Ikh hob ongehoybn shpiln a libe / I Began a Romance Sung by Lifshe Schaechter-Widman [LSW], recorded by Leybl Kahn, 1954, New York City
Lifshe Schaechter-Widman with her son, the linguist Mordkhe Schaechter. 1930s, Chernovitz, Romania.
COMMENTARY BY ITZIK GOTTESMAN
Another lyrical love song from the repertoire of LSW. The wonderful rhyme “blote” (mud, mire) and “akhote” (desire, enthusiasm) is rare but can be found in I. L. Cahan’s collection (YIVO, 1957, page 183), in a similar verse but different melody. Also noteworthy is the curse that the girl wishes upon her boyfriend – may he become a beggar and at every door, may they say “You were here already”. In today’s slang we would say – “We gave at the office.”
Ikh hob ongehoybn shpiln a libe Mit groys kheyshik in mit akhote. Mit groys kheyshik in mit akhote. Arupgefirt hot dus mekh fun deym glaykhn veyg. Arayngefirt in a tifer blote.
I began a romance with great desire and with enthusiasm. With great desire and with enthusiasm. It led me astray off the straight path. And led me into a deep mire. It led me astray off the straight path. And led me into a deep mire.
Ikh vel dir koyfn, mayn tayer, zis leybn a goldenem zeyger mit a vazer. [vayzer] A goldenem zeyger mit a vazer. Der vos hot undz beyde tsesheydt, er zol geyn in di hayzer.
I will buy you, my dear, sweet one, a golden clock with a clock hand. A golden clock with a clock hand. He who split us apart should go begging among the houses.
In di hayzer zol er geyn. Bay yeyder tir zol er blaybn shteyn. Bay yeyder tir zol er blaybn shteyn Un yeyder zol im dus zugn: “Ba mir bisti shoyn geveyn.” Un yeyder zol im dus zugn: “Ba mir bisti shoyn geveyn.”
May he go begging among the houses and at every door should he stop. At every door should he stop. And everyone should say to him “You have already been here.” And everyone should say to him “You have already been here.”
Gur in eyn fintsterer nakht / In a dark night Sung by Goldie Rosenbaum-Miller, Recorded by Michael Kroopkin, Chicago 1965.
photo: “Goldie (left) and sister Hyala Rosenbaum
COMMENTARY BY ITZIK GOTTESMAN
For biographical information on the singer Goldie Rosenbaum-Miller, see the previous post at this link.
Most Yiddish love songs are three, four, maybe five verses long, but here we have a ten verse lyrical love song. Some of the Yiddish lines do not make sense to me (“God, show us your nap”?) We welcome suggestions for other interpretations. Eliezer Niborski helped clarify some lines and suggested corrections in brackets.
Though some of the verses are confusing, Rosenbaum-Miller sings with much self-assuredness in an old, slow Yiddish folksong style.
The two word spoken conclusion “Ende libe”, (“the end of the romance”) implies a ballad-like plot was at play during the performance of this song, but many verses can be found in other Yiddish lyrical love songs.
Thanks again to Rosenbaum-Miller’s great granddaughter Debbie Kroopkin for bringing the home recordings of Goldie Rosenbaum-Miller to the attention of Binyumin Schaechter, longtime conductor of the NYC based Yiddish Philharmonic Chorus.
Gur in eyn fintsterer nakht Sung by Goldie Rosenbaum-Miller
1) Gur in eyn fintsterer nakht. Badekt iz gevorn der himl. In ikh shtey mir in ayn vinkele fartrakht. Got, oy, bavayz shoyn dayn driml.
In a dark night, the sky became covered, and I stand in a corner and think – Oh God, reveal your nap/rest. [?]
2) Lyubtshenyu, dushunyu, leybn, efn mir oyf di tir. Ikh shtey eyne aleyn; hob shoyn rakhmones oyf mir.
My darling, dear one, my love, Open the door for me. I am standing alone – Have pity on me.
3) Ikh hob mir nisht mit veymenen tsu baheftn. Mit keynemen kayn vort tsu reydn. Es geyt mir oys mayne koykhes un kreftn. Dem toyt iz mir optsubeygn [?] [Or – “dem toyt oyf zikh betn”]
I don’t have anyone to connect with. With no one do I have a single word to say. My strength and power are fading. Death is for me to bend [?] [Or perhaps – I wish death upon me.]
