Re: Yiddish on List

[Joe Kurland <ganeydn...>]

>>>>>> "Jennifer" == Jennifer R Goodman <jenifer (at) unix(dot)tamu(dot)edu> 
>>>>>> writes:
>
>    Jennifer> A question came to mind as I was reading the discussion of
>    Jennifer> Yiddish on the List: Did anyone experience Yiddish as a secret
>    Jennifer> language used by adults when they did not want children to
>    Jennifer> understand what was being said?  How did you feel about it?

Funny you should ask this question.  My parents didn't withhold Yiddish
from me because they wanted to keep secrets--they used French for that.
But because my mother didn't learn Yiddish as a child, the only Yiddish I
heard as a child was my father speaking with my grandmother and the very
few Yiddish words she taught me.  But I always felt that there was some
hidden meaning about what being Jewish is that you could say in Yiddish but
not in English.

I offer you the following song in Yiddish and in translation together with
the description from the liner notes as published with the Wholesale
Klezmer Band's latest album, Yidn fun Amol (OYF 005), The Jews of Long Ago.
Sorry that with email I can't put the Yiddish and the translation in
columns.

**************************************************************

6. Redt Yidish  (Speak Yiddish)   (4:10)
Words and music copyright © 1993  by Yosl Kurland
We often find that though most of our audience members do not speak
Yiddish, many of them have parents or grandparents who did. So why didn't
they learn Yiddish? Because of the old Yiddish expression that they heard
all too often, "Redt Yiddish, di kinder zoln nisht farshteyn." ("Speak
Yiddish, so the children won't understand.")

Interestingly, we have found that non-Jewish audience members whose parents
or grandparents spoke other languages that they can't speak themselves find
much of their own experience in this song.

In concert, Yosl performs this song with subtitles.

REDT YIDISH

In di amolike yorn, in elter zeydns tsayt,
Iz er geven a handler yung, tsvishn fremde layt.
Hobn gesheftlekhe soydes vos gehert tsu zayne skhoyres,
Hot im der balebos gegebn an eytse vos flegt yidn oyf dor-doyres:

Redt yidish, oy, redt yidish; di konkurentn hern.
Voltn zey geganvet undzere plener, veln mir ongezetst zikh vern.
Redt yidish, oy, redt yidish. Bahalt tif vos ir meynt.
Redt yidish, konkurentn zoln nisht farshteyn.

Un az me hot gehaltn pogromen, hobn gemuzt di yidn antloyfn,
Neyen rendlekh in di kleyder, a shifskartl tsu koyfn.
Ganvenen dem grenets in der shvartser nakht,
Bentshn goyml az zey zenen koym gevoren nitzl fun der shlakht.

Redt yidish, oy, redt yidish; kozakn hern tsu.
Voltn zey gevust az mir flien, zey lozn undz nisht keyn ru.
Redt yidish, oy, redt yidish. Bahalt tif vos ir meynt.
Redt yidish, kozakn zoln nisht farshteyn.

Un gekumen in Amerike, un Amerikaner vern,
Hobn zey gevolt dos loshn fun der alter heym oyskern.
Muz men lernen kinder redn english take fayn,
Bahalt fun zey dos loshn vos dermont di alte payn.

Nor redt yidish, oy, redt yidish; di kinder hern tsu.
Voltn zey gevust fun undzere tsores, hobn zey nisht keyn ru.
Redt yidish, oy, redt yidish. Bahalt tif ayer geveyn.
Redt yidish, di kinder zoln nisht farshteyn.

Nor az vaksn oyf di eyniklekh, Amerikanere yidn mit shtoltz un mut,
Un geyn in universitet, zikh tsu lernen zeyer gut,
To, vosere limudim viln zey forshn? Sara khidesh!
Vos iz amol geredt gevorn bay yidn, take yidish!

