_The Mendele Review_: Yiddish Literature and Language (A Companion to _MENDELE_) ______________________________________________________ Contents of Vol. 01.012 [Dedicated to the Memory of Chone Shmeruk] 7 July 1997 ____________________________________ [ ] [ In Memory of ] [ Professor Chone Shmeruk ] [ ] [ (1921-1997) ] ------------------------------------ 1) Yiddish Matters: From the Editor (Leonard Prager) 2) _Motl Peyse dem Khazns_ Part I, chapters 7 and 8 (Sholem-Aleykhem) 1)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 07 Jul 1997 16:48:09 +0300 From: Leonard Prager Subject: Yiddish Matters ---Professor Chone Shmeruk, z"l News has just reached us in Israel of the death in Warsaw of Professor Chone Shmeruk, the leading Yiddish literary historian of our generation. Professor Shmeruk died on Saturday evening, the 5th of July, and his funeral will take place tomorrow, July 8th, in Warsaw. The memorial week [shive] will be held in Jerusalem. I confess I am too shaken by this tragic news to compose a fitting eulogy and I ask the reader's indulgence if I quote at length from my review of the 1993 _festschrift_ in honor of Professor Shmeruk(1): The editors of this _festscrift_ salute the scholar they chose to honor as "_the_ historian of Yiddish literature," a caption which in its mention of history and Yiddish literature encompasses the two major areas of Chone Shmeruk's manifold research enterprise. Chava Turniansky's extremely useful bibliography of Shmeruk's publications from 1953 to 1992 richly supports this accolade. For Shmeruk has indeed accomplished much: he has helped bring coherency to Old Yiddish studies; he has written many chapters of what is becoming a comprehensive history of Yiddish literature; he has edited texts at the highest standard; he has shown the intricate relations between Yiddish texts and classic Hebrew-Aramaic ones; he has brought order into study of the Yiddish Biblical play; he has illuminated Soviet-Yiddish writing. He has brought to his examination of the Yiddish text, whether Old Yiddish or twentieth-century, an eye for allusions, sources, influences, relationships to other texts and to the life of the author and his period."(2) To this there is much, indeed very much, that one needs to add. Briefly, touching only on some of Professor Shmeruk's freshest contributions, one must mention the critical edition of the recently discovered full text of the Old Yiddish novella _Paris un vienna_ ('Paris and Vienna'), edited together with Erika Timm. His edition of the first volume of the critical edition of the works of Sholem-Aleykhem, the full text of Parts I and II of _Motl Peyse dem Khazns_ [a selection from which is given below--LP], has just been published by Magnes Press, which is about to announce publication of his volume of essays on Sholem-Aleykhem. Professor Shmeruk's solid achievements in Yiddish scholarship have raised the level of Yiddish studies the world over. He will not be forgotten. (1) _Studies in Jewish Culture in Honour of Chone Shmeruk_, eds. Israel Bartal, Ezra Mendelsohn, Chava Turniansky. Jerusalem: The Zalman Shazar Center for Jewish History, 1993. (2) Leonard Prager, [Review of above], _Studies in Contemporary Jewry_ 11 (1995), 297. ---A New Modern-Spelling Edition of _Motl Peyse dem Khazns_(1) Fifty years after the Moscow "Der emes" edition(2) and 55 years after the hitherto "standard" New York Forverts edition(3) of this classic Sholem-Aleykhem