Don’t think that because you are the one, you can know what is in my heart. Don’t think that because you are the one, you can know my pain.
5) Mayne eltern tien mir freygn: “Tokhternyu, vus geyst azoy fartribt?” “Muter, kh’en dir nisht fartseyln. Kh’ob mir in eynem ayngelibt.”
My parents ask me: “Daughter, why do you go around so sad?” “Mother, I can’t tell you. I have fallen in love with someone.”
6) Farlibt hob ikh mir in eynem. Vayter, oy, lib ikh nisht keynem Fartseyln ken ikh nisht far keynem, Minhastame, [min-hastam] dekh, i’ mir azoy bashert.
I have fallen in love with someone; none other do I love. I can speak of this to no one. Probably it was so fated.
7) Ikh trink mir un in eyn taykh. Ale mentshn zeyen mit di oygn. Vus toyg mir mayn gelt in mayn raykh? Mayn lyubtshe iz fin mir farfloygn.
I drink much [am drowning?] in a river. All the people watch me with their eyes. What need do I have of my money and my wealth? My darling has flown away. .
8) Er iz fin mir farfloygn durkh eyn ayn vaytn land. Ikh sheym mir oystsuzugn. S’iz mir ayn groyser shand.
He flew away from me, to a distant land. I am ashamed to talk about it. I am so humiliated.
9) Kh’ob nisht gekikt af kayn blote un af kayn reygn. Ikh bin shtendik tsu dir gekimen. Hayntike vokh [Haynt iz gevorn] hobn farvaksn indzere veygn, fin indzern troyerdikn shpatsir.
Neither mud, nor rain prevented me. I still always came to you. This week [today our paths grew together?] our two paths crossed during our sad walk.
10) Kh’o shoyn dir, oy, lang gevolt oyszugn. Farblayb shoyn, oy, mayner af gevis. Haynt ti ikh veynen in klugn. Mayn hofening iz geveyn imzist. [imer zis]
I have wanted to tell you for a long time. Stay mine for sure. Today I cry and moan. My hope was for naught. [was always sweet]
(Spoken) Ende libe…The end of the romance
גאָר אין אַ פֿינצטערער נאַכט געזונגען פֿון גאָלדי ראָזענבאַום־מילער
גאָר אין אײַן [=אַ] פֿינצטערער נאַכט .באַדעקט איז געוואָרן דער הימל .און איך שטיי מיר אין אײַן [=אַ] ווינקעלע פֿאַרטראַכט .גאָט, אוי, באַווײַז שוין דײַן דרימל
Vus hosti dekh azoy ayngelibt in mir? / Why did you fall so in love with me? A lyric love song sung by Lifshe Schaechter-Widman.
Recorded by Leybl Kahn, 1954 NYC
Commentary by Itzik Gottesman
Yet another lyric love song, a dialogue between boy and girl, from Lifshe Schaechter-Widman [LSW], recorded by Leybl Kahn. She most probably learned this in her home town in the Bukovina, Zvinyetshke. The song implies that the “Christian Hospital” is the worst place for a person to be.
A page from Leybl Kahn’s notes on LSW’s songs, 1954-55.
The typical four-line stanza in Yiddish lyric song usually has an ABCB rhyming scheme. In this song, the singer rhymes “gezeyn” with “fayn” in the 2nd and 4th line, in the first stanza. Rhyming the “ey” and the “ay” sounds seems to be acceptable to the Yiddish folksinger and LSW is not the only one to do this.
TRANSLITERATION
LSW spoken: A libeslid.
Vus hosti dekh azoy ayngelibt in mir?
Vus hosti af mir azoy derzeyn?
Kenst dekh nemen a sheyn meydele mit nadn
in leybn mit ir gur fayn.
Sheynkeyt hob ikh shoyn gezeyn.
in raykhkeyt makht bay mir nit oys.
Az ikh gib mit dir a red a pur klige verter,
tsisti bay mir mayne [di] koykhes aroys.
Shpatsirn ze’ mir gegangen,
der veyg iz geveyn far indz tsi shmul.
A shvartsn sof zol dayn mame hubn,
zi zol lign in kristlekhn shpitul.
Shpatsirn ze’mir beyde gegangen,
der veyg iz geveyn far indz tsi breyt.
A shvartsn sof zol dayn mame hubn,
vayl zi hot indz beyde tsesheydt.
