Mendele: Yiddish literature and language ______________________________________________________ Contents of Vol. 09.054 January 17, 2000 1) List of Sholem Aleichem's stories (Marc Caplan) 2) Indexes to Sholem-Aleykhem Works (Louis Fridhandler) 3) fargin zikh; af zayne trit (Mikhl Herzog) 4) fargin zikh (Jacob Nussbaum) 5) fargin zikh (Stan Levine) 6) blood spots (Itsik Goldenberg) 7) performing Shostakovich's "From Jewish Folk Poetry" (John Burke) 8) translator sought for yiddish poetry (Jeremy Abrams) 9) kompyuter program (Feygl Infeld Glezer) 1)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 9 Dec 1999 15:19:27 -0500 (EST) From: "A. Marc Caplan" Subject: List of Sholem Aleichem's stories Itsik Goldenberg asks (09.048) if there is a master list to all of Sholem Aleichem's stories in the Folksfond edition of his "Ale verk"; he also asks if all of Sholem Aleichem's work is in fact included in this edition. The answer in Yiddish is "loy mit an aleph"--no, on both counts. The folksfond edition was originally projected to include 40 volumes, rather than 28--why it wasn't completed is a good question. Even those 40 volumes, however, probably wouldn't have contained everything that Sholem Aleichem wrote, partly do to editorial and "political" decisions made by the editors of the edition. Still and all, the folksfond edition is by far the best and most readable edition of Sholem Aleichem's work--or at least the 50% or so that's been collected--available. Much of Sholem Aleichem's early work, not collected in the folksfond edition is available in three volumes published in the Soviet Union--with Soviet orthography--by the "Emes Farlag" in the late 1940s. This was also part of a projected "Ale verk" series that was never completed--though considering the time and place of this edition, the politics of its termination are sadly all-too-easy to figure out. Some material not available in the folksfond edition can also be found in a volume published by Ikuf called "Dos sholem aleichem bukh." If I'm not mistaken, Khone Shmeruk was involved at the time of his death in an effort, at last, to produce a real "Ale verk" series for Sholem Aleichem--of which a magnificent edition of "Motl Peysi dem khazns" is the only volume published to date. Anyone know of plans to continue this series? By the way, the absence of a genuine "Collected Works" edition affects not only Sholem Aleichem, but all the great Yiddish writers--to say nothing of the more minor Yiddish writers, as well. Marc Caplan 2)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 10 Dec 1999 13:34:11 -0500 (EST) From: Lfridhan@aol.com Subject: Indexes to Sholem-Aleykhem Works Itsik Goldenberg (9.048, 4) asks about a master list or index to Sholem-Aleykhem's stories, and a cross-index of English translations of Sholem-Aleykhem stories that have been translated. I have both, but only one type has been published. I published a compilation, up-to-date as of 1987: "Index to English Translations of the Works of Sholem Aleichem," by Louis Fridhandler, Jewish Book Annual, ed. Jacob Kabakoff, Vol. 45, 1987, pp.121-142. I also have in my computer (and printed out for my private use) 1) an index of his Yiddish originals compiled alphabetically according to the romanized titles; and 2) a list of his works compiled chronologically (subcompiled alphabetically). The chronological compilation is of obvious historical-developmental interest. In 1987, I offered these to the editor for publication as well, but the answer was, "No. Not enough space." The index in the Jewish Book Annual shows the source of the English translation, but does not point to the source of the Yiddish original, an unfortunate omission. Given the new capacities of the internet, I might offer the Yiddish titles indexes to those interested. It would take a bit of work to format the information for internet transmission, but I think it can be done. My impression is that these romanized titles could then be transformed into Hebrew characters and alef-beyz(ed) accordingly. Far di dozike merkvirdike nisim fun di kompyutor mevinim darf men zikh freyen! I can testify that these indexes have been very useful to me in very many ways. If you know the Yiddish title, the Yiddish original can be