work, we now have the Hebrew University's Magnes Press edition with modern spelling, textual notes, a glossary and a critical afterword. Professor Chone Shmeruk edited the text, wrote the afterword and compiled the textological section. Vera Solomon prepared the text for publication and constructed the glossary. The book was published with the help of the Joseph and Ida Berman Yiddish Publications Fund of Montreal, to whom all lovers of the Yiddish book may be deeply grateful. As Professor Shmeruk explains in "A vort frier" ('Preface'), preparation of a critical edition of all of Sholem-Aleykhem's works was undertaken as a joint project of the Hebrew University and Hebrew Union College, represented respectively by Professor Shmeruk and Professor Herbert Paper. A comprehensive Sholem-ALeykhem bibliography was prepared and, with the cooperation of Yivo (New York), the National and University Library (Jerusalem) and Bet Shalom-Aleychem (Tel-Aviv) all of the great humorist's published and unpublished works and letters were collected. Publication of the _Motl Peyse dem Khazns_ volume augurs well for a project which has been stalled for too many years and which, regrettably, continues to lack adequate funds. The volume is the product of a collective effort, and special thanks go to Vera Solomon, Professor Chava Turniansky and Dr. Nathan Cohen for their roles in the project. Publication of the selections below is by permission of the Magnes Press and the Department of Yiddish of the Hebrew University, joint owners of the copyright of the edition. My warm thanks to the Managing Director of the Magnes Press and to Professor Chava Turniansky of the Department of Yiddish. My thanks, too, to Claus Buryn, who romanized the texts from a Soviet edition and thus did the lion's share of the work. His text has been edited to conform to the 1997 Magnes Press modern-spelling edition, which differs from older editions also in small but cumulatively significant ways -- and in more than just spelling. In the critical edition Professor Shmeruk has restored readings from the earliest newspaper versions of the text. An outstanding example, the only one I will trouble the reader with at this time, is when Motl says (in the Forverts version, vol. 1, p. 108): "Es tut mir bang, vos ikh bin nit geboyrn gevorn beser a meydl. Ershtens, volt ikh farshport davnen yedn tog, s'iz mir nimes gevorn." In the corrected critical edition we read -- and here we see an instance of the author's tragic-comic genius: "Es tut mir bang, vos ikh bin nit geboyrn gevorn beser a meydl. Ershtens volt ikh farshport zogn kadish nokhn tatn. S'iz mir nimes gevorn."(p. 55) (1) Sholem-Aleykhem. _Motl peyse dem khazns_. Editsye, nokhvort un tekstologisher aparat: Khone Shmeruk. Tsugegreyt tsum druk un tsunoyfgeshtelt dem glosar: Vera Solomon. Jerusalem: The Magnes Press, The Hebrew University, 1977, 360 pp. [ISBN 965-223-955-0] (2) Sholem-Aleykhem. _Motl peysi dem khazns; ksovim fun a yingl a yosem_. Moskve: Melukhe-Farlag "Der Emes", 1947. Illustr. Hershl Inger. 192 pp. (3) _Ale verk_, Vol. 1, pp. 3-292; 3-228 (New York: _Forverts_, 1942). 