אַ צייכן פֿון פֿריינדשאַפֿט I
איך שרייב דיר חברטע אין טעג פֿון שטררם
|
A Tseykhn Fun Frayndshaft I
Ikh shrayb dir, khaverte, in teg fun shturm
|
A Mark Of Friendship I
I write to you, comrade sister, in days of storm
|
II
פּרווו נאָר חבערטע זיך שטאַרקן
|
II
Pruv nor khaverte
zikh shtarkn
|
II
Only try, comrade sister,
to make yourself strong
|
III
זאָרג נישט, כאָטש ס׳איז טרויעריק
|
III
Zorg nisht, khotsh
s’iz troyerik
|
III
Have no care,
though it be sad
|
IV
זאַמל מוט האַלט זיך פֿעסטער,
|
IV
Zaml mut halt zikh
fester.
|
IV
Summon up courage,
stand firmer
|
Notes
We do not
know the author of this poem, nor for sure that it was dedicated to Leah
Feldman.
Line 1,‘khaverte’ is the female form of ‘khaver’ (comrade), so we do
know that it is addressed to a woman. Hence ‘comrade sister’ in the translation.
Line 3, Turm (or less Germanically turem) is a noun meaning tower, and the line literally means: when every thread of nerves tower.
Line 12, The Yiddish word mentsh means ‘human being’ and carries positive overtones. This is translated as ‘human soul’, even though the phrase has inappropriate religious connotations.
Image of original poem (and cover of the book it is in) at
http://gulaganarchists.wordpress.com/2014/11/06/leah-feldman-yiddish-letters/
From: Dedication in Yiddish from: Nitshes filozofye by H Menes-Freind. Varshe [Warsaw] : L. Hershauge, 1939. From the Kate Sharpley Library. Translated by: Murray Glickman.