
A dark young man appears |
| Mit lokn mit shvartse, vi pekh. |
With hair as black as pitch. |
| Er flamt mit di oygn un entfert ir lustik, |
He flirts with his eyes and he answers her slowly |
| Un entfert ir: tra-la-la-la. |
He answers her: tra-la-la-la. |
| Vos zukhtstu do, meydl? Vos hostu farlorn? |
What are you looking for, young lady- what have you lost? |
| Vos vilstu gefinen in groz? |
What do you want to find there in the grass? |
| Ich zukh margarikes, farroytlt zikh Khave |
I'm looking for daisies, Khava answered blushing |
| Farroytlt zikh: tra-la-la-la. |
Blushing.... |
| Du zukhst nokh? Un ikh hob shoin take gefunen |
You're still looking? And I have already surely found |
| Di shenste margaritke in vald. |
The prettiest daisy in the wood. |
| A margarike mit tsep un mit oygn safirn, |
A daisy with braids and with saphire-blue eyes |
| Mit eygelech - tra-la-la-la. |
What lovely eyes. |
| Oy, loz mich, men tor nisht; di mame zogt men tor nisht. |
Leave me alone- it's not allowed; my mother says it's not |
| Mayn mame iz alt un iz beyz. |
My mother is old and mean |
| -Vu mame? Vos mame? Do zaynen nor beymer, |
Where's your mother? What mother? There are only trees around |
| Nor beymelekh- tra-la-la-la. |
Only trees. Tra-la-la-la. |
| -Du libst mikh? - Ikh lib dikh! |
Do you love me? - I love you! |
| -Du shemst zikh? - Ikh shem zikh! |
Are you ashamed? -Yes, I'm ashamed. |
| Oy lib mikh un shem dikh un shvayg. |
Oh love me, and be ashamed, but keep quiet. |
| Un ze vi es mishn zikh pekh-shvartse kroyzn |
And look how the pitch black blends with the golden |
| Mit goldene. . .Tra-la-la-la. |
With the golden. . . Tra-la-la-la. |
| Di zun iz fargangen, der bokher - farshvundn, |
The sun is set, the young man has disappeared |
| Un Khavele zitst nokh in vald. |
And Khava still sits in the wood. |
| Zi kukt in der vaytns un murmult farkholemt |
She gazes into the distance and murmurs dreamily |
| Dos lidele: Tra-la-la-la. |
The
little song: Tra-la-la-la. |
| La prima vez ke te vidi |
The first time I saw |
| De tuz ojos me 'namori |
Your eyes I fell in love with you. |
| D'akel momento te ami |
I loved you from that moment |
| Fina la tomba te amare. |
And until the grave, I will love you. |
| Aserkate mi kerida |
Come close to me my dear one, |
| Salvadora de mi vida |
You have saved me. |
| Descubrite i avlame |
Discover me and tell me |
| Sekretos de la tu vida. |
Your
life's secrets. |
| Y'did nefesh av harachaman |
Beloved of the soul, merciful Father |
| M'shoch avdecha el r'tsonecha |
Bring Thy servant close to Thy will |
| Yaruts avd'cha k'mo ayal |
That he may run like a hart |
| Yishtachave (la la la ...) |
To bow down |
| El mul hadarecha |
Before
Thy glory. |
| Papir iz doch vays un tint iz doch shvarts |
Paper is white and ink is black |
| Tzu dir mine zis-lebn tsit doch mine harts. |
My heart is drawn to you, my sweet-life. |
| Ich volt shtendig gezesn dray teg nochanand |
I could sit for three days one after another |
| Tsu kushn dayn sheyn ponim un tsu haltn dayn hand |
Just kissing your sweet face and holding your hand. |
| Nechtn baynacht bin ich oyf a chasene geven, |
Last night I went to a wedding |
| Fil sheyne meydelech hob ich dort gezen. |
and I saw many pretty girls there. |
| Fil sheyne meydelech - tsu dir kumt nisht gor- |
Many pretty girls, but none of them can compare to you |
| Mit dayne shvartse eygelech un dayne shvartse hor. |
with your beautiful black eyes and raven black hair. |
| Ach du liber Got, her oys mine farlang |
Dearest G-d, hear my plea |
| Dem oysher gistu kovid, mit a sheynem gang- |
To the rich you give honor and an easy path |
| Oy mir gib a shtibele oyf dem groz dem grinem |
but I ask only for a little house on a grassy green |
| Az ich mit mayn zis-lebn zoln voynen derinen. |
in
which my true love and I can dwell. |
Note:
Translation of La Bendision di Madre courtesy of Flory Jagoda, from
her album La Nona Kanta on Global Village.
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