Mendele: Yiddish literature and language ______________________________________________________ Contents of Vol. 09.061 February 13, 2000 1) bayke, balte, dayke (Lorele (Lori) Cahan-Simon) 2) Yiddish/Jewish terminology (David M. Sherman) 3) "erev habotchvanim" (Jon Levitow) 4) Yiddish/Hebrew in Israel (Mikhl Herzog) 5) Blood spots (Beni Warshawsky) 6) Blood spots (Philip "Fishl" Kutner) 7) The Internationale (Itsik Goldenberg) 8) bomtzik-tzak and klappteler (Yale Strom) 9) "mayn shvesterl un ikh" (Tamar Fox) 1)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 18 Jan 2000 06:58:58 -0500 (EST) From: Lori Cahan-Simon Subject: bayke, balte, dayke I have a book of songs called 60 folks lider, gezamelt fun M. Kipnis, pub. in Poland around 1924? There is a song called "Di Bayke" (beys-tsvey yudn-kof-ayin), which I need some help with. I could not find the meaning of a few of the words; bayke, balte, dayke (seems to be a variant of "davke"?) Is bayke an article of clothing? Here are the lyrics: Der tate iz gefaren in balte, Hot er mir gefoyft a bayke, Hot er mir gefoyft a bayke. vifil hot er batsolt far der bayke, tsvey mit a halben toler, mame, dayke, hot er batsolt far der bayke. ver vet dir neyen di bayke? Sore di modistke, mame, dayke, zi vet mir nayen di bayke. ven vestu onton di bayke? Shabes nokh'n kugel, mame, dayke vel ikh onton di bayke vu vestu geyn mit der bayke? in dem grinem veldel, mame, dayke vel ikh (printed "ir") geyn mit der bayke. mit vemen vestu geyn in der bayke? mit a sheynem bokher, mame, dayke vel ikh (printed "ir) geyn in der bayke. vos vet zayn der sof fun der bayke? er vet mir take nemen, mame, dayke, dos vet zayn der sof fun der bayke. A sheynem dank, khaverim, Lorele Lori Cahan-Simon 2)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 18 Jan 2000 18:01:13 -0500 (EST) From: "David M. Sherman" Subject: Yiddish/Jewish terminology Lucas Bruyn suggests development of a compendium of terminology arising out the Jewish cultural/religious background to Yiddish (for lack of a better description). A good start might be Frumspeak: A Guide to Yeshivish, avaible at Eichler's and similar Judaica stores. It contains a glossary of many words used by today's English-speaking yeshiva bokher. David M. Sherman 3)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 18 Jan 2000 18:24:55 -0500 (EST) From: JLevitow@aol.com Subject: "erev habotchvanim" Tayere Mendelyaner, Here's another "oysdruk-retenish," or mystery expression. One of my uncles says that his father, who came from Kremenchug in the Ukraine, used to refer to old age as, "erev habotchvanim," an expression my uncle says was related to "botchvan," to babble -- thus, "erev habotchvanim" meant "the evening before the babblers" -- the time of life just before senility. I can't find the word "botchvan" in Vaynraykh or Harkavy. Does anyone know it or the expression, "erev habotchvanim?" Could the latter be some kind of much-transformed variation on "oyver-botl," which is the Yiddish expression Vaynraykh gives for "senility" (meaning, apparently, something like "the crossing over to nothingness")? A dank in faroys far alle ideen, un a grus far alle, Jon Levitow 4)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 18 Jan 2000 23:41:55 -0500 (EST) From: "mikhl herzog" Subject: Yiddish/Hebrew in Israel Re: Miriam Weinstein's query (09.055) concerning Hebrew and Yiddish in Israel, see Aryeh Pilovsky's excellent dissertation for the Hebrew University, published as _Tsvishn yo un neyn_ (I don't recall the subtitle). Mikhl Herzog [Moderator's note: The reference for this book - Aryeh Leyb Pilovski, Yidish ve-sifrutah be-'Erets Yisra'el 1907-1948. Jerusalem : ha-Universitah ha-`Ivrit, 1986. 414, xvi p.] 5)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 18 Jan 2000 01:07:18 -0500 (EST) From: "B&D Warshawsky" Subject: Blood Spots Per Robert Goldenberg's question regarding blood spots in eggs. We always called them blutstropn. Beni Warshawsky [The answer was also sent by Meyer-Leyb Wolf, Mikhl Herzog, Jack Berger, Pearl Hoberman, Marvin Meyer Engel, Ben Fogel, Fay Berger, Dovid Herskovic, and Perets Mett] 6)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 18 Jan 2000 01:31:22 -0500 (EST) From: Philip Kutner Subject: Blood spots In Mendele 9.054-6 Robert Goldenberg asks about the Yiddish word for blood spot on the yolk of an egg. On the farm we used the term blutstrof. The Jewish Agricultural and Industrial Aid Society published Heymishe Oyfes by Israel Katzovitch in 1921. In Chapter 11 pp 166-181 emtitled eyer produktsion, he discusses various aspects of eggs including double-yolks and blood spots. On page 173 section 169 entitled eyer mit a bluts tropen, reads as follows: Es kon trefn az di huhn zol zayn falkom (perfectly) gezunt, un in dem ey zol zayn a bluts-tropen. Dos ken trefn ven a huhn legt zehr fiel eyer, oder ven der huhn kumt oys oft tsu shpringen fun a hoykhen ort. Vi tsum bayshpil, ven di rusts zaynen tsu hoykh fun der erd. Es kon ober zayn az bay der huhn hot geplatst a kleyn blut oderel oyfn eyer-shtok. Deriber, oyb a huhn legt oft azelkhe eyer zol men beser koylen zi. My copy of the book came from Petaluma, California. It was once a major poultry area. These poultrymen politically were very active and among the most leftist in the region. mit frayndshaft, Philip "Fishl" Kutner San Mateo, CA 7)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 26 Jan 2000 09:24:50 -0500 (EST) From: Robert Goldenberg Subject: The Internationale In reply to Ron Kuzar's questions (Mendele 09.056), here are a few answers gleaned from examining the sheet music, published by Metro Music in New York. The original copyright in 1912 was by Joseph P. Katz, and was assigned in 1927 to Henry Lefkowitch. The sheet music attributes the music and arrangement to Eugene Potter and Max Persin, respectively. The English version is by Charles H. Kerr. The yiddish version, not precisely a translation, is given, but no mention is made of the author. The covers are printed in red, and the catalogue of music on the back cover is printed in Russian. Mint copies of the sheet music are available from the National Yiddish Book Center in Amherst, Mass. Itsik Goldenberg 8)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 26 Jan 2000 20:47:17 -0500 (EST) From: Yitztyco@aol.com Subject: bomtzik-tzak and klappteler While reading Peretz's "Bai-nakht Oyfn Altn Mark " I came across these two words that are describing musical instruments.Can anyone help me with what they are in English? They are: bomtzik-tzak and klappteler. a dank, Yale Strom 9)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 27 Jan 2000 07:37:28 -0500 (EST) From: "Tamar Fox" Subject: lyrics request -- 'mein schwesterl un ich' In a recenlty published book, _lahazot et hanahar_ (Crossing the river) by Shalom Eilati (J'lem: Karmel/Yad Vashem, 1999, ISBN 965-308-082-2), a poem by Kadya Molodowska is mentioned -- the author remembers only the first two lines: 'mein schwesterl un ich/mir haben beide ein par schich) . Can anyone on Mendele help with the rest of the poem? Many thanks, Tamar Fox ______________________________________________________ End of Mendele Vol. 09.061 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