Mendele: Yiddish literature and language ______________________________________________________ Contents of Vol. 09.069 March 3, 2000 1) meshiekhs tsaytn (Noyekh Miller) 2) Yiddish literature panel at 2000 MLA (Kathryn Hellerstein) 3) a vort bay Elyezer Shteynbargn (Eliezer Niborski) 4) Distant relative (Ronnie Feldman) 5) tchotchke (Allen Maberry) 6) Gribl / grope (Shaya Mitelman) 7) identify Yiddish poems? (Paula Eisenstein Baker) 8) Electronic dictionary (Bill Weigel) 9) yiddish video (Mary Flum) 1)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sat, 26 Feb 2000 14:13:55 -0500 From: N Miller Subject: meshiekhs tsaytn The March issue of LinguaFranca has a full-page ad on the inside front cover calling attention to a single book: _opgang_ (_Descent_) by Dovid Bergelson and translated by Joseph Sherman, a fellow Mendelist. The exciting bit is this: also available is the original Yiddish text. Both books are published by the Modern Language Association as part of its Texts and Translations Series. Of course we'll be even closer to meshiekhs tsaytn when new editions of Yiddish books will be published by those organizations which appear these days to be more concerned with edifices and Hollywood hoopla. ober nisht dos bin ikh oysn. The Yiddish volume is not simply a tired reprint of an older edition, but a completely new one, with YIVO orthography and highly legible fonts. The annotations are likely to help almost every reader. Lastly, these Mendelists figure in the Acknowledgements: Zachary Baker, Hugh Denman, Itche Goldberg, Avrom Novershtern, Dov Noy, Leonard Prager, Mordkhe Schaechter, Monika Adamczyk-Garbowska, Mikhail Krutikov, Samuel Kassow, Robert Rothstein, David Goldberg, Gitl Schaechter-Viswanath, Nathan Snyder and Seth Wolitz. This is one of those occasions that calls for an all-out show of support from us. I urge every reader of these lines to buy _both_ books. To those whose reading knowledge of Yiddish is at the moment still a little shvakh, never mind: buy the book anyway; you'll learn. Even if you already own a copy (if it's the 1955 Ikuf you'll be amazed at how much more pleasant this edition is to read). I can't think of a better cause than that of encouraging publishers to give us more Yiddish books. It's up to us. _Descent_ , Dovid Bergelson, trans. Joseph Sherman, ISBN 0-87352-788-7 _opgang_, Dovid Bergelson, ISBN 0-87352-787-9 You can place orders through Der Moykher-Sforim bookstore at: http://members.aol.com/dermoykhersforim/ Noyekh Miller 2)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 28 Feb 2000 06:43:37 -0500 (EST) From: Kathryn Hellerstein Subject: CALL FOR PAPERS ON YIDDISH AT 2000 MLA The Modern Language Association Discussion Group on Yiddish Literature has placed a call for papers for a panel of 4 papers in the MLA Spring, 2000 Newsletter. The papers chosen will be presented at the December 2000 MLA Convention in Washington, DC. All participants in convention sessions must be members of the MLA by 1 April 2000. "IN, OUT, AND AROUND THE SHTETL: MAPPING YIDDISH LITERATURE." This session seeks to theorize, thematize, and locate Yiddish literary expression in relation to the matrix of the _shtetl_ and within an expanding Jewish constellation. The panel will be 1 hour and 15 minutes long, with 15 minutes allotted to each paper. Email a 1-page synposis of your proposed paper and a statement of your academic affiliation and MLA membership by 24 March 2000, to: Kathryn Hellerstein (khellers@mail.sas.upenn.edu) and Jan Schwarz (schwarz1@uiuc.edu). Kathryn Hellerstein 3)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 23 Feb 2000 06:25:52 -0500 (EST) From: Eliezer Niborski Subject: a vort bay Elyezer Shteynbargn tayere mendelyaner, ikh hob zikh ongetrofn, in Shteynbargs a moshl, oyfn umbakantn verb _kisnen_. der kontekst balaykht a bisl dem batayt funem vort, un me ken es efsher shteln in farbindung mitn rusishn verb _kisnuts_ (1 : zoyer vern; 2 : zayn in atsves, zayn more-shkhoyredik geshtimt). ober azoy vi ikh hob in ergets nisht gekent gefinen keyn pinktlekhe un bagleybte derklerung freg ikh - efsher veys emetser fun aykh epes mer ? efsher ken ver onvayzn oyf andere yidishe mekhabrim vos nitsn dos vort ? ot geyt mayn genoyer tsitat : un di alte babetse dort oyvn shnaytst zikh alts di noz, melkt vi fun a fuler ayter, un di kalye oygn kisnen alts un trern. (_der regnboygn_, inem band _mesholim_, Elyezer Shteynbarg, I.L.Perets-farlag, Tel-Aviv, 1969, zz' 319-320) a sheynem dank alemen Eliezer Niborski (Shtrasburg, Frankraykh) 4)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sat, 26 Feb 2000 14:08:41 -0500 (EST) From: "Ronnie Feldman" Subject: Distant relative Dear Mendele, Fert'foet'potsh'gava. This was an expression that my grandfather used to describe a distant relative. "he is related to you like the horses shoe is related to the horse" When I meet Yiddish speakers here in Israel this is not an expression known them. My grandparent came from Lithuania and we lived in Johannesburg. Has anyone heard of this expression. Ronnie Feldman 