Redt yidish, oy, redt yidish; tate-mame hern tsu.
Voltn zey gevust fun undzere tsores, hobn zey nisht keyn ru.
Redt yidish, oy, redt yidish. Bahalt tif ayer geveyn.
Redt yidish, tate-mame zoln nisht farshteyn.

Un az me hot dervust fun di yidishe shraybers, hot men oyfgedekt a hartzikn
zikorn.
Zise oytsres fun der yidishkayt zenen umbahaltn gevorn.
To, lomir redn yidish, yidish zingen un yidish hern.
Lomir hitn azoy az yidish zol, kholile, nisht farshvunden vern.

Redt yidish, oy, redt yidish; tsi zayt ir voyle yidn?
Redt yidish, oy, redt yidish, oy- lomir zayn tsufridn.
Redt yidish, oy redt yidish, un nisht bay zikh aleyn;
Redt yidish, mir ale darfn farshteyn.

SPEAK YIDDISH

Long ago, in great grandfather's time,
He worked for a merchant, among strangers.
When he had trade secrets to protect,
His boss gave him advice used by Jews for generations:

Speak Yiddish, oy, speak Yiddish; our competitors are listening.
If they were to steal our secrets, we would go bankrupt.
Speak Yiddish, oy, speak Yiddish; hide your thoughts.
Speak Yiddish so our competitors won't understand.

And when pogroms were held, the Jews needed to flee,
Sewing coins into their clothing to buy their steamship tickets.
They stole across the border in the darkest night,
Thanking G-d when they barely escaped from the slaughter.

Speak Yiddish, oy, speak Yiddish; Cossacks are listening.
If they knew that we were leaving, they would not let us escape.
Speak Yiddish, oy, speak Yiddish; hide your thoughts.
Speak Yiddish so the Cossacks won't understand.

And coming to America, becoming Americans,
They wanted to get rid of the language of their old home.
We must teach our children to speak very good English, and
Hide from them the language that reminds us of our suffering.

But speak Yiddish, oy, speak Yiddish; the children can hear.
If they knew our troubles, they would have no peace.
Speak Yiddish, oy, speak Yiddish; hide your tears.
Speak Yiddish so the children won't understand.

But when the grandchildren grow up, proud American Jews,
And they go to university to get an education,
Well, what subjects do you suppose they study? What a surprise!
The language that Jews once spoke, well, of all things, Yiddish!

Speak Yiddish, oy, speak Yiddish; our parents are listening.
If they knew our troubles, they would have no peace.
Speak Yiddish, oy, speak Yiddish; hide your tears.
Speak Yiddish so father and mother won't understand.

And when we have learned about the Yiddish writers, we uncover a sweet memory.
Treasures of Yiddishkayt have been rediscovered.
So let's speak Yiddish, sing Yiddish, and listen to Yiddish.
Let us assure that Yiddish, G-d forbid, does not disappear.

Speak Yiddish, oy, speak Yiddish- are you good Jews?
Speak Yiddish, oy, speak Yiddish. Let's take pleasure in it.
Speak Yiddish, oy, speak Yiddish, and not only among ourselves;
Speak Yiddish, everyone should understand.

**************************************************************

At 1:34 PM 3/2/98, delatizk (at) BBN(dot)COM wrote:
>I've found that listening to a lot of song in a language and following
>translations is not a bad way to pick up a basic understanding of that
>language - not just for yiddish.  Not that I can pick up enough to be a
>*speaker*, but I am able to understand a fair amount of (for example) french
>and german from attending to some of the song literature in those languages..

The first Yiddish I learned was from records by Theodore Bikel when I was
in high school.  I followed the translations in the booklets, learned to
sing the songs, and finally, when I was 40 I enrolled in the Yiddish Summer
Program at YIVO/Columbia University.

Yosl (Joe) Kurland
The Wholesale Klezmer Band
Colrain, MA 01340
voice/fax: 413-624-3204
http://www.crocker.com/~ganeydn