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
Un' es fliessen ihre Trähren auf dem ēigenem Ort, wu es hāben
asölche Trähren gegossen mit dreissig Jāhr zurück vun a ganz ander
Grund un' Quelle. Un' see fallen auf dieselbe Wörter vun Machser,
wās jede jüdische Frau varstēht see andersch als die andere.
Nor dort in Mairew-seit, nit weit vun Thür', wēinen die āreme
jüdische Frauen äuch heunt mit dem ēigenem Nigen, mit dem ēigenem
betrübten Harzen wie mit dreissig Jāhr zurück.
Āremkeit, Hunger, Nōt un' Mangel hāben alle Māl ēin Ponim, ēin Tam
un' ēin Ort bei der Thür. Asō sauer un' bitter dās Gewēin, wās
kummt vun Niedergeschlāgene, is' a Māl gewesen, wet äuch ēbig sein.
Alle Wünsche un' Gelüste vun Menschen wöllen sich überbeiten un'
beiten sich, nor der Wunsch vun dem Hungerigen wet ēbig bleiben dās
Stückele Brōt; die Gelüste vun dem Nōtbedürftigen wet äuch ēbig
hēissen: Vun der Nōt befreit zu wer'en un' nit mehr zu wissen vun
dem Tam, wās es hāt!...
Un' dort bei der Thür stēhn itzt äuch nit wēniger Finstere,
Ausgetruckente un Schofele, nebech, hören oder hören nit die
Sāgerke un' wēinen, wie see zum Harzen is',--es is' Jonkiper.
Nor in rechten mitten Misrach-wand, auf dem ēigenem Ort, wu die
frumme Gütele hāt mit dreissig Jāhr zurück gedawent, seht män itzt
äuch a choschewe Frau, korew zu fufzig Jāhr, sitzt still un'
trauerig, wie a Derhargete, ihre Lippen varschlossen. Die Äugen
kucken in offenem Korben-minche, nor see sehn die Wörter nit.
him with all his inhumanity, with all his uncouthness, and even when he
beats her, she alone to know it, lest her enemies be not rejoiced, and
that she may accept all her troubles in good spirits, just as He who
gives each woman her lot, has bidden a Jewish woman to do....
And her tears flow on the same spot where just such tears have flowed
thirty years before for another reason and from another source. And they
fall on the same words of the Prayer-book, which every Jewish woman
interprets in her own way.
Only at the Western wall, not far from the door, the poor women are
weeping to-day with the same intonation, with the same burdened heart as
thirty years ago.
* * * * *
Poverty, hunger, misery, and want have always the same face, the same
appearance, and the same place at the door. Just as oppressive and as
bitter as the weeping that issues from the downtrodden has been before,
it will eternally be. All desires and longings will change and are
actually changing, but the want of the hungry will eternally remain a
piece of bread; the longings of the needy will eternally be: To be freed
from want and not to know the feeling thereof!...
* * * * *
And there at the door there now stand just such gloomy, emaciated, and
dispirited women, who listen or do not listen to the Reader and weep out
of the fulness of their hearts,--it is the Atonement day.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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