Mendele: Yiddish literature and language
______________________________________________________
Contents of Vol. 4.241
December 18, 1994

1) Introduction (Marjorie Schonhaut Hirshan)
2) Shpet-loshn (Peter Kluehs)
3) Strong language (Yankel Lantz)
4) Yiddish Lyrics to Schubert's `Staendchen' (Bernard S. Greenberg)
5) More Sholem-Aleykhem aphorisms (Louis Fridhandler)
6) Mekhuteneste afn yarid (Shleyme Axelrod)
7) Malorusish; Nafke-bayis; Litvaks' Hats (Meyshe-Yankl Sweet)
8) Ansky in English (Bob Werman)

1)----------------------------------------------------
Date: Sun, 18 Dec 1994 10:40:21 -0500
From: shirshan@aol.com
Subject: Introduction

Brooklyn born and bred, I am a graduate of Brooklyn College (M.A. in
Education, circa 1950) and of the vastly enriching Workmen's Circle
educational program (through two years in the seminary). Currently a
Florida resident, I have organized, and lead, a community Yiddish Club of
almost 200 members where every meeting is a simkhe.  Winters, I teach
Brandeis University Women Study Groups (Women in the Bible; Jewish
Women's Issues).

My husband, Stanley (Bob) Hirshan, a retired New York Board of Education
principal, now studying for a law degree, is a computer mavn and
advocate. His Yiddish was learned at his wife's knee and he is conversant
and interested in its perpetuation.

Marjorie Schonhaut Hirshan

2)----------------------------------------------------
Date: 17 Dec 1994 18:53:00 +0200
From: pete@pko.rhein-main.de
Subject: Shpet-loshn

Yude Rozof:

ikh hob gefunen bay Salcia Landmann epes far ayer kolektsye fun kloles:

Az ale tseyn zoln dir aroysfaln, nor eyn tson zol dir blaybn far
tseynveytog!

Got zol dir helfn, zolst zayn a milioner! Zolst hobn an eygene plashe:
zamd in di nirn un vaser in di kni...

Peter Kluehs

3)----------------------------------------------------
Date: Sun, 18 Dec 1994 10:00:50 -0500
From: rlantz@globalcom.net
Subject: Strong Language

Anyone interested in Yiddish curses, coarse expressions, and such things
might find this book of value:

"A Dictionary of Yiddish Slang & Idioms," by Fred Kogos (Citadel
Press, 1967.)

It's a little paperback, and I don't remember where I found it.

Yankel Lantz

[More on the theme can be found in vol. 1.063, 1.069, 1.072, 1.073
and 1.215.  nm]

4)----------------------------------------------------
Date: Sat, 17 Dec 1994 22:39:55 -0500
From: bsg@world.std.com
Subject: Yiddish Lyrics to Schubert's `Staendchen' ("Serenade")

Well, I thought I had the answer you wanted.  I dragged out my book of
Yiddish and Hebrew settings of well-known 19th Lieder and hymns, ("Great
Jewish Classics Vol. 3, arranged for voice and piano, Tara Publs., no
date, place, editor, etc.) including a Hebrew setting of "Deutschland
ueber Alles" by one "J. Rosenblatt, Obercantor, Hamburg" (is that a
treasure!?), and came up with a -different- Yiddish rendering of the
Schubert favorite, Yiddish credited to one "M. L. Halpern".  Here it is.
The orthography (in Roman characters) is interesting, too, this is an
artifact, so, editor, please keep intact:

Stile [sic] shweiben meine tfiles* durch der nacht zu dir
Schein is izt in gorten, shtil is kum a rop zu mir
Boimer roishen koim zu heren in lewone [!] [sic, vide infra]
Ja sei Wilen clorder zeilen Wie ich leid un wein  [this line in different
    font]
Nachtigalen kenen shpiren
Benkshaft liebesweh, [rpt]
Wen sei willen hertzer rihren
Weinen, singen sei [rpt]
Shain in lewone shain
Keiner wet uns do nit sh'teren [': ?]
Darfst in shrek nit sain [rpt]
Nachtigalen singen, Trelen, Asoi wunderscho"en [the o has umlaut AND e
    appears]
Efen zche dain hartz dos scho"ene [vide supra]
Shtois mich nit zu rik
Kum zu mir du einzigeine
Kum o kum main glik [rpt]
O Kum main glik.

*"tfiles" is in a different font, showing clear signs of being typed and
glued in over something presumably more secular.

What a mixed stew of patchwork, ignorance, love, and Schubert (I forget
the librettist)!

In the front of the book is a listing of "Yiddish texts" for all songs in
traditional orthography, in the same font, where the text for this song
is given as (my transcription).

