DER YIDDISH-VINKL March 4, 2005
By now, the special style and use of Yinglish (a mix of Yiddish and English) by our regular contributor, Stanley Siegelman, is known by readers of Der Vinkl. A goodly part of his genius is his rare ability to find subjects that bypass most of us. And in this column he does it again, with his choice of Viagra as his theme. In what follows, both the English and the Yiddish versions are the work of Siegelman.
Viagra far Alte Menner
In “nursing homes” zey krikhn shver:
Alte mener, veytikdik zeyer
Doktoyrim gibn zey a “drug”
Vos mener darfn (Oy, a klug!)
Viagra shlingen zey a sakh
Far vos, du fregst? Kum, gib a lakh
Vos tut dos far an altn “guy”?
Dertseyl far undz “the reason why”!
Der entfer iz gants prost, nisht “coy”
Es geyt — m’shushket zikh nit — azoy:
“Viagra farzorgt a ‘safety net’
Zey valgern zikh arop fun bet!”
Viagra for the Elderly
In nursing homes they move like snails
The populace of aging males
And yet the drug that they receive
(By far the most, would you believe?)
Is named Viagra, stimulant
That makes ’em yearn and squirm and pant
Can this be justified, we ask?
Or should we take the docs to task?
Just listen to the homes’ defense
And tell us if it makes good sense:
“Viagra, now much coveted
Prevents their rolling out of bed.”
This is a moment of great uncertainty. Here’s what you can do about it.
We hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, we’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s independent Jewish news this Passover.
This is a moment of great uncertainty for the news media, for the Jewish people, and for our sacred democracy. It is a time of confusion and declining trust in public institutions. An era in which we need humans to report facts, conduct investigations that hold power to account, tell stories that matter and share honest discourse on all that divides us.
With no paywall or subscriptions, the Forward is entirely supported by readers like you. Every dollar you give this Passover is invested in the future of the Forward — and telling the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
The Forward doesn’t rely on funding from institutions like governments or your local Jewish federation. There are thousands of readers like you who give us $18 or $36 or $100 each month or year.
