Reyzele

Over there in the little street
is a quiet, dreamy little house.
Inside it, up in the attic,
lives my dear Reyzele.
Every evening, I wander around
in front of the little house.
I give a whistle and call out: Reyzl,
come, come, come!
A little window* opens,
the dear old house awakens,
and soon a sweet voice sounds
in the quiet street, Reyzele speaks:
“Wait a little longer, love,
I will be free soon.
Walk around a couple of more times,”
One, two, three!

Off I go, a happy guy,
singing and cracking nuts,
I hear something jump out onto the steps
her dainty little feet.
And now, down from the last step,
I embrace her lovingly,
quietly give her a kiss on the head —
“Come, come, come.”

“I ask you, Dovidl,
not to whistle up to me any more!
‘Listen to him whistle,’ says Momma,
She is religious, it upsets her,
she says whistling is not Jewish,
it’s only fit for ‘them’.
Give a signal in plain Yiddish —
One, two, three.”

“From now on, I won’t whistle any more,
I swear it to you.
For your sake I will even
become observant, my modest one.
If you want me to, I will be
as religious as your mother.
I’ll go to synagogue every Sabbath.”
Come, come, come.

“I believe you my beloved,
and so for you, Dovidl,
I will knit you a beautiful tfillin bag
with a little Star of David,
and when they admire it in synagogue
you can tell them:
“My dear Reyzl knitted it,
one, two three!”

“Thank you for your dear present,
I love you so much, Reyzele!
I love your Momma, I love this little street,
I love the little old house,
and even the stones near the little house,
as I walk around on them.
Listen, your mother is calling, “Reyzl,
come, come, come!”

Off I go, a happy guy,
singing and cracking nuts,
and I hear, running up the steps,
her dainty little feet.
The house is quiet and dreamy again,
and again the street is silent.
Come to my in my dreams, Reyzl,
Come, come, come!

*Fensterl. The diminutive in Yiddish imparts a sense of affection as well as smallness. The window can either be little or else dear, because it is hers. Similarly, a heyzl can be a hut, or a little house, but here it is also a dear house.