DER YIDDISH-VINKL December 12, 2003
Most traditional Yiddish lullabies are intended to do much more than rock a child to sleep. As often as not, they are commentaries on the state of the world in which the child will someday find himself or herself. One such lullaby appears in Yosl and Chana Mlotek’s compilation, “Songs of Generations.” It is a folk-lullaby with no known author. The English version is by Gus Tyler.
Shlof Mayn Kind, Shlof Keseyder
Shlof, mayn kind, shlof keseyder
Zingen vel ikh dir a lid.
Az du, mayn kind, vest elter vern
Vestu visn an untershid.
Az du, mayn kind, vest elter vern,
Vestu vern mit laytn glaykh
Dermit vestu gevoyer vern
Vos heyst orem un vos heyst raykh.
Di tayerste palatsn, di tayerste hayzer
Dos alts makht der oreman
Nor, veystu, ver es tut in zey voynen?
Gornisht der, nor der raykher man.
Der oreman, er ligt in keler
Der vigotsh rint im fun di vent
Derfun bakumt er a rematn-feler
In di fis un in di hent.
Sleep My Child, Just Keep on Sleeping
Sleep, my child, just keep on sleeping
I will sing for you a song
When you, my child, are some years older
You’ll know what’s right and know what’s wrong.
When you, my child, are some years older
When you grow up you’ll know for sure
That not all folk are really equal
For some are rich and some are poor.
The greatest palace, finest homes
Are built by people who are poor.
But who resides beneath their domes?
Some wealthy, lazy, snooty boor!
The man who’s poor lives in a cellar
The water dripping from the wall
He ends up one rheumatic fella
All he can do is crawl and bawl.
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