Hello all.
I have been asked to sing in a recital a song from an old Yiddish drama
called "Meilitz Yosher" (the "Righteous Advocate") by Abraham Goldfaden. I
only have the transliteration of the text - the only copy I could find with
the Hebrew letters was in a special collections room in a library and they
wouldn't even let me photocopy it because of its poor condition!
My Yiddish comprehension is quite weak and I have searched everywhere for a
translation, to no avail. Since we have many experts here on many things, I
thought I would try asking. I have posted to several Yiddish oriented
on-line resources but I have not received any replies. I have asked several
people personally and they were unable to get much farther then I was.
If any one can assist me with the translation of the 2 verses below, I would
be very grateful. The transliteration follows the YIVO standard. Below the
text, I have included my own rough translation.
Thank you!
-brian
The verses:
A yunger man geyt shpeyt bay nakht,
vayl fun shokhins vaybel halt er,
Arayn in shtub, vayl er trakht,
"In der heym iz nishtu ihr alter".
Der alter hot zikh oyfgekhapt,
Un nehmt zayn shtok aroys,
Un knakt ihm nor vu er dertapt aleh beyneh oys.
Un ven der yunger man vet kreynken,
Un zikh a tap tohn iberal,
Oy vet er gedenken di veynerneh moral...
A dameleh frizirt nit shlekht,
Nor vil zikh gornit shemen;
Zi loyft arum di gantse nakht,
Der riakh veyst zi mit vemen.
Ihr man fun kas iz shoyn zat,
Er khapt zi ohn baym tsop.
Un rayst ihr aleh hor kh'mat moralish oys fun kop.
Un az dos dameleh vet zikh friziren,
Un doh vet zayn glat iberal,
Oy vet zi damols shpiren di oysgetsupteh moral...
Rough translations:
A young man goes around late at night,
while he takes a fancy to his neighbor's wife.
In his room, he thinks:
"Her husband is not at home!"
The husband is suddenly awakened (?)
and he takes a stone(?), floor(?) outside. (Aroys=expell)??
He cracks him where ever unexpectedly, of of his bones out (??????)
And when the young man is feeling ill,
And when he gets his feeling back (?) afterall,
Oh, then he will consider the venerable moral of life.
A wife (hairdo?) is not bad.
??????
It blows around the whole night
The wind is .....??????
Her husband is full of anger
He grabs her by the braid.
He pulls out most of her hair???? The morals out of her head???
And then the wife has her (hairdo?)
And now it is smooth(?)
And then she comprehends the ??? moral.
The moral: Good triumphs overall.
<<<<<<<>>>>>>>
Brian
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