The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #170217   Message #4140892
Posted By: Felipa
01-May-22 - 05:44 PM
Thread Name: ADD: Songs of Mordecai Gebirtig (1877-1942)
Subject: Lyr add: MINUTEN FUN BITOKHN (Gebirtig)
Going back to the list of songs cited by Keberoxu on 29 Jan 2022; three of the songs have been posted on this thread since, and I'll continue with

MINUTN FUN BITOKHN (M. Gebirtig) Moments of Confidence

Yidn! Zol zayn freylekh!?
Shoyn nisht lang, ikh hof
S'ekt bald di milkhome,?
Es kumt bald zeyer sof.?

Freylekh! Nor nisht zorgn
Un nisht arumgeyn trib
Hot geduld, bitokhn
Un nemt alts on far lib

Nor geduld, bitokhn
Nisht lozt aroys fun hant
Undzer alt klezayen,?
Vos halt undz nokh baynand

Hulyet, tantst talyonim!?
Shoyn nisht lang, ikh hof
Geven amol a Homen
Es vart af aykh zayn sof.?

Hulyet, tantst talyonim!?
Laydn ken a Yid
S'vet di shverste arbet
Undz keyn mol makhn mid

Kern? Zol zayn kern!?
Kol-zman ir vet zayn,?
Iz umzist dos kern
S'vet do nisht vern rayn

Vashn? Zol zayn vashn!?
Kayins royter flek
Hevls blut fun hartsn
Dos vasht zikh nisht avek

?-Traybt undz fun di dires!?
Shnaydt undz op di berd!?
Yidn! Zol zayn freylekh
Mir hobn zey in d'r erd...?

source: https://lyricstranslate.com
Yiddish in Hebrew alphabet: https://lyricstranslate.com/sco/mordechai-gebirtig-minutn-fun-bitokhn-lyrics.html

Translations at spectaclecommittee.org, https://zemerl.org/song/554, Ruth Rubin. Voices of a People

Translation

Jews, be happy!
It won’t be long, I hope.
The war will soon be over,
And soon their end will come.

Be cheerful and don’t worry
Don’t carry on in grief-
Have patience, have confidence
And take hard times in stride.

Remember: patience, confidence
Don’t let slip away
Those ancient weapons that unite
Our people to this day

Revel, dance, you hangmen!
It won't be long, I hope
Once there was a Haman
His fate awaits you too.

Revel, dance, you hangmen
Jews know what suffering means
The most demanding labor
Won't tire us in the least

"Sweep!" you tell us? So we'll sweep
But as long as you remain,
There is no point to sweeping
This place will not come clean!

"Wash" you tell us? So we'll wash.
Cain's red stain cannot be washed away.
Abel's heart
Cannot be washed away
Drive us from our homes
Cut away our beards!
Jews, let us be cheerful-
We'll see them go to hell!

"This piece was written in Krakow on October 2, 1940. Mordecai Gebirtig wrote this song to raise the spirits of the persecuted Jewish community in Krakow. The poet's reference to "Haman" alludes to the ancient Persian enemy of the Jewish people." https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/song/moments-of-confidence where you can hear a recording of Daniel Kempen and also see the translation.

performed by Adrienne Cooper and Zalman Mlotek https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LCL_b3ADVa0

Shura Lipovsky

Sveta Kundish

with translation on screen Performers: Sasha Lurje - voice Sanne Möricke - accordion Craig Judelman - violin