2)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 07 Jul 1997 16:48:09 +0300 From: lprager@research.haifa.ac.il Subject: Sholem-Aleykhem's _Motl Peyse dem Khazns_ Part I, chapters 7 and 8 Chapter 7. "Mir farfleytsn di velt mit tint" (pp. 55-63) [= chapter 8 in the Forverts edition] [Alef] Oy, bin ikh geven a nar! Derfar vos ikh hob farkoyft nit aza gutn kvas, hob ikh gemeynt, az me vet mikh kepn! Tsum sof -- gornisht. Umzist ibergeshrokn. Yente meg farkoyfn kheylev far gendznshmalts? Un Gedalye der katsef hot nit gehodevet di shtot a kaylekhik yor mit treyfe fleysh? Azoy hot undzer shkheyne Pesye oysgeredt mayn mamen dos harts. An aktsie mit mayn mame! Alsding nemt zi zikh tsum hartsn. Derfar hob ikh lib mayn bruder Elye. Mayn bruder Elye falt nit arop ba zikh dermit, vos mir hobn zikh opgebrit oyfn kvas. Abi er hot dem bukh, iz im gut. Er hot gekoyft a bukh far a rubl. Dos bukh heyst: "Far a rubl hundert!" Er zitst un lernt im oyf oysnveynik. Dortn zaynen do on a shier retseptn, vi azoy me makht tint, vi azoy me makt shuvaks, vi azoy me traybt aroys mayz un tarakanes un andere mieskaytn. Er rekhnt koydem-kol zikh nemen tsu tint. Tint, zogt er, iz a guter artikl. Ale nitsn haynt tint. S'iz haynt, zogt er, a kluge velt. Ale lernen zikh shraybn. Er iz a baln geven fregn bay Yidl dem Shrayber, vifl geyt avek bay im tint? Zogt er: A farmegn! Yidl der Shrayber hot efsher zekhtsik meydlekh, vos er lernt zey shraybn. Yinglekh lernen nit ba im. Me hot far im moyre. Er shlogt zikh. Er shlogt mit a vire iber di hent. Meydlekh kon men nit shlogn. Shmaysn avade nit. Es tut mir bang, vos ikh bin nit geboyrn gevorn beser a meydl. Ershtns, volt ikh farshport zogn kadish nokhn tatn. S'iz mir nimes gevorn. Ale tog eyn zakh. Haynt volt ikh nisht gevust fun keyn talmetoyre. A halbn tog gey ikh in talmetoyre. Lernen lern ikh oyfn shpits meser, nor petsh khap ikh on a shier. Ir meynt funem rebe? Dafke fun der rebitsn. Ir eysek vos ikh hodeve di kats! Ir zolt onkukn ba ir a kats! -- a Gots rakhmones! Tomid iz zi hungerik. Nyavken nyavket zi shtilerhayt, mit a geveyn, vi lehavdl a mentsh. Es rayst oys a shtik harts! Bay zey iz ober nito keyn kap rakhmones. Vos hobn zey tsu ir? Loz zi tsugeyn tsu emetsn a shmek ton -- tut men oyf ir a geshrey: a tpruss! Flit zi avek vu der shvartser fefer vakst. Keyn kop lozt men ir nit oyfheybn. Anumltn iz zi gor farfaln gevorn oyf etlekhe teg. Ikh hob gemeynt, az zi iz kholile gepeygert. Tsum sof hot zi zikh geketslt... Ikh ker mikh um tsu mayn bruder Elyes tint. [Beys] Mayn bruder Elye zogt, az di velt iz gevorn gor nisht dos, vos a mol. A mol, az me flegt makhn tint, hot men, zogt er, badarft koyfn golish-epfelekh, di golish-epfelek tseklapn, nokh dem kokhn zey oyfn fayer, veys ikh vifl, nokh dem araynvarfn kupervaser: un bikhdey di tint zol glantsn, hot men nokh gemuzt tsugebn a shtikl tsuker -- a gantser tareram! Haynt, zogt er, iz aza khies! ikh koyf mir, zogt er, in der apteyk a "proshik" azelkhn mit a fleshl "glitserine", mish dos oys mit vaser, a zid oyfn fayer - un fartik tint. Azoy zogt mayn bruder Elye. Er iz avek in der apteyk un hot gebrakht a guzme "proshkes" un "glitserine" a gantse flash. Nokh dem hot er zikh farshpart in alker un hot epes geton. Vos -- veys ikh nit. S'a sod. Alsding iz ba im a sod. Az er darf zogn der mamen, lemoshl, zi zol im gebn dos eybershte funem shtoysl, ruft er zi op oyf a zayt un zogt ir shtilerheyt: "Mame! dos eybershte funem shtoysl". Di "proshkes" mit der "glitserine" hot er oysgemisht in a gants groysn top (a nayem top gekoyft). Dem top mitn gemishekhts hot er farrukt in oyvn un hot gebetn di mame shtilerheyt, zi zol farkeytlen di tir. Mir ale hobn gemeynt, mi-yedeye vos. Di mame hot ale minut gekhapt a kuk tsum oyvn. A ponem, zi hot moyre gehat, der oyvn