Hey, little goats, come quickly to me,
I will sing you a pretty song now.
The song begins with a shepherd
and a girl who enchanted him.
Hey, little goats, hear what came next:
the shepherd was once cheerful and lively,
now so despondent, doesn’t watch the sheep,
but longs for the girl who enchanted him.
Hey, little goats, hear the end of the song:
his poor sheep wander around like orphans,
now deep in the river lies the shepherd
and the girl sits by the water and weeps.
Hey, tsigelekh, kumt aher tsu mir geshvind,
A sheyn lidele vel ikh oyfzingen aykh atsind.
Fun a pastekhl heybt dos lidele zikh on
Un a meydele vos hot kishef im geton.
Hey, tsigelekh, hert vos vayter iz geshen:
Lustik, lebedik iz a mol s’pastekhl geven,
Haynt vi umetik, kukt di shefelekh nisht on,
Benkt nokhn meydele vos hot kishef im geton.
Hey, tsigelekh, hert fun lidele dem sof:
Vi yesoymimlekh blondzhen itst zayne bidne shof,
Tif in taykhele ligt dos pastekhl nokh haynt
Un dos meydele zitst baym vaserl un veynt.
הײ, צינעלעך, קומט אַהער צו מיר געשװינד,
אַ שײן לידעלע װעל איך אױפֿזינגען אײַך אַצינד,
פֿון א פּאַסטעכל הײבט דאָס לידעלע זיך אָן
און אַ מײדעלע װאָס האָט כּישוף אים געטאָן.
הײ, ציגעלעך, הערט װאָס װײַטער איז געשען:
לוסטיק, לעבעדיק איז אַ מאָל ס’פּאַסטעכל געװען,
הײַנט װי אומעטיק, קוקט די שעפֿעלעך נישט אָן,
בענקט נאָכן מײדעלע װאָס האָט כּישוף אים געטאָן.
הײ, ציגעלעך, הערט פֿון לידעלע דעם סוף:
װי יתומימלעך בלאַנדזשען איצט זײַנע בידנע שאָף,
טיף אין טײַכעלע ליגט דאָס פּאַסטעכל נאָך הײַנט
און דאָס מײדעלע זיצט בײַם װאַסערל און װײנט.
Song Title: Hey, Tsigelekh
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.
