“Shlof mayn feygele” (“Sleep My Little Bird”) Performed by Lifshe Schaechter-Widman
Commentary by Itzik Gottesman
All of the previous recordings in this blog of the Bukovina singer Lifshe Schaechter-Widman [LSW] are from the 1954 recordings done by Leybl Kahn. But her daughter Beyle Schaechter-Gottesman recorded a few songs from her in the 1960s and early 1970s. This lullaby was recorded a few months before LSW died in 1973.
Lifshe Schaechter-Widman with her brother Luzer Gottesman. NYC ca. 1912
As usual, the transcription in English letters more accurately reflects her dialect than does the Yiddish transcription in the Yiddish alphabet in which we use standard Yiddish.
Spoken introduction by LSW: “Ikh fleyg dus zingen ven ikh bin nokh geveyn a kind mistame, finef, finef un zekhtsik yur tsurik. In dernokh hob eykh dus gezingen mane kinder. Kh’ob es gezingen Beyltsyen; Kh’ob es gezingen Mordkhen. Un hant vilt zikh es zingen…efsher veln mane eyniklekh es amul veln kenen.”
Shluf mayn feygele makh tsi dayn eygele.
Hay-da-lyu-lyu-lyu
Shluf mayn kroyndele, di bist a parshoyndele,
Shluf zhe, shluf lyu-lyu
Az di vest oyfshteyn fin deym zisn shluf
Hay-da-lyu-lyu-lyu
veln mir beyde geyn pasn di shuf.
Shluf zhe, shluf lyu-lyu
Oyf der khasene af daner, veln file mener
tantsn zinenyu.
Mir veln geyn oyf di beler, tantsn in di zele*
Shluf zhe, shluf lyu-lyu.
*(German: säle) the usual Yiddish plural of “zal” – a large room, ballroom would be “zaln”. LSW uses the more Germanic form, perhaps the local Yiddish Bukovina form, to rhyme.
TRANSLATION
LSW spoken introduction:
“I used to sing this when I was still a child, probably about 65 years ago. Then I sang it for my children. I sang it for Beyltsye. I sang it for Mordkhe. And today I feel like singing it…perhaps my grandchildren will want to know it.”
Sleep my little bird, close your eye.
Hay-da-lyu-lyu-lyu
Sleep my little crown, you are someone special.
So sleep, sleep lyu-lyu
When you wake up from your sweet sleep
Hay-da-lyu-lyu-lyu
We will both go to tend to the sheep
So sleep, sleep lyu-lyu
At your wedding many men will
dance, my dear son.
We will to the balls and dance in the halls
So sleep, sleep -lyu-lyu
Yiddish Song of the Week 
August 9, 2017 at 6:28 pm
[…] of the Yiddish Song of the Week blog will remember that another lullaby with the first line Shluf/Shlof mayn feygele but a different melody, sung by Lifshe […]
March 6, 2018 at 2:44 pm
Thank you SO much for posting this! My grandmother Edith Schenker Madorsky used to sing this to me as a child. It is one of my oldest and fondest memories. I remember the melody as being slightly different. Thanks for this. It means so much to me. Jeff
March 6, 2018 at 4:12 pm
Jeff – we’d love to hear your grandmother’s version, if you are able record yourself singing it (fine to do it on a cell phone) and email it to prushefsky (AT) ctmd.org
February 7, 2023 at 12:22 am
Hi! This is such an amazing resource and recording. I’m working on my college thesis right now about Yiddish Folklore and would love to speak about using this recording as part of the project- it really touched me!
February 27, 2023 at 9:32 pm
[…] Lifshe Schaechter-Widman with her brother Luzer Gottesman, New York City, c. 1912Photograph from The Yiddish Song of the Week […]