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.”
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning journalism this Passover.
In this age of misinformation, our work is needed like never before. We report on the news that matters most to American Jews, driven by truth, not ideology.
At a time when newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall. That means for the first time in our 126-year history, Forward journalism is free to everyone, everywhere. With an ongoing war, rising antisemitism, and a flood of disinformation that may affect the upcoming election, we believe that free and open access to Jewish journalism is imperative.
Readers like you make it all possible. Right now, we’re in the middle of our Passover Pledge Drive and we still need 300 people to step up and make a gift to sustain our trustworthy, independent journalism.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Only 300 more gifts needed by April 30
