Bay Mir Bistu Shein (Yiddish)Music: Secunda, Sholom
Lyrics: Jacobs, JacobKh'vel dir zogn, dir glaykh tzu hern
Az du zolst mir libe derklern
Ven du redst mit di oygn
Volt ikh mit dir gefloygn vu du vilst
S'art mikh nit on
Ven du host a bisele seykhl
Un ven du vaytzt dayn kindershn shmeykhl
Vendu bist vild vi indianer
Bist afile a galitsianer
Zog ikh: dos art mikh nit.Bay mir bistu sheyn,
Bay mir hos tu heyn,
Bay mir bistu eyner oyf der velt.
Bay mir bistu sheyn,
Bay mir hostu heyn,
Bay mir bistu tayerer fun gelt.Fil sheyne meydlekh hobn gevolt nemen mir,
Un fun zay ale oys-geklibn hob ikh nor dikh.
I will say to you so that you would hear,
"I love you."
When you speak with your eyes,
I would fly with you wherever you wish --
I do not care where."
When you have a bit of sense
And when you show your childlike little smile,
When you are wild as an Indian,
Even if you were a Galitzyaner,
I say: It doesn't bother me.To me, you are lovely,
To me, you are charming.
To me, you are the only one in the world.
To me, you are lovely,
To me, you are charming,
To me, you are more precious than money.Many pretty girls
Wanted me for a husband
But among them all I chose only you.Zemerl - http://www.princeton.edu/zemerl
BTW, is there one "correct" way to spell things in Yiddish? I thought Yiddish was largely an oral tradition, and I often see supposedly authentic Yiddish books that use variant spellings of the same words. "Bei Mir Bistu Shön," "Bay Mir Bistu Shayne," "Bay Mir Bist Du Shayne," etc.
Genie