Yiddish
(original 1901 spelling)
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Transliteration
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Literal Translation
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Poetic Translation
(Daniel Kahn)[6]
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אין זאַלציגען ים פון די מענשליכֿע טרעהרען
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In zaltsikn yam fun di mentshlekhe trern
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In the salty sea of the people's tears
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Beneath the salt sea of humanity's weeping
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געפינס זיך אַ שרעקליכֿער תּהום
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Gefint zikh a shreklekher thom,
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Found there a terrifying abyss
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A terrible chasm abides
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ער קאָן שוין נישט טיפער נישט פינסטערער װערען
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Er ken shoyn nit tifer, nit fintsterer vern,
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It could already not be deeper, not darker become
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It couldn't be darker, it couldn't be deeper
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איהם צײכֿעגט אַ בּלוטיגער שטראָם
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Im tseykhnt a blutiker shtrom.
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It is marked by a bloody stream
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It's stained with a bloody red tide
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דעם תּהום האָבּען טױזענדער יאָהרען געגראָבּען
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Dem thom hobn toyznter yorn gegrobn
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The sea has been dug for thousands of years
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And thousands of years have created this chasm
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,אמונה און שנאה און פּיין
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Emune un sine un payn,
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Faith and hatred and pain
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Of piety, hatred, and pain,
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און טױזענדער יאָהרען אלץ טראָפען נאָך טראָפען
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Un toyznter yorn, alts tropn nokh tropn
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And thousands of years, all drop by drop
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And for thousands of years all humanity's weeping
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.עס גיסען זיך טרעהרען אריין
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Es gisn zikh trern arayn.
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It fills with tears inside
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Flows like a limitless rain.
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און פול איז דער תּהום דאָס איז יודישע טרעהרען
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Un ful iz der thom dos iz yidishe trern
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And full is the abyss with Jewish tears
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So much of the sea has been filled with this sorrow
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ער האָט נישט קיין טעות אין זיי
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Er hot nisht keyn toes in zey
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It has not an error in them
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Endured by the suffering Jews
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אַ בּלוטיגע טרעהר טהוט דעם קבּצן געהערען
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A blutiger trer tut deym kibbutzin geheren
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A bloody tear belongs to the poor
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But only the tears of the poor ones are bloody
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דעם נגיד—אַ װײסע װי שנײ
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Deym nagid - a vayse vi shney
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The wealthy - a white as snow
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The rich cry as clear as the dew
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נאָר אייך בּעלי-מלאכֿות, אביונים, קבּצים
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Nor aykh bali-malokhes, ab'yonem, kibbutsim
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But you masters of state, the poor, the assembled
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Yes only the worker, the pauper, the beggar
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געהערט דאָך דער בּלוטיגער תּהום
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Gehert dokh der blutiger thom
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Belong still to the bloody abyss
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Belong to the bloody abyss.
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און אייערע „בּרידער“, די רײכֿע גזלנים
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Un ayere "Brider," di raykhe gazlonim
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And your "brothers," the wealthy thieves
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While those you call “brother,” the rich and the greedy,
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געהערט נאָר פון אױבּען דער שױם
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Gehert nor fun oyben der shoym
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Belong yet from above the foam.
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Fly high overhead in their bliss.
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שױן פול איז דער ים און פערפלײצט אַלע בּרעגען
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Shoyn ful iz der yam un ferfleytst ale bregen
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Already full is the sea and flooding all beaches
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The ocean flows over and floods out the levees,
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װאו זענען די העלדען, די לייט
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Vu zenen di helden, di leyt
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Where are the heroes, the light
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There isn't a hero in sight,
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די, װעלכֿע װעלען זיך מוטהיג דערװעגען
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Di, velkhe velen zikh mutig dervegen
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They, which will bravely lead the way
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Yes where are the ones that will stand at the ready
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צו װאַרפען אין תּהום זיך, אין שטרייט
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Tsu varfen in thom zikh, in shtreyt
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To dive in the abyss, in war
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To dive in the chasm and fight?
