Yiddish Curiosities: a library of wonderful but forgotten Yiddish songs from the late 1920s and after (includes Polish Jewish Cabaret). Have a listen!

This is not the "Sonya" sung by Lebedeff; it's so long it must be a folk song! It's noted as being from a show, the Vilner Khazn. Anybody know the melody?

Sonya and Hershl fall in love but the dad takes her somewhere far away. Meanwhile Hershl becomes a famous cantor! And he is hired to sing at her wedding to another! But they kiss and in disgust (spoiler) the bridegroom runs away. So the Dad gives in. Here's my translation from Yiddish to English:

Bay undz in shtetl iz geven a meydele Sonia iz ir nomen geven, Far irs a shmeykhele a kheyndele Oy, flegn di bokhmorimlekh oysgeyn Gehat hot zi tsvey oygn vi koyln shvarts Lipelekh, azoy vi honik zis Tsubrokhn hot zi yedn bokher s'harts Vi shtroy geboygn zey tsu ire fis Hot Sonyele, dos vunder-sheyne meydele, Mit Hershelen a libe gefirt Vos tsvey oygn, sheyne, eydele, Hobn zayn yung poniml batsirt A libe bay di mentshn yunge traye Vos shtarker un heyser kon nisht zayn Es hobn di neshome tsarte, zeyere Tsu zikh gezogt, as du, nor du bist mayn Der tateshi hot Sonitshken gezogt, oy gezogt Az Hershele ir khosn vet nisht zayn Hot Sonitshka far veytog oy geklogt, oy geklogt Un oysgebrokhn in a groys geveyn Du vest mit Hershelen nisht zayn keyn por, oy keyn por Oyf dem ken ikh gebn dir di hant Gezegn zikh mit im oyf lange, lange yor Mir forn ale in a vaytn land Sonitshka du bist dokh libe mayn Ver veyst tsi mir veln zikh nokh zen Ver ken den filn mayn shmerts un mayn vey Mit a tsveytn tsu der khupe tsu geyn In vaytn land hot der tate forn meydele A khosndl fun ergetin fayn der mame zogt a tsatskele a kheyndele Oy, a khasene bashtimt oyf zumer-tsayt Un Hershele in shtetl hot gezungen sheyn Farkhisheft vert men fun zayn gezang Ale zogn zingen ken er, zeyer fayn Un koved brengen vet es im oyf langS Gekumen zaynen yidn fun dem vaytn land A khazndl far zikh gefunen do Un ven men hot mit Hershelen zey bakant Tsufridn zenen zey geven biz gor Du, Hershele, vest undzer khazn zayn Es vet dikh voyl zayn fun der velt For mit undz in vaytn land arayn Es vet nisht feln dir keyn gelt Nor nisht tsum gelt hot Hershele gebenkt, oy gebenkt Nor Sonitshke hot er gevolt nokh zen Iz er mit zey geforn dortn vayt avek, avek Un nor benkendik iz er geven In vaytn land a khasene iz do, oy, iz do A khazndl tsum zingen iz geven Un Hershele der khazn oy, iz do, oy iz do Un der kale hot er Sonitshke derzen Oy, Sonitshka, oy Hershele, oy tayere kind, Undzer libe iz nisht geven umzist Di muzik iz bald gevorn farshmitn, oy farshmitn Un zey beyde hobn zikh tsukisht. Ven Sonitshka hot Hershelen derzen, oy derzen Vi meshuge hot zi zikh gemakht Hot yener khosn nisht gevolt keyn rege shteyn Un iz antlofn in der vayter nakht Der tate hot in Sonia itst shoyn derkent Az libe iz shtarker fun altz Hobn zey gegebn zikh di hent, oy di hent Un iz gefaln Hershele oyfn haldz Oy Hershele, mayn tayerer oytser goldn kind Mayn tokhter nemen vestu far a froy Un lebn zolt ir gliklekh fun atsind, fun atsind Vayl bashert iz geven azoy

There was a girl in our town Sonia was her name Boys would just expire For one of her charming smiles She had two eyes like black coals Lips sweet as honey She broke every boy's heart They bent like straw to her feet Sonyele the wondrously beautiful girl Was in love with Hershele His young face had two beautiful, genteel eyes A love stronger and hotter than the love Of these young, faithful people Their tender souls promised to each other "I will be yours, only yours" Sonia's father said Hershele would not be her bridegroom So Sonitshka wept for miser She broke out in a torrent of tears "You won't marry Hershele, I give you my word on that" Say goodbye to him for long, long years We're all going to a faroff land" "Sonitshka, you are my love, Who knows if we will see each other again "Who can know the feeling of my misery and woe That I go to the khupe with somebody else." The father took the girl to a faraway land To a bridegroom from somewhere fine The mama said "he's a precious fellow, charming, We'll have a wedding in the summer." In the village, Hershele sang beautifully People were bewitched by his singing Everybody said he could sing very well And that this would bring him honor for a long time People from that far land came To find a little cantor here And when they became acquainted with Hershele They were incredibly happy "You, Hershele, will be our cantor, It will be really great Travel with us to the faraway land There will be no scarcity of money for you." But it was not money Hershele longed for It was only that he wanted to see Sonitshka again So he traveled with them far away He was just full of longing. In the far land there's a wedding There was a cantor to sing And there's Hershele (the cantor) And he saw the bride - Sonitshka "Oy Sonitshka!" "Oy Hershele, my dear child, Our love wasn't in vain!" The music became voiced? And they kissed each other. When Sonitshka caught sight of Hershele It made her crazy That other bridegroom didn't want to stay for even a moment He ran far away into the night Now the father recognized in Sonia That her love was stronger than anything They gave each other their hands And Hershele embraced her Oy Hershele, my dear golden treasure Will you take my daughter as your wife? You will live happily from now on Because it was destined to be so.

Labels: love, modernity