zol nit tsefaln vern oyf shtiklekh. Nokh dem hot men arayngekatshet in shtub arayn dos fesl fun kvas. Nokh dem hot men pavolinke aroysgenumen dem top funem oyvn un me hot pavolinke arayngegosn dos gemishekhst in fesl arayn. Nokh dem hot men ongehoybn gisn in fesl arayn vaser. Az dos fesl iz gevorn ongefilt hekher halb, hot mayn bruder Elye a zog geton: "Genug!" -- un hot zikh genumen tsum bukh vos heyst "Far a rubl -- hundert". Gekukt, gekukt un geheysn shtilerheyt zikh brengen a frishe pen mit a vaysn boygn papir. "Vos me shraybt proshenies" -- hot er a zog geton shtilerheyt der mamen oyfn oyer. Ayngetunken di pen in fas un gegebn a shrayb epes oyfn vaysn boygn papir mit a dreydl un mit a tsuk. Dos ongeshribene hot er tsugetrogn frier tsu der mamen, nokh dem tsu mayn shvegerin Brokhe. Di beyde hobn gegebn a kuk arayn un a zog tsu im: -- Se shraybt! Bald nokh dem hot men zikh genumen vider tsu der frieriker arbet. Ongegosn nokh a por emer vaser, hot mayn bruder Elye oyfgehoybn di hant: "Genug!" Vider a mol ayngetunken di pen in fas, vider a mol gegebn a shrayb arayn in vaysn papir arayn un vider a mol tsugetrogn dos ongeshribene frier tsu der mamen un nokh dem tsu mayn shvegerin Brokhe. Di beyde hobn vider gegebn a kuk arayn in papir arayn un a zog: -- Se shraybt. Ot azoy, etlekhe mol, biz dos fas iz gevorn ful vi an oyg. Es iz shoyn nit geven vuhin tsu gisn vaser. Demolt hot mayn bruder Elye gegebn a heyb oyf di hant; "Genug!" -- un mir ale fir hobn zikh gezetst esn. [Giml] Nokhn esn hobn mir zikh genumen tsum tsegisn di tint in flesher. Flesher hot mayn bruder Elye tsunoyfgebrakht fun der gantser velt. Alerley flesher un fleshlekh. Groyse un kleyne. Flesher fun bir, flesher fun vayn, flesher fun kvas, flesher fun bronfn. Un glat flesher. Un propkes hot er ayngehandlt alte, s'zol kostn velveler. Un a "like" hot er gekoyft a naye un a kvertl a blekhns oyf tsu gisn di tint fun fas in di flesher. Do hot er vider ayngeroymt der mamen a sod, zi zol farkeytlen di tir. Nokh dem hot men zikh ale fir genumen tsu der arbet. Di arbet iz geven ayngeteylt dafke gut. Mayn shvegerin Brokhe hot di flesher durkgeshvenken un ibergegebn tsu mir in di hent arayn. Ikh hob nor badarft araynshtekn in flash arayn di "like" un tsuhaltn mit eyn hant di "like," mit der anderer di flash. Un mayn bruder Elye hot gehat eyn arbet: onnemen mitn kvertl fun fas un gisn tsu mir iber der "like." An arbet iz dos zeyer a voyle, a freylekhe. Eyn khisorn nor: s'iz tint, es flekt di finger, di hent, di noz, dos gantse ponem. Mir beyde, ikh un mayn bruder Elye, hobn zikh gemakht shvarts vi di sheydim. Dos ershte mol ze ikh, mayn mame zol lakhn. Fun mayn shvegerin Brokhe shmuest men nit: yene iz shier tsezetst gevorn far gelekhter. Mayn bruder Elye hot faynt, az me lakht fun im. Beyzert er zikh oyf mayn shvegerin Brokhe un fregt zi, vos zi lakht. Lakht zi nokh shtarker. Vert er nokh mer in kas, lakht zi nokh mer. Ale minut khapt zi on a spazme. Mamesh zi nemt ayn a mise-meshune! Biz di mame hoybt zikh on betn, es zol hobn a sof, un undz zogt zi, mir zoln zikh aynvashn. Mayn bruder Elye hot ober keyn tsayt nit. Im krikht nit in kop vashn zikh. Im ligt der kop in di flesher. Oysgegangen ale flesher. Nito keyn flesher! Vu krigt men nokh flesher? Er ruft op mayn shvegerin Brokhe oyf a zayt, git ir gelt un roymt ir ayn a sod, zi zol geyn nokh flesher. Hert zi im oys, tut im a kuk in ponem arayn un shist oys a gelekhter. Vert er in kas un ruft