Text & Translation
Der Yeger
Yiddish source:
Issac Leib Peretz
Yankele vil in vald arayn
Shisn vil er, nor a ber?
Vu nemt men gever?
Undzer Yankele derzet
in vinkele a bezem shteyt
Mitn bezem vet er yogn
un a groysn ber dershlogn!
Er kon in shtub shoyn
mer nisht blaybn
Vil dem bezem unterhoybn
shverer bezem kert zikh iber
undzer yeger falt ariber
Nisht keyn ber un nisht keyn hoz
un tseshlogn zikh di noz!
Er vil shoyn nisht in vald arayn
er vil shoyn nisht keyn yeger zayn!
The Hunter
English translation ©
Helen Beer
Yankele wants to enter the forest
He wants to shoot, only a bear?
Where can he get weapons?
Our Yankele catches sight of
a broom standing in the corner
With the broom he will chase
and beat up a big bear!
He can no longer
remain at home.
He wants to lift the broom
The heavy broom is knocked over
Our hunter falls over.
Not a bear and not a hare
But he has injured his nose!
He no longer wants to enter the forest
And he no longer wants to be a hunter!
Der Yeger
Yiddish source:
Issac Leib Peretz
The Hunter
English source:
Helen Beer
Yankele vil a yeger zayn,
Yankele wants to be a hunter
Yankele vil in vald arayn
Yankele wants to enter the forest
Shisn vil er, nor a ber?
He wants to shoot, only a bear?
Vu nemt men gever?
Where can he get weapons?
Undzer Yankele derzet
Our Yankele catches sight of
in vinkele a bezem shteyt
a broom standing in the corner
Mitn bezem vet er yogn
With the broom he will chase
un a groysn ber dershlogn!
and beat up a big bear!
Er kon in shtub shoyn
He can no longer
mer nisht blaybn
remain at home.
Vil dem bezem unterhoybn
He wants to lift the broom
shverer bezem kert zikh iber
The heavy broom is knocked over
undzer yeger falt ariber
Our hunter falls over.
Nisht keyn ber un nisht keyn hoz
Not a bear and not a hare
un tseshlogn zikh di noz!
But he has injured his nose!
Er vil shoyn nisht in vald arayn
He no longer wants to enter the forest
er vil shoyn nisht keyn yeger zayn!
And he no longer wants to be a hunter!
Composer
Moshe Milner
Mikhail "Moshe" Arnoldovich Milner was a Russian Jewish pianist and composer. He is notable as composer, and conductor, of the first Yiddish opera in post-revolution Russia "Die Himlen brenen" ("The Heavens Burn") in 1923. Read more here.