easily be found whether it is in the 28-volume Folksfond Oysgabe or elsewhere. Some can be found only on microfiche edited by Chone Shmeruk published as "Yiddish Classics on Microfiche, Vol. 1, Clearwater Publishing Co., 1980. Oh, those microfiche copies! Looking at a copy of the original with the date of the censor's approval printed on the flyleaf is an arresting experience. Alert! Many Mendele fans will know that the Folksfond Oysgabe of 28 volumes (1917-1923) has been republished from the original matrices a number of times. Unfortunately, volume numbers have sometimes been capriciously changed causing various degrees of confusion. Fortunately, the content of each volume has been kept together and intact (as far as I know; ober ver veyst?). Louis Fridhandler 3)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 9 Dec 1999 03:55:56 -0500 (EST) From: "mikhl herzog" Subject: fargin zikh; af zayne trit In response to Alla Sokolova (09.048): Perhaps _af zayne trit_. In response to Neil Sandow (09.048): _fargin zikh_ 'Don't begrudge yourself, 'indulge yourself in'. Marvin (Mikhl) Herzog Garrison, NY 4)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 9 Dec 1999 22:19:22 -0500 (EST) From: Jacsyl1@aol.com Subject: fargin zikh The translation of 'fargin zikh' is not quite "enjoy yourself". Enjoying oneself was not in the psyche of gheto life and even considered unseemly, sinful, and even an invitation to the "evil eye". All of this grew out not only of poverty but a basic requirement of a good Jew was to live a life of moderation, deprivation, in order not to detract from the spiritual--the devotion to Gods law.... be an "esser" not a "fresser". Thus "ikh fargin im zain mazal" would best be rendered as "I do not begrudge him his good fortune." To "fargin zikh" is to allow oneself the pleasure which one might more rightfully be obliged to forego....... "Es iz shver tsu zayn a yid"!!! Jacob Nussbaum 5)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 13 Dec 1999 12:17:48 -0500 (EST) From: Stan Levine Subject: fargin zikh Neil Sandrow (09.048) asks about the expression "fargin zikh" translated as enjoy yourself. My mother, altho she did not use Yiddish very much, frequently used this expression, especially in the negative, to mean to begrudge or be envious of someone else's pleasure. In the positive imperative, as you have here, it would mean to allow oneself a pleasure, hence 'enjoy yourself.' It is perhaps not appropriate to use the list to ask questions about meanings of words which are to be found in any Yiddish dictionary. I am on a French list and a Latin list, and altho not all the questions are challenging to a specialist, some coming from beginning students of the language, no one would feel that the list was a substitute for a dictionary. Stan Levine [Moderator's note: Jack Berger, Yoshua Ben Litman, and Milt Koosman submitted answers to _fargin zikh_ question as well.] 6)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 17 Dec 1999 13:32:22 -0500 (EST) From: Robert Goldenberg Subject: blood spots A friend asked me if I had ever heard of the word in Yiddish for blood-spots on the yolk of an egg. (The presence of such a spot, as most of you will know, renders the egg treyf). My friend thought the word was "bulstrofn" but I could not find that in Weinreich or Harkavy. If anyone can help, it would be appreciated. Mayner a fraynd hot mir gefregt tsi ikh hob amol gehert dos vort "bulstrofn" vos iz shayekh tsu a blut-flek afn gelekhl fun an ey. Kh'hob dos vort frier nit gehert, un kh'hob es nit gefunen i in Vaynraykh's i in Harkavi's verterbikher. Efsher emetser ken undz vegn dem gibn an eytse. A dank oyf faroys. Itsik Goldenberg 7)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 6 Dec 1999 12:39:13 -0500 (EST) From: "john burke" Subject: call for performers - Shostakovich's "From Jewish Folk Poetry" In 1979, Prof. Joachim Braun published the original Yiddish texts of the poems that Shostakovich set in "From Jewish Folk Poetry." According to Braun, Shostakovich instructed the translator that the Russian versions should match the Yiddish texts metrically and syllabically, so that the songs could be performed in either language without distortion of either the music or the