avek di mame oyfn zelbn sod. Di mame geyt avek koyfn flesher, un mir nemen zikh gisn vaser in fas arayn. Farshteyt zikh, nit mit a mol -- bislekhvayz. Nokh yedn emer vaser tut er a heyb oyf di hant un a zog tsu zikh aleyn: "Genug!" Nokh dem tut er a tunk ayn di pen in fas un a shrayb arayn in vaysn papir arayn un a zog tsu zikh aleyn: -- Se shraybt! Un azoy etlekhe mol, biz di mame kumt tsu geyn mit a nayem transport flesher. Mir nemen zikh vider tsu der frieriker arbet: gisn tint fun fas in flash. Biz mir blaybn vider on flesher. - - Biz vanen iz der shier? - - tut a zog mayn shvegerin Brokhe. - - Keyn aynore nit! - - makht di mame, un mayn bruder Elye tut oyf Brokhen a beyzn kuk, vi eyner redt: - - Bist mir take a vayb, nor a beheyme bistu, zol zikh Got derbaremen! [Dalet] Vifl tint mir hobn -- kon ikh aykh nit zogn. Ikh hob moyre, oyb nit toyznt flesher! Nor vos kumt aroys -- s'iz nito zey vu ahintsuton. Mayn bruder Elye iz geven umetum. Farkoyfn lakhodim, fleshlekhvayz -- iz nisht keyn plan. Azoy zogt mayn bruder Elye tsu undzer shkheynes man, Moyshe der Aynbinder. Az er iz arayngekumen tsu undz un derzen, kenehore, azoy fil flesher, hot er zikh dershrokn un zikh gegebn azh a vorf tsurik. Derzet mayn bruder Elye, un es kumt for tsvishn di tsvey a modner shmues. Ikh gib aykh iber do dem shmues vort bay vort: Elye: Vos hot ir zikh azoy dershrokn? Aynbinder: Vos iz bay dir in di flesher? Elye: Vos zol zayn? Vayn! Aynbinder: Voser vayn? S'iz dokh tint! Elye: Haynt vos zhe fregt ir? Aynbinder: Vos vestu ton mit azoy fil tint? Elye: Trinken. Aynbinder: Neyn, ikh meyn on katoves. Vest farkoyfn lakhodim oykh? Elye: Vos bin ikh, a meshugener? Az farkoyfn, vel ikh farkoyfn tsen flesher, tsvantsik flesher, fuftsik flesher. Dos vert ongerufn "hurt". Ir veyst vos heyst "hurt"? Aynbinder: Ikh veys vos heyst hurt. Vemen vestu farkoyfn? Elye: Vemen? Dem rov! Un mayn bruder Elye geyt avek tsu di kremer. Gekumen tsu eynem, a groysn hurtovnik, heyst er zikh brengen a fleshl. Er vil es onkuken. Dem andern hot er gebrakht a flash tint, vil er nit nemen in di hent arayn, vayl s'iz on a kvitl. Oyfn fleshl darf zayn, zogt er, a sheyn kvitl mit a tsatske. Zogt im mayn bruder Elye: "Ikh makh nit keyn tsatskes, ikh makh tint". Entfert er im: "Makht gezunterheyt". Hot er zikh a vorf geton tsu Yidl dem Shrayber. Hot im Yidl der Shrayber gezogt epes zeyer a mies vort. Er hot shoyn, zogt er, zikh ongekoyft mit tint oyf a gantsn zumer. Fregt im mayn bruder Elye: "Vifl flesher tint hot ir dos ayngehandlt?" Zogt im Yidl der Shrayber: "Flesher? Ikh hob gekoyft a flash tint, vel ikh hobn un hobn, biz s'vet oysgeyn, vel ikh koyfn nokh a flash..." Ot hostu dir a gesheft! A shrayberuk kon! Frier hot er gezogt, az oyf tint geyt ba im avek a farmegn; itst koyft er a flash tint, vet er hobn un hobn!... Mayn bruder Elye iz nebekh oys mentsh. Er veyst nit, vos zol er ton mit azoy fil tint? Frier hot er gezogt, az lakhodim farkoyft er nit keyn tint, nor hurt. Itst iz er beser gevorn. Er vet shoyn onheybn, zogt er, farkoyfn lakhodim. Ikh volt shoyn a baln zayn visn, vos heyst "lakhodim"? Ot vos "lakhodim" heyst. Ir megt dos horkhn. [Hey] Mayn bruder Elye hot gebrakht tsu trogn a groysn boygn papir. Er hot zikh avekgezetst un ongeshribn mit groyse sider-oysyes: Do farkoyft men tint hurt un lakhodim gut un volvl Di tsvey verter "lakhodim" un "volvl" zaynen geven azoy groys, az zey hobn farnumen kimat dem gantsn boygn. Az dos ongeshribene hot zikh