TRANSLATION
LSW spoken: a love song.
Why did you fall so in love with me?
What did you see in me?
You could have taken a pretty girl with a dowry,
and lived with her just fine.
Beauty, I have already seen,
and wealth doesn’t matter to me.
When I speak just a few smart words with you,
you pull out all of my power.
We went a walking,
the road was too narrow for us.
A black end may your mother have,
I hope she lay in the Christian hospital.
We went a walking,
the road was to wide for us.
A black end may your mother have,
for she split us up.
Vi nemt zikh tse mir azoy fil trern? / How did I get so many tears? Sung by Lifshe Schaechter-Widman (LSW), recorded by Leybl Kahn 1954, NYC
Commentary by Itzik Gottesman
Zvinyetchke (Zwiniacza), Bukovina (now Ukraine), hometown of Lifshe Schaechter-Widman
Another sad love song from the 1890s Bukovina repertoire of Lifshe Schaechter-Widman. This is not the only song in which she rhymes “shpekulirn” and “krapirn”, words which reflect her Austria-Hungarian upbringing. I have yet to find other versions or verses to the song.
Thanks to David Braun for help with this week’s post.
TRANSLITERATION
Vi nemt zikh tse mir azoy fil trern? Tsi iz den mayn kop mit vaser fil? Ven vet mayn veynen shoyn ofhern?
Ven vet mayn veytik shvaygn shtil?
Ikh heyb nor un mit dir tse shpekulirn
ver ikh krank un mid vi der toyt.
Oy, ver se shpilt a libe, der miz ying krapirn.
Geyn avek miz ikh fin der velt.
TRANSLATION
How did I get so many tears? Is my head full of water? When will my weeping cease? When will my pain be silent.
When I just start to gamble with you, I become deadly sick and tired. O, whoever has a love affair will croak: I have to leave this world.
Lifshe Schaechter Widman & Leybl Kahn by Ben Katchor
Two similar versions of the song without the melody were collected by Shmuel-Zaynvil Pipe and Oyzer Pipe in Sanok, Galicia and published in the YIVO-bleter volume 11, Jan – May, 1937 in Yidishe folkslider fun Galitsye, page 62. I have mentioned before in this blog that of all the pre-World War Two collections of Yiddish folksong, the Pipe brothers’ Galicia, Poland, collections come closest to LSW’s Bukovina repertory.
Note that LSW sings “malekh- hamus”, which is her dialect form for “malekh-hamoves” (angel of death).
Regarding the comic strip above: the artist Ben Katchor imagined how these 1954 recording sessions might have looked in his advertisement for the cassette Az di furst avek. The strip appeared in the collection Picture Story 2(NY. 1986, edited by Ben Katchor).
In mayn hartsn brent a fayer / A fire burns in my heart
TRANSLITERATION
In mayn hartsn brent a fayer
nor me zeyt nisht keyn royekh aroys.
Ekh hob gemeynt bist a malekh fin deym himl.
Tsum sof bisti mayn malekh-hamus
Mayne eltern tien mikh freygn,
vus ikh gey azoy arim betribt.
Vi ken ikh zey mayn shmarts dertseyln,
az ekh hob mekh in dir farlibt.
Az ikh hob mekh in dir farlibt.
hot keyn shum foygl af der velt hot nisht gevist.
Haynt iz a rash in ale gasn,
az indzer libe iz imzist.
Az di libe iz imzist;
Es geyt mir azh un a geveyn.
Far veymen blaybt den di veytik
Az nisht nor bay mir aleyn.
TRANSLATION
A fire burns in my heart
but no smoke can be seen.
I thought you were an angel from heaven,
turns out you’re the angel of death.
My parents ask me
why I go around so sad.
How can I tell them of my pain –
that I have fallen in love with you.
That I have fallen in love with you –
not a bird the world over knew about it.
Today there’s much talk in all the streets
that our love is for naught.
That our love is for naught
keeps me crying.
With whom will stay this pain
if not only with me.
Shmuel-Zaynvil and Oyzer Pipe, Yidishe folkslider fun Galitsye, YIVO-bleter volume 11, Jan – May, 1937:
Zvinyetchke (Zwiniacza), Bukovina (now Ukraine), 
Lifshe Schaechter Widman & Leybl Kahn by Ben Katchor
Yiddish Song of the Week 