The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #21425   Message #1807011
Posted By: Paul Burke
11-Aug-06 - 03:48 AM
Thread Name: Tune Req: Zeigeumer karavane
Subject: ADD: Tsigaynerlid (Finster di nakht)
More likely 'Tsigayner' or 'Tsiganer' or 'Tsigeiner'. There's a lot of variation in Yiddish orthography, I believe even in the source Hebrew script (though I can't read it so can't be definite). Z in Yiddish is nearly always as in 'buzz', not a 'ts' sound.

I found this (here)), written by a Jewish concenration camp survivor:

Tsigaynerlid

Finster di nakht, vi koyln shvarts,
Nor trakht un trakht, un s'klapt mayn harts.
Mir Tsigayner lebn vi keyner,
Mir laydn noyt, genug koym oyf broyt.

Dzum dzum dzum,
Mir flien arum vi di tshaykes,
Dzum dzum dzum,
Mir shpiln oyf di balalaykes.

Nit vu men togt, nit vu men nakht;
A yeder zikh plogt, nor kh'trakht un trakht.
Mir Tsigayner lebn vi keyner,
Mir laydn noyt, genug koym oyf broyt.

Dzum dzum dzum,
Mir flien arum vi di tshaykes,
Dzum dzum dzum,
Mir shpiln oyf di balalaykes.

        Gypsy Song

Dark is the night, like blackest coal.
I brood and brood, my heartbeats toll.
We Gypsies live like no others do,
Suffering pain, and hunger too.

Dzum dzum dzum,
Like seagulls we fly near and far,
Dzum dzum dzum,
We're strumming our Gypsy guitar.

Nowhere to stay, almost no food;
Everyone struggles, but I just brood.
We Gypsies live like no others do,
Suffering pain, and hunger too.

Dzum dzum dzum,
Like seagulls we fly near and far,
Dzum dzum dzum,
We're strumming our Gypsy guitar.