oysgetriknt, hot er dos papir ouysgehangen bay undz oyf der tir fun yener zayt. A sakh mentshn zaynen durkgegangen un hobn zikh opgeshtelt kukn. Ikh hob es gezen durkhn fentster. Mayn bruder Elye kukt oykh in fentster arayn un brekht di finger. A simen, az er iz tsetrogn. Er makht tsu mir: -- Veystu vos? gey umistne, shtel zikh avek bay der tir un her zikh tsu, vos zogt men? Mikh darf men lang nit betn. Ikh shtel mikh avek bay der tir un ze, ver es geyt farbay, ver es shtelt zikh op un vos me redt. Opgeshtanen akegn a halbe sho, kum ikh arayn tsurik in shtub. Mayn bruder Eli geyt tsu tsu mir un fregt mikh shtil: - Nu? - Vos nu? - Vos hobn zey gezogt? - Ver? - Di mentshn, vos zaynen gegangen farbay. - Zey hobn gezogt, az s'iz sheyn ongeshribn. - Un mer gornisht? - Mer gornisht Mayn bruder Elye ziftst. Vos ziftst er? Di mame fregt im oykh dos zelbe. - Vos ziftsstu, narele? Vart oys a kap. In eyn tog, vilstu, zol oysfarkoyft vern di gantse skhoyre? - Khotsh a petshatek!.. - zogt ir mayn bruder Elye mit trern in haldz. - Bistu a groyser nar, zog ikh dir. Vart oys, mayn kind, du vest im yirtse hashem, hobn a petshatek oykh. Azoy zogt tsu im di mame un greyt tsum tish. Mir vashn zikh un geyen esn. Mir shparn zikh tsunoyf ale fir ineynem. Iber di flesher iz eng in shtub -- sakones. Nor vos mir hobn gemakht hamoytse, loyft arayn a bokherl. A tshikave bokherl. Er iz shoyn a khosn. Ikh ken im. Kopl heyst er. Der tate zayner iz a shnayder. A damske shnayder. - Do farkoyft zikh tint lakhodim? - Yo, vos iz den? - Ikh hob gevolt a bisl tint. - Vifl darfst du tint? - Git mir far a kopeke tint. Mayn bruder Elye iz oyser zikh. Er zol zikh nit shemen far der mamen, volt er ot dem khosn Kopl frier durkgepatsht un nokh dem aroysgevorfn fun shtub. Er halt zikh ayn un gist im on far a kopeke tint. Es geyt nit avek keyn fertl sho, kumt arayn a meydl. Dos meydl ken ikh nit. Zi kalupet mitn finger di noz un redt tsu mayn mamen: - Do makht men tint? - Yo, vos iz den? - Di shvester hot gebetn, tomer kont ir ir layen a bisl tint? Zi darf avekshraybn a brivl keyn amerike tsu ir khosn. - Ver iz dayn shvester? - Basye di Neytorin. - A? Ze nor, vi zi iz oysgevaksn! Kenehore! Ikh hob dikh gor nisht derkent. A tinterl hostu? - Vi kumt tsu undz a tinterl? Mayn shvester hot gebetn, tomer hot ir a pen, zi vet nor onshraybn dos brivl keyn Amerike, git zi aykh op tsurik di tint un pen. Mayn bruder Elye iz nishto bam tish. Er iz in alker. Er geyt arum mit shtile trit, kukt arop un bayst di negl. [Vov] Vos hostu ongemakht azoy fil tint? Host, apo nem, gevolt farzorgn di velt mit tint. Tomer vet zayn a hunger oyf tint? Azoy hot im gezogt undzer shkheynes man, Moyshe der Aynbinder. A modner Yid, ot der aynbinder! Er hot aykh a teve zaltsn yenem oyf di vundn. Azoy iz er, dakht zikh, nishkoshe fun a mentsh, nor a bisl a nudnik. Hot lib zikh aynesn yenem in der gargeres. Mayn bruder Elye hot im ober gut gegeben! Er hot im gezogt, az er zol beser akhtung gebn oyf zikh aleyn, er zol nit farbaytn di yoytsres. Nit bindn a hagode mit a slikhe ineynem... Moyshe der Aynbinder veyst shoyn, vos der shtokh badayt! Er hot a mol genumen a shtikl arbet bay a Yidn a balegole. A hagode hot im der balegole gegebn aynbindn. Hot zikh getrofn an umglik: Al-pi toes, hot der aynbinder arayngebundn in der hagode a shtik fun a fremder slikhe. Der balegole volt zikh efsher nit khapn, hobn di shkheynim derhert az onshtat "shfoykh khomoskho al hagoyim" hot der balegole