5)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sat, 26 Feb 2000 14:13:46 -0500 (EST) From: "A. Maberry" Subject: tchotchke I'm forwarding this to the list on behalf of a colleague: Can anyone find an example of "tchotchke" in an English context that antedates 1964? This is for an exhibit about tchotchkes at the Jewish Museum of Maryland, which is to start March 19. I've tried this spelling, as well as "chachke," "chatchke," "chotchke," "tchatchka," "tchotzke," and "tsatske," in Making of America, with no luck. Thanks. Joan H. Hall, Associate Editor Dictionary of American Regional English http://polyglot.lss.wisc.edu/dare/dare.html I will forward the responses received on the list to Joan, or, you can respond to me privately, if you would rather. Thanks very much. Allen Maberry 6)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sat, 26 Feb 2000 15:54:08 -0500 (EST) From: Serge Mitelman Subject: Gribl/grope Jeffrey Shandler (09.050.3) freygt vus far a kindershpil iz dus "gribl". Ekh veys a variant fin der shpil, vus mir oykhet rifn "grope". Dus iz aza min erd-bilyard mit nislekh vi koyln, vazfinger vi kien in a gribl vi luze. A firndiker shpiler vorft arup di nislekh af der erd in ver s'iz neyvnter tsi der grope, der shnolt der ershter zan nisl tsin ir. Yeder shpiler makht a priv tsi shnoln zan nis in der grope aran. Der ershter barmozl gevint. Se konen zan oykh ondere variantn. Shaya Mitelman 7)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sat, 26 Feb 2000 23:03:42 -0500 (EST) From: Paula Eisenstein Baker Subject: identify Yiddish poems? Dear listers Each of the Yiddish poems transcribed below is a "melo-declammatsia" (dramatic recitation), with musical accompaniments composed by Leo Zeitlin (b. Pinsk, 1884; d. New York, 1930), in Vilna in 1922. Does anyone recognize any of the poems? (I have reproduced the transliterations -- and punctuation -- as they appear on the ms. scores.) Can anyone identify "M. Ben-Zion," who is credited (on the scores) with the words to the first two? All three will be performed on a concert of Zeitlin's works in Houston in March, and I would like to include any information I can about the author(s). (I don't need translations; someone is doing that.) Private replies, please, to Thanks! Bejnk ich je, bejnk ich nit? Nor es hot mir farkischeft a trit noch a trit! Gej ich um un ich kler: noch ein trit un nit mer . . . Noch ejn blik, un a trer, un bis glik blejbt ein trit un nit mer, un nit mer . . . Bejnk ich je, bejnk ich nit? Zu asoj, nit asoj? Un geworfen in schajter a schtroi noch a schtroi! Hent mit hent . . . Harz mit harz . . . nacht is schwarz . . . Un gebrent hent mit Hent . . . Harz mit harz . . . Zien sich chmares oif, Harz majns, oif, Harz majns Eine farschwund'n -- a zweite ich trog, Ach du, majn geir'l, du schwarz majns, du schwarz majns! Scheinkst mir di nacht nor, un kejnmol dem tog! Bajn schajn fun der sun blonsen un mir in tunkel, Un schen kajn weg nit, wo hin sich zu kehren; Wet ton noch a lichtiger schtrahl wen a funkel Zu welen a mol mir nowi der heren? Nito der misbejach far welchen zu knihen, Kajn Kejhen hagodeil zu hejlen di wunden, Es mehren sich zwejflen alz Un kumt tog in heln Mit brenende sunen un blenzt di ejgen mit schimer un pracht, Fil ich dich gejril zusamen geshpunen mit sunik'n zanken, Mit schwarzkajt fun nacht. Saj, Sejde, mispalel far uns, dajne kinder: Mir hoben kajn schul nit, mir hoben kajn glejben, Mir sajnen izt, sejde, nur elente sinder Es kon unser trehr nit dergrejchen schojn ojben . . . Schtarker un glihen un hofnungen weren, Voss wajter ferschwunden . . . Sej, Sejde, mispalejl far uns, dajne kinder Mir hoben kajn tfile, mir hoben kajn glejben, Mir sajnen jezt, Sejde, nur elende sinder, Es wet unser trehr nit dergrejchen schojn ojben . . . Paula Eisenstein Baker 8)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 21 Feb 2000 16:47:40 -0500 (EST) From: weigelw@socrates.berkeley.edu Subject: Electronic dictionary Mendelyaners- Are any of you familiar with the electronic pocket Yiddish dictionary sold by a company called Ectaco? I ran across an ad for it recently and then looked up the web site for the company (http://dictionary.ectaco.com/dictionaries/yiddish.asp), but I haven't been able to find out anything about the quality of this gadget. The price of $100 seemed a bit high to me in comparison to similar devices for more commonly studied languages, but I am not aware of anything comparable that is available for Yiddish. (Except: While surfing the web I found what appeared to be the Ectaco machine packaged somewhat differently and sold for the same price by a company called Language Teacher.) Thanks for any information. -Bill Weigel 9)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 28 Feb 2000 16:41:39 -0500 (EST) From: Mary Flum Subject: yiddish video Do you know where I could possibly find any videos of yiddish performers from the early 1930s in America? Sincerely, Mary Flum ______________________________________________________ End of Mendele Vol. 09.069 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