The History of Yiddish Literature in the Nineteenth CenturyWiener, Leo
History
The History of Yiddish Literature in the Nineteenth Century
Wiener, Leo
Yiddish literature -- History and criticism
told that had actually become crazy and wanted to drive them crazy too
by making them believe of a child in the stomach,[119] of a cow that has
flown over the roof and has laid an egg. A piece of buck's-horn on the
fifteenth day in the month of Shebat is regarded as a fruit that
delights the heart. Looking at it they are reminded of Palestine, and
they frequently raise their eyes in ecstasy and say with a sigh: "Oh,
wessolicheenu kōmmius," lead us, O merciful Father, upwards, yes,
upwards indeed, "learzeenu," into our land where goats feed on
buck's-horn.... By chance some one brought a date to town. You ought to
have seen how people rushed up to see the wonder! They opened the
Pentateuch and pointed out that "Tomer," the date, was mentioned in the
Bible! Just think of it! The date, that very date grows in Palestine!...
Looking at the date it appeared to them that Palestine was before their
very eyes, that, behold, they were crossing the Jordan; right there was
the cave of Machpelah, Rachel's grave, the western wall; that now they
were bathing in the Pool of Tiberias, they were climbing the Olive
Mount, they were eating their fill of bucks'-horn and dates, and
swelling their pockets with earth of Palestine. Ah, they sighed, and
tears filled the eyes of all. "In those days," says Benjamin, "all of
Parasiteville, as large as it is, was in Palestine. They talked with
zest of Moses; and behold, it is already past noon on God's Friday....
The new police captain who had only lately arrived in town ruled it with
a firm hand. He had torn off the skullcaps from the heads of a few Jews,
he had lopped off an earlock, had bagged a few men late at night in a
side street without passports, had confiscated another man's goat that
had eaten up a
strōhenem Dach; un' er is' dermit äuch gewe'n die Ssibe dervun, wās
der Komität unter'n Ōwen hāt sich stark geduret mit'n Tōger,
ad-mossaj wet der Scharschel-jischmoel asō schōlet sein? Män hāt
aufgemischt dem gewoehntlichen Schmues mikōach die
Ascheres-haschwotim, wie glücklich see leben dort in jene weite
Mekōmes, in Gdule-ōscher un' Kowed; män hāt avürgenummen die rōthe
Jüdlech, die Bneemōsche, mit Gusmes Maisses vun sejere Gwures
uchdōme; Eldād ha-Dāni, es varstēht sich, hāt äuch getanzt in
dermit. Jene Zeit, zum Mēisten, hāb' ich zu vardanken die Nessie
meine, wās ich hāb' dernāch gemacht."
XI. A HARTER BISSEN
(_Hausfreund_, Vol. II. pp. 22-25)
Beim Breg vun dem Wasser, vun Jāffō bis Tarschisch,
Dort hört sich a Žummen un' Brummen--
Beim Breg vun dem Wasser, vun Jāffō bis Tarschisch,
Is' finster die Nacht āngekummen.
Un' tief aus dem Wasser dort hört sich dās Brummen,
A Kol vun a Wallfisch gār, dacht sich:
"Rabōssai! Heunt hāt mich der Teuwel genummen,
Ich starb' heunt, ich spür' schōn, es macht sich!
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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