Words by Zishe Landau (1889-1937); composer unknown. Published in M. Gelbart, Lomir zingen, 1938-1939.
In the darkness, your eyes are prettier.
In the darkness, your little hands are more delicate,
In the darkness, resting quietly far away from you,
In the darkness, you are softer, gentler and more supple.
In the darkness, your face is paler, paler,
In the darkness, your fingers are softer,
In the darkness, when you close your shutters,
In the darkness, you are softer, gentler and more supple.
In the darkness, your face is milder, milder,
In the darkness, your hear beats more and more wildly,
In the darkness, you call me, I know not where
In the darkness, you are softer, gentler, and more supple.
In der fintster – zaynen dayne oygn shener,
In der fintster – zaynen dayne hentlekh klener,
In der fintster – vayt fun dir mit shtiler ru,
In der fintster – veykher, tsarter, boygzamer bistu.
In der fintster – iz dayn ponim bleykher, bleykher,
In der fintster – zaynen dayne finger veykher,
In der fintster – ven du makhst di lodn tsu,
In der fintster – veykher, tsarter, boygzamer bistu.
In der fintster – iz dayn ponem milder, milder,
In der fintster – klapt dayn harts alts vilder,
In der fintster – rufstu mikh, ikh veys nit vu,
In der fintster – veykher, tsarter, boygzamer bistu.
אין דער פֿינצטער-זענען דײַנע אױגן שענער,
אין דער פֿינצטער-זענען דײַנע הענטלעך קלענער,
אין דער פֿינצטער-װײַט פֿון דיר מיט שטילער רוֹ,
אין דער פֿינצטער-װײכער, צאָרטער, בױגזאַמער ביסטו.
אין דער פֿינצטער-איז דײַן פּנים בלײכער, בלײכער,
אין דער פֿינצטער—זענען דײַנע פֿינגער װײכער,
אין דער פֿינצטער-װען דו מאַכסט די לאָדן צו,
אין דער פֿינצטער-װײכער, צאַרטער, בױגזאַמער ביסטו.
אין דער פֿינצטער-איז דען פֿניס מילדער, מילדער,
אין דער פֿינצטער-קלאַפּט דײן האַרצ אַלץ װילדער,
אין דער פֿינצטער-רופֿסטו מיך, איך װײס ניט װוּ,
אין דער פֿינצטער–װײכער:, צאַרטער, בױגזאַמער ביסטו.
Song Title: In Der Fintster
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.”
