"Erev Shel Shoshanim" has been on my hard drive since February ... it took a specific request (on the Hebrew / Yiddish / Ladino songs thread) to get me finally to post it!

I originally transcribed this for a song circle with the theme of "Songs through the Day" - this of course being one of the Evening Songs. It is such a favourite that I included it again on my "Women's Song Evening" songsheet, in the category of Love Songs.

EREV SHEL SHOSHANIM

Music: Joseph Hadar

Text: Moshe Dor

Hebrew:

Erev shel shoshanim, neitsei nah el habustan
Mor b'samim ul'vonah, 1'ragleich miftan.

Chorus:
Lailah yoreid l'at, v'ruach shoshan noshvah
Havah elchash lach shir balat, zemer shel ahavah.

Shachar, homah yonah, rosheich malei t'lalim
Pich el haboker shoshanah, ekt'fenu li.

English Translation (non-singable):
[from NFTY Chordster]

It is an evening of roses.
Let us go out to the grove.
Myrrh, spices and incense
are a carpet for you to tread.

The night comes upon us slowly,
and a breeze of roses is blowing.
Let me whisper a song to you quietly,
a song of love.

It is dawn, a dove is cooing.
Your hair is filled with dew.
Your lips are like a rose in the morning.
I'll pick it for myself.

ANNOTATIONS:

Sources:

From NFTY [National Federation of Temple Youth] Shiron Chordster - page 27
and identical version in National Jewish Leadership Convention Shiron 1996 - page 72
and different chords from NFTY's Fifty - page 53
and different chords & translation from BBYO Sings - page 1
and different translation from Torah Corps Shiron - page 28

Chords:

Am Dm - Am / C G - Am /
Am Dm - Am / Dm AmF G Am / [from NFTY Shiron]
[Note: chords in chorus are correct if you use a slightly different tune than I am used to].

Am Dm G Am / Am G E Am /
Am Dm G Am / Am G E Am / [from BBYO Sings]

Am Dm - Am / C G - Am /
Am Dm - Am / Am G E Am / [my preference, a blend of the two]

Dm Gm - Dm / F C Am Dm /
F Gm C7 F / Gm DmBflat Gm6Am Dm/ [from NFTY's Fifty]