Shtile shweben majne t'filos
Durch der nacht tsu dir
Shehn [shin ayin he nun] in itst in gorten shtil iz.
Kum arop tsu mir.

Boymer royshen koym tsu heren
In levonah shejn,
Kajner wet unz do nit shteren,
Darfst in shrek nit zajn.
[and no more].

The book only credits Cantor Noah Schall (no more about him given) for
access to his "extensive library of Jewish Music" and Ethnic Music of
Carlstadt, NJ, for permission to reprint some Metro Music copyrights.
King of antischolarship.

Bernard S. Greenberg

5)----------------------------------------------------
Date: 18 Dec 94 13:52:07 EST
From: 74064.1661@compuserve.com
Subject: More Sholem-Aleykhem aphorisms

Here are another couple of Sholem-Aleykhem's parodies of classic
aphorisms. The lightness fails to hide the bitter mood, shaken optimism,
caustic comment on the unreliability of old truths which seem to omit
recognition of harsh reality.  He had come through some painful
experiences, but 1903 was a very productive year for him.  His fame and
acceptance was assured. Three of the Tevye stories were in print and
widely hailed.  Publications were going very well.  On the other hand,
the political situation in Russia was menacing.  Jews continued to be in
a very shaky position.

1. "A ferd iz nit dermit oysgeshtelt, vos er kon nit kreyen vi a hon, er
iz umgliklekh nor demolt ven er farlirt dem gang."  (Azoy zogt Epiktet.)
Un ikh zog: An oks iz nit dermit oysgeshtelt, vos er hot a lange tsung un
kon keyn shoyfer nit blozn; er iz umgliklekh nor demolt, ven men firt im
tsu der shkhite.

2. "Alts vos groys iz vakst pavolinke."  (Azoy zogt Seneka.)  Un ikh zog:
Alts vos groys iz vakst pavolinke akhuts protsent, vos vakst meshuge-
nervayz, on regn, azoy vi kropeve.

Translation:

1. "A horse does not take umbrage because he can't crow like a rooster;
he is wretched only when he loses his way."  (So says Epictetus.)  And I
say: "An ox does not take umbrage because he has a long tongue and can't
blow a shofar; he is wretched only when he is led to the slaughter.

2. "Everything that's great grows little by little."  (So says Seneca.)
And I say: Everything that's great grows little by little except interest
charges which grow in a wild and crazy way, without rain, like thorny
nettles.

>From Aforizmen (1903), in _Felietonen_, by Sholem Aleichem, Tel Aviv: I.L.
Peretz Publishing House, 1976, p. 86.

Louis Fridhandler

6)----------------------------------------------------
Date: Sun, 18 Dec 1994 14:03:34 -0500 (EST)
From: ptyaxel@ubvms.cc.buffalo.edu
Subject: "mekhuteneste afn yarid"?

This weeks's (12/16/94) Yiddish _Forverts_ has an article by Miriam
Shmulevitsh-Hofman about our Mendele list.  The writer expresses surprise
and pleasure at learning about Mendele, and quotes extensively from the
recent discussions about standards, romanization, and so on.  The
headline reads "Idish--a gantse mekhuteneste afn yarid fun 'i-meyl'".
Can someone explain the metaphor?

The article will be continued in next week's issue of the _Forverts_.

Shleyme Axelrod

7)----------------------------------------------------
Date: Sun, 18 Dec 1994 13:44:06 -0600
From: msweet@facstaff.wisc.edu
Subject: Malorusish; Nafke-bayis; Litvaks' Hats

A few unconnected questions:

1. In a Peretz story, he refers to someone speaking what is apparently
Ukrainian, as "Malorusish"--does anyone know the origin of this word?

2. Has anyone run into the term "nafke-bayis" for brothel, in European
Yiddish speech or writing?  I was wondering if it was European, or an N.
American phenomenon, translating "whore house".

3. Would an orthodox Litvak, a misnagid, have been identifiable by a
particular type of hat?  Is the shtreyml particular to Khasidim?

Thanks to all for answers/speculations.

Meyshe-Yankl Sweet

8)----------------------------------------------------
Date: Sun, 18 Dec 94 21:06 +0200
From: rwerman@vms.huji.ac.il
Subject: Ansky in English

In light of the announcement of the Ansky exhibit to be held in the
Jewish Museum in the near future, please allow me to remind Mendele
readers that a reasonable corpus of Ansky material has been translated
into English by my darling wife, Golda Werman. This includes 40 pages
from Ansky's diary, "The Destruction of Galicia," a major part of the
exhibit in question.

The translations are to be found in the Library of Yiddish Classics,
Schocken Books, 1992, under the title, _The Dybbuk and Other Writings_,
ISBN 0-8052-411-6.

Bob Werman

______________________________________________________
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