gegebn a zing oys mit a veynendikn nign fun slikhes "Haneshomo lokh vehaguf pooleykh"... S'iz gevorn zeyer a groys gelekhter. Oyf morgn iz der balegole gekumen tsu undzer shokhn dem aynbinder un hot im gevolt tseraysn oyf tsveyen. -- Gazlen, vos hot ir gehat tsu mir? Lemay hot ir arayngehakt in mayn peysekhdiker hagode a khometsdike slikhe? Ot rays ikh aykh aroys di kishkes fun boykh!... Yo, mir hobn gehat demolt a freylekhn peysekh. Nor hot keyn faribl nit, vos ikh bin arayn mit a fremder mayse. Ikh ker mikh bald um tsurik tsu undzere goldene gesheftn. Chapter 8. "Nokhveyenishn fun der tint-farfleytsung" [= chaper 9 in the Forverts edition] [Alef] Mayn bruder Elye geyt arum in eyne tsores. Vos tut men mit der tint? -- Vider a mol tint? -- zogt im di mame. -- Ikh red nisht fun keyn tint! -- entfert ir mayn bruder Elye. -- Khapt der ruekh di tint! Ikh reyd fun di flesher! Es ligt a kapital in di flesher! Me darf zen oysleydiken di flesher un makhn fun zey gelt!... Fun altsding makht er gelt! Un es blaybt, az me darf di tint oysgisn tsu al di shvartse yor! Shlekht iz nor eyn zakh: Vuhin gist men oys azoy fil tint? Es iz poshet a bizoyen!... -- Es vet zikh nit helfn -- zogt mayn bruder Elye. -- Me vet muzn tsuvartn biz bay nakht. Bay nakht iz fintster, vet keyner nit zen. Koym derlebt nakht. Oyf tsulokhes, shaynt di levone, vi a lantern. Demolt ven me darf, vet zi zikh bahaltn. Itst iz zi do. Me hot geshikt nokh ir!... Azoy zogt mayn bruder Elye, un mir trogn aroys a flash nokh a flash -- un plyukh in droysn aroys. Fun gisn in eyn ort vert a taykh. Me darf nisht gisn keseyder oyf eyn ort. Azoy zogt tsu mir mayn bruder Elye, un ikh folg im. Ikh zukh oys alemol a frish ort. Yede flash hot ba mir an ander ort. Der shkheynes vant -- pliukh! Dem shokhns parkan -- pliukh! Tsvey tsign lign akegn der levone un male-geyren -- pliukh! -- Hayntiks mol genug -- zogt mayn bruder Elye, un mir geyen shlofn. Shtil un fintster. Es lozt zikh hern der tshirkun. Fun hintern oyvn hert zikh a mruken fun der kats. A groyse peferin: tog vi nakht volt zi zikh nor gevarmt un gedrimlt. In hoyz, oyf yener zayt tir, hern zikh shtile trit. Efsher a nit-guter?... Di mame shloft nokh nit. Zi shloft, dakht zikh, keyn mol nit. Ikh her zi shtendik, vi zi knakt di finger, ziftst un krekhtst un redt tsu zikh aleyn. Aza teve ba ir. Ale nakht taynet zi zikh oys a bisl. Zi dertseylt ire groyse tsores. Mit vemen redt zi dos? Mit Got?... Ale minut lozt zi oys mit a krekhts: - - Oy, Got! Got! [Beys] Ikh lig nokh oyf mayn geleger, oyf der erd, un her funem shlof a hu-ha. Es lozn zikh hern alerley bakante koyles. Bislekhvayz efn ikh oyf di oygn -- s'iz shoyn groyser tog. Di shayn fun der zun hot zikh arayngerisn durkhn fentster. Ruft mikh in droysn aroys. Ikh vil mikh dermonen, vos iz geven nekhtn - - Aha! Tint!... Ikh khap mikh oyf un tu zikh on oyf gikh. Mayn mame iz farveynt (ven iz zi nit farveynt)? Mayn shvegerin Brokhe iz in kaas (ven iz zi nit in kas?). Un mayn bruder Elye shteyt in mitn shtub, dem kop arop, khotsh melk im oys. Vos iz di mayse? Nit eyn mayse, nor etlekhe mayses! Undzere shkheynim zenen oyfgeshtanen in der fri, hot zikh ongehoybn a khasene -- me hot zey gekoylet. Eynem hot men opgeshpritst di gantse vant mit tint. Dem andern hot men opgegosn dem parkan, a nayem parkan. Der driter hot gehat tsvey vayse tsign. Hot men zey im gemakht shvarts, nisht tsu derkenen. Dos alts volt nokh geven tsu derlaydn, ven nit dem shoykhets zokn. A