Dos lid funem tsigele
[The song of the kid]
Itsik Manger (1901 - 1969)
[See lectures: One Only Kid; The Seasons]
| Der tate hot gekoyft a tsigele | Father bought a kid |
| mit yorn ful tsurik, | many years ago, |
| In khad gadye es farshpart, | He imprisoned it in the "Chad Gadya", |
| gebundn oyf a shtrik. | tied with a rope. |
| Iz troyerik dos tsigele, | The kid is sad, |
| vind iz im un vey, | it grieves, |
| Zumer zet es nisht keyn groz | It sees neither grass in summer |
| un vinter nisht keyn shney. | nor snow in winter. |
| Zog mayn bruder, "Itsik, her, | My brother says, "Itsik, listen, |
| vi derlozt es Got? | how does God allow this? |
| Tsu iz im nisht dos tsigele | Doesn't He care about |
| dos vaysinke a shod?" | this white kid?" |
| Zog ikh, "Notl, bist gerekht!" | I say, "Notl, you're right!" |
| un nisht lang getrakht, | and didn't ponder long. |
| S'iz geven vi zeltn | It was an extraordinarily |
| ven a sheyne vesne-nakht. | beautiful spring night. |
Der tate shloft, di mame shloft, | Father sleeps, mother sleeps, |
| s'shloft dos gantse hoyz, | everyone is asleep, |
Firn mir funem khad gadye | And we take the kid |
| dos tsigele aroys. | out of the "Chad Gadya". |
| Mir firn bay di herner es, | We take it by its horns, |
| di velt iz vayt un groys, | the world is wide and big, |
| Un vu mir lozn es aleyn | And we don't tell anyone |
| dos zogn mir nisht oys. | where we have left it. |
| Pesakh di ershte seder-nakht | On the first seder night of Pesach, |
| s'tsigele nishto, | there's no kid. |
| Fregt der tate: "Itsik, du?" | Father asks: "Itsik, you?" |
| Zog ikh, "Abervo." | I say, "I don't know what you're talking about." |
| Der tate fregt, "Notl, du?" | Father asks, "Notl, you?" |
| Zogt er, "Vos un ven, | He says, "What? When? |
| Zint farayorn pesakh-tsayt | I haven't seen it |
| dos tsigele nisht gezen." | since last Pesach." |
| Der tate veynt, di mame veynt, | Father cries, Mother cries, |
| keyner veyst nisht vos, | nobody knows what to do |
| Zingt men dem khad gadye op | We sing the "Chad Gadya", |
| un dos iz shoyn nisht dos. | but it's not how it should be. |
| To vu zhe iz dos tsigele, | So where is the kid? |
| s'shpringt arum in feld, | It's skipping about in the field, |
| Un hot hanoe fun der zun | And enjoying the sun |
| un fun der gantser velt. | and the whole world. |