Folksong. Text published by S. Ginzburg and P. Marek in 1901; text and music published in 1905 in Ost und West and by the Society for Jewish Folk Music in St. Petersburg in 1909. in the arrangement of Ephraim Shkliar. Y. L. Cahan has additional variants in 1912, with other names, like “Sorele, the rabbi’s wife” and “Reb Abe.” He and Moishe Beregovski and Joachim Stutchewsky cite this song in connection with the names of the dances mentioned: “kozatske,” “dume” and “semele.” Isa Kremer brings other stanzas about giving charity in her Album like “Brider, oy yidelekh, shenkt a nedove, / Far di yesoymelekh, der mume Sieve” (Brothers, oh fellow Jews, give charity, for the orphans, for Aunt Sieve) and A. Litvin published a parody in his column in the Haynt about the nauseous Legionnaires on the ship going to Palestine.
Khatskele, Khatskele, play me a kazatske!
Even if I’m poor, I’m still jaunty!
It’s not good to be poor, not good,
but let’s not be ashamed of our own flesh and blood.
Khatskele, Khatskele, play me a dume!
And even if I’m poor, at least I’m devout.
It’s not good to be poor, not good,
but let’s not be ashamed of our own flesh and blood.
Khatskele, Khatskele, play me a semele,
Here are three cents for Khaske’s store!
It’s not good to be poor, not good,
but let’s not be ashamed of our own flesh and blood.
Even if I’m poor, I’m still your aunt,
I wasn’t invited, I came on my own!
It’s not good to be poor, not good,
but let’s not be ashamed of our own flesh and blood.
Khatskele, Khatskele, shpil mir a kazatskele!
Khotsh an oreminke, dokh a khvatskele!
Orem iz nit gut, orem iz nit gut,
Lomir zikh nit shemen mit undzer eygn blut!
Khatskele, Khatskele, shpil zhe mir a dume!
Un khotsti an oreme, abi a frume!
Orem iz nit gut, orem iz nit gut,
Lomir zikh nit shemen mit eygenem blut!
Khatskele, Khatskele, shpil zhe mir a semele
Far a drayerl oyf Khaskes kremele!
Orem iz nit gut, orem iz nit gut,
Lomir zikh nit shemen mit eygenem blut!
Khotsh an oreminke, fort a mume,
Nit keyn gebetene, aleyn gekumen!
Orem iz nit gut, orem iz nit gut,
Lomir zikh nit shemen mit eygenem blut!
כאַצקעלע, כּאַצקעלע, שפּיל מיר אַ קאַזאָצקעלע!
כאָטש אַן אָרעמינקע, דאָך אַ כװאַטסקעלע!
אָרעם איז ניט גוט, אָרעם איז ניט גוט,
לאָמִיר זיך ניט שעמען מיט אונדזער אײגן בלוט!
כאַצקעלע, כאַצקעלע, שפּיל זשע מיר אַ דומע!
און כאָטש אַן אָרעמע, אַבי אַ פֿרומע!ּ
אָרעם איז ניט גוט, אָרעם איז ניט גוט,
לאָמיר זיך ניט שעמען מיט אײגענעם בלוט!
כּאַצקעלע, כאַצקעלע, שפּיל זשע מיר אַ סעמעלע
פֿאַר אַ דרײַערל אױף כאַסקעס קרעמעלע!
אָרעם איז ניט גוט, אָרעם איז ניט גוט,
לאָמיר זיך ניט שעמען מיט אײגענעס בלוט!
כאָטש אַן אָרעמינקע, פֿאָרט אַ מומע,
ניט קײן געבעטענע, אַלײן געקומען!
אָרעם איז ניט גוט, אָרעם איז ניט גוט,
לאַָמיר זיך ניט שׁעמֶען מיט אײגענעם בלוט!
Song Title: Khatskele
The Songs of Generations: New Pearls of Yiddish Song anthology comprises songs that were either never printed before or appeared in rare and inaccessible publications — sometimes in different versions and without proper sources. Most of the songs in this book were submitted by readers of Chana and Yosl’s column “Perl fun der yidisher poezye” (Pearls of Yiddish Poetry) in the Yiddish newspaper Der Forverts (The Forward), initiated in October, 1970. Over 25 years, thousands of songs were collected in correspondence and on cassettes from readers throughout the world, and they represent a veritable national Yiddish song archive. Chana Mlotek, in her introduction, writes, “In the course of years the inquiries, contributions and enthusiasm of these readers have kept our own interest unflagging and have reinforced our dedication to this effort. And in recent years our participants have also been augmented by new readers from the former Soviet Russia, who receive our newspaper there or from newly-arrived immigrants in this country and Israel.”
