Re: Lyrics for "Du Du"

[Spudicmikhl <Spudicmikhl...>]

Hi Lorele, 

Fighting off a bad cold so on a happier note, just catching up with emails 
and spotted the exchange between you and Lionel Mrocki concerning the 
Greenblatt song title "Du, Du..."   I've been puzzling over one point that 
you ask about, namely "der tsoiber [tsoyber]" versus "dem tsoiber [tsoyber]." 
 I looked in my edition of "Tsen Lider" for the fuller context.  

If once considers the full verse as one syntactical entity, it would probably 
make more grammatical sense to use "dem" rather than "der"
       "a shtile chvalje [khvaliye] murmelt koim [koym] der tsoiber [tsoyber] 

        fun dain [dayn] shtim" 
       (one possible translation: "a calm wave barely murmurs at the magic of 
      
       your voice"

as "chvalje" ["khvaliye"] is clearly the subject, and "tsoiber" ["tsoyber"] 
from the context an indirect object.  

However, beyond the grammar and into the poetic and musical nexus of this 
phrase, the situation becomes more complicated.  Particularly when looking at 
the supporting music, there is a caesura between the two phrases
       "a shtile chalje[khvaliye] murmelt koim [koym]  (new musical phrase) 
        der tsoiber [tsoyber] fun dain [dayn] shtim"

Here there is the possibility of another rendering in translation:
       "a calm wave barely murmurs  (new musical phrase)
        the magic of your voice"

two parallel nominative phrases, and "magic" would then become a subject as 
well.  I myself would prefer "der" over "dem"  as the musical setting would 
seem to support  two parallel phrases rather than one overarching unit.

Just one list member's opinion on one of the issues surrounding another 
bittersweet and poignant Aliza Greenblatt song!  

mit a hartsikem grus,

Michael Spudic
Forest Hills, New York