Yiddish Penny Songs: Milkhome trern (Tears of War) - Yiddish plea for an end to war. When it was just beginning.

This Yiddish political cartoon appeared in the Warheit on August 15 1914, at the outbreak of World War I. Click for a larger view.
The True Battlefield.
The wife and children at home when the husband is gone away to war.

Morris Rund wrote this lyric to the melody of a song I posted a couple weeks ago for Mother's Day, A muters herts.

Here's today's recording:

Transliteration and translation after the jump:

Got fun Yisroel ven vet amol fun der milkhome shoyn nemen an end
Ze dayne kinder shekht men vi rinder
un du shteyst fun vayter glaykh, volst nit gekent
men brent un men shlogt zey men roybt un men yogt zey
zey shrayen zey betn tsu dir yetst arof
Tsayg dayn rakhmones, af yesoymim, almones, un makh fun der shkhite shoyn Gotenyu a sof.
Ze vi dayn kind layd es bet tsu dir un shrayt
Eyl rakhum vekhanun hob rakhmones es iz shoyn tsayt.

Gotenyu, zise tatenyu vi lang vestu dayn kind shtrofn?
Gotenyu, guter tatenyu, tsu dir nor tu mir hofn
Gib a kuk un ze vi dayn kind veynt
far a fremde melukhe iz er a korbn haynt
Gotenyu nem di trern arof un zog ven vet zayn der sof

Got, du gerekhter bist dokh keyn shlekhter
Du bist undzer tate der shoymer Yisroel
Her undzer bite genug shoyn di shkhite
Shtrof nit dayn kind ven es zindikt amol
Nem keyn nekome makh a sof fun milkhome
Tsayg zayn kinds soynim dayn getlikhe makht.
Dayn kind tut yetst laydn vi lang vestu shvaygn
Vi lang vestu tsu zen dayn kind vern geshlakht.
Tsayg du liber Got az dayn kind a tatn hot
Abi yesoymim makh dayn kinds soynim tsu shand un tsu shpot.

God of Israel, when will there be an end to the war?
See your children slaughtered like cattle
And you stand far away, you don't want to know about it
They're burnt and beaten, robbed and rushed ...
They cry, they pray to you now...
Show your mercy on orphans and widows
And make an end to this slaughter.
See how your children suffer, they pray to you and cry out,
Forgiving and merciful God, have mercy, now's the time.

God, sweet Father, how long will you punish your child?
God, good Father, you are our only hope.
Take a look and see how your child weeps --
He's a sacrifice now to a stranger's kingdom.
God, take our tears away and tell us: when there will be an end to this?

Merciful God, you aren't evil,
You are our Father, the Guardian of Israel.
Hear our plea: enough already with the massacre,
Don't punish your child when he sometimes sins.
Don't wreak revenge! Bring an end to the war,
Show your child's enemy your Godly might.
Your child is suffering, how long will you be silent,
How long will you watch as your child is enslaved?
Dear God, show that your child has a father.
While there are orphans, bring your child's enemies to shame and disgrace.

For sheet music and/or performances contact me: jane@mappamundi.com

Labels: anti-semitism, disaster, history, politics, religion, war, World War I

Saturday, May 21, 2016

Milkhome trern (Tears of War) - Yiddish plea for an end to war. When it was just beginning.

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