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דעם אַרבּײטער װער-זשע װעט ענדליך דערלײזען
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Dem arbeter ver-zhe vet endlekh derleyzn
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The worker, who will finally release them
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And who will at last free the worker from slavery,
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?פון הונגער און אײבּיגע לײד
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Fun hunger un eybiker layd?
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From hunger and eternal suffering
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Give hunger its final relief?
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און װער װעט דעם װעג אים צו פרײהײט בּעװײַזען
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Un ver vet dem veg im tsu frayhayt bavayzn
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And who will show them the path to freedom
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And who will be guiding the pathway to freedom,
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צו בּרידערשאַפט, גלײַכֿהײַט און פרײד
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Tsu bridershaft, glaykhkayt un freyd?
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To brotherhood, equality, and freedom.
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To brotherhood, justice and peace?
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די גבירישע קינדער, משכּילים, רבּנים
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Di gvirishe kinder, mashkilim, rabonim
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The children of wealthy, the enlightened, the clergy
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The children of wealthy, enlightened, the clergy —
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זיי רופען אין ציון דעם יוד
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Zey rufen in Tsiyen dem yid
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They call into Zion the Jew
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Into Zion they call the Hebrews,
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אַ לידעל אַנ'אַלטע פון אונזערע שונאים
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A lidel an' alte fun undzere sonim
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A little old story from our enemies
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We’ve heard this old story before from our enemies
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"!אַ געטאָ דעם אייבּיגען זשיד"
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"A geto deym eybigen Jid!"
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"A ghetto for the eternal Jew!"
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“A ghetto for the Eternal Jew!”
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זיי רופען און זוכֿען, די קאַלטינקע מתים
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Zey rufen un zukhen, di kaltinke meysim
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They call and seek, the accusers of men
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They say that they answer the prayers of our fathers
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פון הייליגע קברים אַ לאַנד
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Fun heylige kvorim a land
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From the Holy graves, a country
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From deep in their graves, hear them call
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און דאָס, װאָס עס לײַדען און זיפצען הקדושים
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Un dos, vos es layder un ziftsen hakdoyshim
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And this, what is sang and sighed by the saints
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While souls who are living in sorrow and hunger
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צו דעם איז מען טויבּ װי די װאַנד
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Tsu dem is men toyb vi di vand
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To them are men deaf as the wall
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To them they're deaf as the wall.
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משיח און יודענטום - בּײדע געשטאָרבּען
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Moshiakh un yidentum - bayde geshtorben
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Messiah and Jewry - both dead and buried
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Messiah and Jewry are both dead and buried,
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אַנ'אַנדער משיח קומט אָן
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An'ander Moshiakh kumt on
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Another messiah comes soon
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Another messiah's to come:
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דער יודישער אַרבּײטער גבירישער קרבּן
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Der Yidisher arbeyter gvirisher korben
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The Jewish worker, the wealthy man's victim
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The new Jewish worker the banner will carry
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הױבּט אױף שױן פון פרייהייט די פאָן
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Hoybt oyf shoyn fun frayhayt di fon
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Lifts up already from freedom the flag
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To signal that justice is done.
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דער העלד װעט די װעלט אי בּעפרייען, אי היילען
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Der held vet di velt i bafrayen i heyln,
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The hero will liberate and heal the world
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The world will be freed and be healed by this hero,
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ער ט'גרייכֿען דעם תּהום בּיז'ן גרונד
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Er t'greykhn dem thom biz'n grund,
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He reaches through the abyss to its core
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Who dives to the root of its wound!
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זאָל לעבּען פון רוסלאַנד, פון ליטאָ און פוילען
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Zol leben fun Rusland, fun Lite un Poyln,
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Should lives from Russia, from Lithuania, and Poland
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In Russia, in Poland, in Vilna all hail now
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!דער יודישער אַרבּײטער-בּונד
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Der Yudisher Arbeyter-Bund.
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The Jewish Worker's-Bund!
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The Great Jewish Worker's Bund!
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