Text & Translation
Der Yesoymes Brivele
Yiddish source:
Issac Leib Peretz
Heyp es oyf, du liber vint!
Un trog aroyf oyf yener velt
Tsu der mameshis getselt …
Nisht tsu trinken, nisht tsu esn,
un zey heysn dich fargesn!
Shlofn oyf a hartn kastn …
ich ken shlofn, ich ken fastn …
Un di shverste lastn trogn,
lozn zey nor mich nisht shlogn,
Mame muter, mame muter,
Zey viln mich nor veynen hern,
Un ich, mame, hob keyn trern,
Lig ich, mameshi, un tsiter,
iz mir biter, mame muter!
The orphan's little letter
English translation ©
Anon.
Lift it up, beloved wind!
And bear it up, to that world
To mama’s dwelling-place …
Nothing to drink, nothing to eat,
and they tell me to forget you!
To sleep upon a hard crate …
I can sleep, I can fast…
And bear the heaviest burden,
Just let them not beat me
Mama mother, mama mother,
They want only to hear me weep
and I, mama, have no tears,
I am lying, mama, and tremble,
it is bleak, mama mother!
Der Yesoymes Brivele
Yiddish source:
Issac Leib Peretz
The orphan's little letter
English source:
Anon.
Der mamen shraybt ir eyntsik kind,
The only son writes to his mother
Heyp es oyf, du liber vint!
Lift it up, beloved wind!
Un trog aroyf oyf yener velt
And bear it up, to that world
Tsu der mameshis getselt …
To mama’s dwelling-place …
Nisht tsu trinken, nisht tsu esn,
Nothing to drink, nothing to eat,
un zey heysn dich fargesn!
and they tell me to forget you!
Shlofn oyf a hartn kastn …
To sleep upon a hard crate …
ich ken shlofn, ich ken fastn …
I can sleep, I can fast…
Un di shverste lastn trogn,
And bear the heaviest burden,
lozn zey nor mich nisht shlogn,
Just let them not beat me
Mame muter, mame muter,
Mama mother, mama mother,
Zey viln mich nor veynen hern,
They want only to hear me weep
Un ich, mame, hob keyn trern,
and I, mama, have no tears,
Lig ich, mameshi, un tsiter,
I am lying, mama, and tremble,
iz mir biter, mame muter!
it is bleak, mama mother!
Composer
Mieczysław Weinberg
Mieczysław Weinberg was a Polish-born Soviet composer.