Raisins and almonds

Today's text is the lyrics of a Yiddish song, viz. the classic Rozhinkes mit mandlen ("Raisins with almonds") from Abraham Goldfaden's operetta Shulamis. It was written in 1880, and I here give the first stanzas of the beautiful (and very lyrically symbolic) lullaby. Please note the many Hebrew words - among others Beys-hamikdosh ("temple"), kheyder ("room"), almone ("widow"), keseyder ("constantly, all the time"), soykher ("merchant") and tvues ("cereals", "grains", "goods"). And the boy's name in song, Yidele, means "little Jew", which is probably a symbolic name just as that of the mother, Bas-Tsiyoyn, meaning "Daughter of Zion".


In dem beys-hamikdosh, in a vinkl-kheyder,
zitst di almone Bas-Tsiyoyn aleyn.
Ir ben-yokhidl, Yidelen, vigt zi keseyder
Un zingt im tsum shlofn a lidele sheyn:
Ay-lyu-lyu!

Unter Yideles vigele
shteyt a klor vays tsigele.
Dos tsigele iz geforn handlen -
dos vet zayn dayn baruf:
Rozhinkes mit mandlen...
Shlof zhe, Yidele, shlof!

In dem lidl, mayn kind, ligt fil nevies...
Az du vest a mol zayn tsezeyt oyf der velt,
a soykher vestu zayn fun ale tvues
un vest fardinen in dem oykh fil gelt ...
Ay-lyu-lyu

Un az du vest vern raykh, Yidele,
zolstu zikh dermonen in dem lidele:
"Rozhinkes mit mandlen" -
dos vet zayn dayn baruf!
Yidele vet alts handlen -
shlof zhe, Yidele, shlof!

"In the temple, in a corner room,
sits the widow, Daughter of Zion, alone.
Her only son, Yidele, she keeps rocking
and sings him a beautiful little lullaby:

'Under Yideles cradle
stands a little clear white goat.
The goat went away to trade --
that will be your calling:
Raisins and almonds.
Sleep, my Yidele, sleep!
Ay-lyu-lyu

In the song, my child, are many prophecies:
when you will one day be out in the world
you will be a merchant of every grain
and you will earn much money.
Ay-lyu-lyu

And when you become rich, Yidele,
you must remember the little song:
Raisins and almonds --
that will be your calling!
Yidele will deal with everything --
sleep, my Yidele, sleep!"


Rozhinkes mit mandlen ("raisins withalmonds") was one of the most luxurious things one could imagine in the old Jewish communities of Eastern Europe. I was once invited to eat this delicacy by a friend who had Yiddish as his mother tongue (or mame-loshn, as the it's called by the speakers themselves). It really was quite as delicious as the song suggested.