Text & Translation
Shlof mayn kind
Yiddish source:
Sholem Aleichem
Shlof zhe, lyu-lyu-lyu!
Shlof mayn lebn, mayn kadish eyner,
Shlof zhe, zunenyu.
Bay dayn vigl zitst dayn mame,
Zingt a lid un veynt.
Vest a mol farshteyn mistome
Vos zi hot gemeynt
In Amerike iz der tate
Dayner zunenyu,
Du bist nokh a kind lesate,
Shlof zhe, shlof, lyu-lyu.
Dos Amerike is far yedn,
zogt men gor a glik,
Un far Yidn a gan-eydn,
Epes an antik.
Dortn est men in der vokhn
Khale, zunenyu.
Yaykhelekh vel ikh dir kokhn,
Shlof zhe, shlof, lyu-lyu.
Er vet shikn tsvantsik dolar,
zayn portret dertsu,
Un vet nemen, lebn zol er,
Undz ahintsutsu.
Biz es kumt dos gute kvitl,
Shlof zhe zunenyu,
Slofn iz a tayer mitl,
Shlof zhe, shlof lyu-lyu.
Sleep My Child
English translation ©
Helen Beer
Sleep, lyu-lyu-lyu!
Sleep, my life, my kadish
Sleep little son.
Your mother sits at your cradle,
Sings a song and weeps.
One day you will understand her weeping
And what she thought.
Your father little son
Is in America
Meanwhile you are still a child
Sleep, sleep, lyu-lyu.
They say that America is
a joy for everyone.
And for Jews it’s a paradise
Something of a rarity.
There, during the week
They eat khale-bread little son.
I will cook you broths there,
Sleep, sleep, lyu-lyu.
Your father will send twenty dollars
and his photo as well,
And he will bring us there,
Long may he live.
Until the good things come,
Sleep little son,
Sleep is a god remedy,
Sleep, sleep lyu-lyu.
Shlof mayn kind
Yiddish source:
Sholem Aleichem
Sleep My Child
English source:
Helen Beer
Shlof mayn kind, mayn treyst mayn sheyner
Sleep my lovely child, my comfort,
Shlof zhe, lyu-lyu-lyu!
Sleep, lyu-lyu-lyu!
Shlof mayn lebn, mayn kadish eyner,
Sleep, my life, my kadish
Shlof zhe, zunenyu.
Sleep little son.
Bay dayn vigl zitst dayn mame,
Your mother sits at your cradle,
Zingt a lid un veynt.
Sings a song and weeps.
Vest a mol farshteyn mistome
One day you will understand her weeping
Vos zi hot gemeynt
And what she thought.
In Amerike iz der tate
Your father little son
Dayner zunenyu,
Is in America
Du bist nokh a kind lesate,
Meanwhile you are still a child
Shlof zhe, shlof, lyu-lyu.
Sleep, sleep, lyu-lyu.
Dos Amerike is far yedn,
They say that America is
zogt men gor a glik,
a joy for everyone.
Un far Yidn a gan-eydn,
And for Jews it’s a paradise
Epes an antik.
Something of a rarity.
Dortn est men in der vokhn
There, during the week
Khale, zunenyu.
They eat khale-bread little son.
Yaykhelekh vel ikh dir kokhn,
I will cook you broths there,
Shlof zhe, shlof, lyu-lyu.
Sleep, sleep, lyu-lyu.
Er vet shikn tsvantsik dolar,
Your father will send twenty dollars
zayn portret dertsu,
and his photo as well,
Un vet nemen, lebn zol er,
And he will bring us there,
Undz ahintsutsu.
Long may he live.
Biz es kumt dos gute kvitl,
Until the good things come,
Shlof zhe zunenyu,
Sleep little son,
Slofn iz a tayer mitl,
Sleep is a god remedy,
Shlof zhe, shlof lyu-lyu.
Sleep, sleep lyu-lyu.
Composer
Poet
Sholem Aleichem
Solomon Naumovich Rabinovich, better known under his pen name Sholem Aleichem, was a leading Yiddish author and playwright. The musical Fiddler on the Roof, based on his stories about Tevye the Dairyman, was the first commercially successful…