The allegorical song refers to the marriage between the Torah and the people of Israel which took place on Mount Sinai, with Moses officiating as matchmaker. It is folklorized from a poem “Der yikhes-shidekh” by Abraham Goldfaden (1840-1908) published in 1866. The words and music were published by S. Kisselgof in 1911. The song was in the repertory of singers. Sidor Belarsky and Mascha Benya Matz, who sang it together on the recording Amol iz geven a mayse, compiled and narrated by Yosl Mlotek.
The Most High was the bride’s father,
the Torah was the bride,
Moses, Our Teacher, was the matchmaker.
Impoverished, little Israel
was the fine bridegroom.
On the holy Mount Sinai,
the engagement was announced.
Little Jews are flying around
and singing songs,
each one calling out:
Groom’s side, bride’s side:
Mazl-tov!
Mazl-tov, mazl-tov!
Groom’s side, bride’s side:
Mazl-tov, mazl-tov!
A pure bride,
she is precious and beautiful,
honest and refined,
she is better than everything;
Pearls of wisdom stream from her mouth,
and she wears a golden chain around her neck.
Take off your veil,
dear bride!
Show us your face,
we want to see you;
Take a look, people,
everyone look at her.
This has been our faith,
this bride.
Der eybershter iz der mekhutn,
Di toyre iz di kale,
Moyshe Rabeynu iz der shadkhn geven.
Der oremer yisrolik
lz der khosn der fayner,
Oyf dem heylikn barg sinay
Zaynen di tnoim geven.
Refrain:
Es flien yidelekh
Un zingen lidelekh,
Yederer shrayt bazunder:
Khosns tsad, kales tsad:
Mazl-tov!
Mazl-tov, mazl-tov!
Khosns tsad, kales tsad:
Mazl-tov, mazl-tov!
A kale a reyne,
Zi iz tayer un sheyn,
Orntlekh un fayn,
Zi iz beser fun alts;
Perl bay ir shit zikh funem moyl,
A gilderne keyt trogt zi oyfn haldz.
Dek op dayn dektukh,
Du tayere kale!
Bavayz undz dayn ponem,
Mir viln dikh zen;
Zet nor, ir yidn,
Un kukt oyf ir ale,
Dos iz di amune,
Di kale geven.
דער אײבערשטער איז דער מחותּן,
די תּורה איז די כּלה,
משה רבינו איז דער שדכן געװען,
— דער אָרעמער ישׂראליק
איז דער חתן דער פֿײַנער,
אױף דעם הײליקן באַרג סיני
זענען די תּנאָים געװען.
רעפֿרײן:
עס פֿליִען ייִדעלעך
און זינגען לידעלעך,
יעדערער שרײַט באַזונדער,
חתנס צד, כּלהס צד:
מזל־טובֿ!
מזל־טובֿ! מזל־טובֿ!
חתנס צד, כּלהס צד:
מזל־טובֿ! מזל־טובֿ!
אַ כּלה אַ רײנע,
זי איז טײַער און שײן,
אָרנטלעך און פֿײַן,
זי איז בעסער פֿון אַלץ,
פּערל בײַ איר שיט זיך פֿונעם מױל,
אַ גילדערנע קײט טראָגט זי אױפֿן האַלדז.
דעק אָפּ דײַן דעקטוך,
דו טײַערע כּלה!
באַװײַז אונדז דײַן פּנים,
מיר װילן דיך זען;
זעט נאָר, איר ייִדן
און קוקט אױף איר אַלע,
דאָס איז די אמונה,
די כּלה געװען.
Song Title: Der Eybershter Iz Der Mekhutn
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.”