naye por zokn, vayse zokn, hot di shoykhetke oysgehangen ba undzer shkheyne oyfn parkan, hot men fun zey gemakht a tel. Emetser hot zi gebetn, zi zol oyshengen zokn oyf a fremde parkan? Di mame hot ir tsugezogt opkoyfn a por naye zokn. Abi s'zol zayn shtil. Vos zhe vet zayn mit der vant? Mitn parkan? S'iz geblibn, az mayn mame mit mayn shvegerin Brokhe zoln mekhile zikh avekshteln mit tsvey bershtlekh un mit vayser leym un farshmirn di flekn. [Whitewashing walls in the shtetl seems often to have been the woman's chore -- see _Mendele_ 6:100 -- LP] -- Ayer glik, vos ir hot ongetrofn oyf erlekhe shkheynim. Ven ir treft mit ayer tint oyf Menashe dem Royfes gortn, volt ir gevust vos far a Got mir hobn! Azoy zogt undzer shkheyne Pesye tsu mayn mame. -- Vos zhe meynt ir? Tsu shlimazl badarf men oykh hobn mazl! -- entfert ir di mame un kukt oyf mir. Vos meynt zi dermit a shteyger? [Giml] -- Itst vel ikh shoyn zayn kliger, -- makht tsu mir mayn bruder Elye. -- Loz nor vern nakht, azoy trogn mir op di flesher tsum taykh. Gerekht, vi ikh bin a yid! Vos kon zayn nokh kliger derfun? Say vi say gist men in taykh arayn kol hapaskudstves! Dort vasht men gret, dort bodt men ferd, dort plyusken zikh khazeyrim. Ikh bin mitn taykh a noenter mekhutn. Ikh hob aykh shoyn a mol bashribn, vi ikh khap dortn fish. Derfun vet ir laykht farshteyn, vi ikh hob oysgekukt oyf der minut, ven mir veln geyn tsum taykh. Es iz nor gevorn nakht, hobn mir ongepakt fule koyshn mit flesher un genumen trogn zey tsum taykh. Oysgegosn di tint, opgetrogn di leydike flesher aheym un ongenumen vider a mol fule flesher. A gantse nakht hobm nir azoy gearbet. Ikh hob shoyn lang nisht gehat aza gute freyklekhe nakht. Shtelt aykh for: di shtot shloft. Der himl iz oysgeshternt. Di levone shaynt arop in taykhl arayn. S'iz shtil -- mekhaye. Dos taykhl iz a lebedik taykhl. Kumt nokhpeysekh, az es tsegeyt dos ayz, arbet dos maysim! Blozt zikh on, tseshpreyt zikh un tsegist zikh. Vos vayter vert dos klener, shmeler un platshiker. Tsum sof zumer vert dos gor antshvign. Es khapt a dreml. Emetser oyfn dno in blote makht: bul-bul-bul. A por zhabkes rufn zikh op fun yener zayt: kva-kva! S'iz a bizoyen, nit keyn taykh! Ir kont farshteyn, az ikh kon im ibergeyn tsu fus fun breg tsu breg nisht oysgeton di hoyzn! Fun undzer tint iz dos taykhl gevorn a bisl greser. A kleynikayt, efsher toyznt flash tint! Derfar ober hobn mir zikh ongehorevet vi di oksn. Antshlofn gevorn zaynen mir vi di gehargete. Oyfgevekt hot undz di mame mit a geveyn: -- Farfintstert bin ikh gevorn un vey iz mayn velt! Vos hot ir geton azelkhes mitn taykh?... Es hot zikh aroysgeshtelt, az mir hobn umgliklekh gemakht a gantse shtot: Di vesherins hobn nit vu tsu vashn gret. Di balegoles hobn nit vu ontsutrinken di ferd. Di vaserfirer... ot veln zey zikh tsunoyfnemen ale in eynem un veln kumen zikh rekhenen mit undz. Azoy zogt undz on di mame a psure. Mir ober viln oyf zey nit vartn. Mir viln nit zen, vi azoy vaserfirers veln zikh mit uns rekhenen. Ikh un mayn bruder Elye nemen di fis oyf di pleytses un marsh tsu zaynem a khaver Pinye. -- Dort lozn zey undz zukhn, az zey badarfn!... Azoy zogt mir mayn bruder Elye, nemt mikh far a hant, un mir lozn zikh gikh un geshvind barg-arop tsu zayn khaver Pinye. Az mir veln zikh zen, vel ikh aykh a mol bakant makhn mit mayn bruder Elyes khaver Pinye. S'iz keday, ir zolt zikh mit im bakenen: er hot oykh in zikh gute gedanken. **** Romanization by Claus Buryn(