words. As far as I know, the Yiddish version has never been performed in the United States. Prof. Izaly Zemtsovsky, when he was the Bloch Lecturer at UC Berkeley last year, told me there had been two performances in Russia and possibly one in Israel. I would very much like to organize a US performance of the song cycle with the Yiddish texts. I'm a pianist; I'm volunteering to do this without compensation. What's needed are a soprano, a contralto, and a tenor who can sing the vocal material, who can learn the Yiddish texts, and who are willing to prepare the piece "on spec"--that is, to learn it in the hope that we can find performance venues, and possibly even a source of modest remuneration, here in the Bay Area. Any takers? Email me at the address above and we'll see what develops. John Burke 8)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sat, 18 Dec 1999 02:02:39 -0500 (EST) From: jeremy abrams Subject: translator sought for yiddish poetry Your email address was forwarded to me by a Dr. Hellerstein, a professor of Yiddish and German at the University of Pennsylvania. I am seeking assistance in locating a translator for two books of Yiddish poetry written by my grandfather, Chaim Simon, a poet who lived in Chicago and was an active member of the Yiddish literary community there from the 1930's until his death in 1946. On the assumption that this email address is relevant to the above, I would appreciate any referrals you might be able to make for me in the above regard. By the way, and by way of a brief self-introduction, I am a Jewish American who has lived and worked in Tokyo for the last 13 years in the legal department of a computer manufacturer. I attempted for one year in my youth to study Yiddish on my own and translate some of the poems, but with little success. More recently, of course, my language study has centered on Japanese. Best regards, Jeremy Abrams 9)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 12 Dec 1999 12:15:28 -0500 (EST) From: Feigl I Glaser Subject: kompyuter program Hayoys mir zaynen spetsyalistn/kes eyner dem andern aroptsuraysn, iz tsayt mir zoln oykh loybn azelkhe vos hobn dos kosher fardint. Dem 25stn Februar hob ikh arayngegebn a notits in MENDELE az ikh zukh a gutn yidishn kompyuter program. Mit a teyl entfers bin ikh nit geven tsufridn un tsu a teyl vos hobn geentfert, hob ikh nit gehat keyn sakh tsutroy. Hot mir genumen a lange tsayt tsu bashlisn. Endlekh, nokh dem sof-vokh in mame-loshn 99, vu ikh hob bakent Meyer H. Davidn, hob ikh bashlosn tsu rizikirn tsu koyfn Qtext 8. Hayoys nokh mayne notitsn in Mendele, hobn zikh a sakh andere opgerufn, az zey zaynen oykh farinteresirt in a gutn Yidishn compyuter program, vil ikh zikh mit aykh teyln mit mayne derfarungen: Ikh hob nit gehat keyn sakh tsayt aroyftsugebn oyfn komputer ale Yidishe materyaln vos es valgerm zikh arum in farsheydene vinkelekh in mayn heym, ikh hob nit gehat genug tsayt oyf tsu shtudirn dos bikhele mit onvayzungen, un ikh hob nokh nit ibergelodn dem "zikorn" fun dem Yidishn program mit azoy fil materyaln vi dem Englishn, ober fun dem vos ikh hob biz itst dergreykht -- nokhfolgndik di onvayzungen fun bikhele, un der telefonisher un shriftlekher hilf fun dem tayern bokher Meyer H. David -- bin ikh zeyer tsufridn. Koydem-kol, hot er tsugegreyt dem program bazirt oyf di klavyaturn fun di frierdike Yidishe shraybmashinkes -- fun Forverts, YIVO, Farband, Bund, Kultur Kongres a"a -- (Royal, Underwood un andere gute shrayb-mashinkes); dan hot er gemakht andere enderungen, vos ikh hob im gebetn. Es iz aroysgekumen a gerotene keyle. Ikh darf nor eyn rir ton mit a finger baym klavyatur tsu krign an os (a, o, ay, ey, oy, v, p, f a"a). Ikh darf nokh arayndringen, tsu gefinen an oyfn tsu ton mer komplitsirte Yidish-Englishe arbetn, ober ikh bin zikher az mit Meyers hilf, vel ikh dos oykh dergreykhn. Haklal, zayt ale gezunt, hot a gutn nokh-khanuke un a gut, gezunt yor 2000. Ayer, Feygl Infeld Glezer ______________________________________________________ End of Mendele Vol. 09.054 Address for the postings to Mendele: mendele@lists.yale.edu Address for the list commands: listproc@lists.yale.edu Mendele on the Web: http://mendele.commons.yale.edu http://metalab.unc.edu/yiddish/mendele.html