Folk song, textual variant published in 1901 by S. Ginzburg and P. Marek; text and music published in 1927 by Y.L. Cahan.
How does a love affair begin?
With talk, with chatting and with laughing,
Our love began,
with other things entirely.
Two couples are walking there
Two couples are walking there
They love each other so much
there is nobody else like them.
Enough already with your talking to me
Enough chatting with me
Take me home now
My father is going to lock the door.
Home, my love, I will take you,
And you will ring the doorbell,
I will make up a song about the two of us
So everyone will sing about our love.
Fun vanen heybt zikh on a libe?
Fun reydn, fun shmuesn, fun lakhn.
Undzer libe hot zikh ongehoybn
Gor fun andere zakhn.
Dort geyen zikh porelekh tsvey,
Dort geyen zikh porelekh tsvey;
Libn, libn zey zikh zeyer,
S’iz nishto keyn glaykhn tsu zey.
— Genug shoyn mit mir tsu reydn,
Genug shoyn mit mir tsu shmuesn;
Fir mikh shoyn op aheym,
Der tate vet di tir farshlisn.
— Aheym, lyubtshe, vel ikh dikh opfirn,
Baym glekele vestu onklingen,
A lid vel ikh oys undz beydn makhn,
Di gantse velt zol fun undz zingen!
פֿון װאַנען הײבט זיך אָן א ליבע?
פֿון רעדן, פֿון שמועסן, פֿון לאַכן,
אונדזער ליבע האָט זיך אָנגעהױבן
גאָר פֿון אַנדערע זאַכן.
דאָרט גײען זיך פּאַרעלעך צװײ,
דאָרט גײען זיך פּאַרעלעך צװײ;
ליבן, ליבן זײ זיך זײער,
ס’איז נישטאָ קײן גלײַכן צו זײ.
— גענוג שױן מיט מיר צו רעדן,
גענוג שױן מיט מיר צו שמועסן,
פֿיר מיך שױן אָפּ אַהײם,
דער טאַטע װעט די טיר פֿאַרשליסן.
— אַהײם, ליובטשע, װעל איך דיך אָפּפֿירן,
בײַם גלעקעלע װעסטו אָנקלינגען,
אַ ליד װעל איך אױס אונדז בײדן מאַכן,
די גאַנצע װעלט זאָל פֿון אונדז זינגען!
Song Title: Fun Vanen Heybt Zikh On A Libe?
First published in 1972, Mir Trogn A Gezang: Favorite Yiddish Songs was reprinted six more times (in 1977, 1982, 1985, 1987, 1988, 2000) due to popular demand. The songs in this anthology represent a sampling of beloved folk and well-known Yiddish songs, many of which are scattered in various song collections; some appear in very rare and inaccessible collections; and some were never before published. Folk songs comprise about a third of this volume and were selected mainly on the basis of popularity and sometimes for their historic significance. Needless to say, they are only representative of the vast, rich treasure of Yiddish folk material. The selection was made not only on the basis of personal preference, but in the knowledge they are favorites of many who sing these songs. Most of the songs represent the repertoire that was sung at Yiddish summer camps, May 1st demonstrations and at social gatherings. Many songs were introduced to American Jewry by Jewish immigrants who came to the United States after World War II, for whom these songs had been favorites in Poland and other East European communities destroyed by the Nazis.
