Origins: Finjan: any other information?

Subject: Finjan: any other information?
From: Joe Offer
Date: 02 Dec 16 - 03:02 AM

I humbly confess that I submitted these lyrics in 1998, and they were included in the Digital Tradition. I was hoping more information would come up, but none did. Can anyone tell us the story behind this song? Teddi Schwartz and Arthur Kevess did a lot of translations of Hebrew and Yiddish songs in the 1950s, most notably "Dona, Dona."

FINJAN
(Hebrew: Chaim Hefer
English: Teddi Schwartz & Arthur Kevess
Music: Moshe Wilensky)

Haru-ach noshevet k'rira
Nosifa kesam lamdura
Vechach bizro-ot argaman
B'esh ye-aleh ke korban
Ha-esh me-havhevet, shira melavlevet
Sovev lo, sovev ha-finjan
Lalala....

The wind is so cool in the night
The logs on the fire are bright
And sparks all a-dancing arise
A-shining like stars in the skies
The singing is hearty and soon through the party
Around and around goes the finjan

"Finjon" "Finjan" is an Arabic name for an old type of coffee pot, held by
its long handle over an open flame. After a hard day's work, the
pioneers in Israel would often build a fire, sing, and relax and
pass around finjon finjan. It's in the Rise Up Singing songbook. JO

@Hebrew
filename[ FINJON [ FINJAN
JO
OCT98

Subject: DT Correction: Finjan
From: Jack Campin
Date: 02 Dec 16 - 11:48 AM

"Finjan" in Arabic - there's no "o" in the language. (Same word in Turkish, but spelt "fincan").

I see from YouTube that there also Armenian and Greek versions of the song, from Asia Minor. And Armenian and Arabic songs with the same title but entirely different.

One of those numbers that could come from anywhere between Thessaloniki and Isfahan, I'd guess.

Subject: RE: Origins: Finjan: any other information?
From: Joe_F
Date: 02 Dec 16 - 06:38 PM

Incomplete, by a damn sight. At

http://www.hebrewsongs.com/?song=hafinjan

we find

Haru'ach noshevet k'rirah,
nosifah kisam lam'durah,
vechach bizro'ot argaman
ba'esh ya'aleh kekorban,
ha'esh mehavhevet,
shirah melavlevet,
sovev lo, sovev hafinjan...

Ha'esh lakisam telachesh:
admu ko paneinu ba'esh
im lanu tig'boret tutan/tuchan
mikol b'dal anaf shebagan,
kol etz vechol keresh
yashir azai cheresh,
sovev lo, sovev hafinjan...

Vezot, belo tosefet sh'vachim.
M'lachat mashkeh ham'lachim:
kafeh vesukar bo yutan
umayim - michatzit hakankan
yirtach pa'amaim -
hosifu k'tzat mayim,
sovev lo, sovev hafinjan...

Ve'im beshlishit chish yirtach -
halev yechared veyis'mach,
yach'zor hapasuk hanoshan:
hineh kahefeh kvar muchan.
Nishteh venish'bach:
yesh ta'am, yesh reiach,
sovev lo, sovev hafinjan...

Nigm'a min hasefel le'at,
hineh mesaprim kvar chizbat...
sipur she'avar alav zman,
besheker (sheket) matzmi'ach zakan...
habnof (blof) mitpate'ach -
kankan shuv rote'ach,
sovev lo, sovev hafinjan...

Nizkar nafinjan ech elav,
hachevreh higi'u mik'rav,
ech motkeh hagingi ratan:
echad lo yach'zor kvar lechan...
bedim'a ein katzeh
sovev hu be'etzev,
sovev lo, sovev hafinjan...

Shanim ya'avru vedorot,
g'vulot veg'sharim umedurot,
lezar la'olam lo yuvan
mah ta'am hazemer nugan -
tzanchan verizrevah
tamid yizkar bah -
ba"negaleh" netzachit shel finjan...
                
*

Round about 1960, bad boys at Harvard Hillel sang

Haruakh noshevet krira.
Nasser rotseh hamdina,
Hamufti rotseh memshala,
Ve- [forgotten].
Veshloshtem beyakhad
Mishtamshim betakhat,...

Subject: RE: Origins: Finjan: any other information?
From: Joe Offer
Date: 02 Dec 16 - 08:28 PM

Thanks for pointing out the correct spelling of "finjan," Jack. I posted it correctly in the Forum in 1998, but somehow the spelling got changed when the song was incorporated into the Digital Tradition.
-Joe-