A folklorized version of a poem, “Fata Morgana,” by Morris Rosenfeld (1862-1923).
In the Sahara, wandering
in the hot desert sand,
sometimes, to your amazement,
you see inhabited land.
It’s a lie, it’s a lie,
it’s an empty dream –
the desert has no fields,
no ripened grains, no trees!
Sheep are grazing in the meadow,
and you can barely see the shepherd;
and it seems to you that it’s true,
that you are not just dreaming –
Just so, it also happens in life.
Sometimes from a gentle glance,
you start building castles in the air
and are bewitched by happiness.
In sahara, vu men vandert
In dem heysn midber-zamd,
Trett a mol du verst farvundert,
Zeendik s’bavoynte land.
REFRAIN:
S’iz a lign, s’iz a lign,
S’iz a puster troym —
Der midber hot keyn feld,
Keyn zangen, keyn boym!
Shepsn pashen oyf der lonke,
Un dem pastekh zestu koym;
Un dir dukht zikh, az s’iz emes,
Az du zest es nit in troym —
Ot azoy oykh treft in lebn,
Trefst a mol a mildn blik,
Heybst on boyen goldene shleser,
Verst farkisheft funem glik.
אין סאַהאַרא, װוּ מען װאַנדערט
אין דעם הײסן מידבר-זאמד,
טרעפֿט אַ מאָל, דו װערסט פֿאַרװוּנדערט,
זעענדיק ס’באַװױנטע לאַנד.
רעפֿרײן:
ס’איז א ליגן, ס’איז אַ ליגן,
ס’איז אַ פּוסטער טרױם —
דער מידבר האָט קײן פֿעלד,
קײן זאַנגען, קײן בױם!
שעפּסן פּאַשען אױף דער לאָנקע,
און דעם פּאַסטעך זעסטו קױם!
און דיר דוכט זיך, אַז ס’איז אמת,
אַז דו זעסט עס ניט אין טרױם —
אָט אַזױ אױך טרעפֿט אין לעבן,
טרעפֿסט אַ מאָל אַ מילדן בליק,
הײבסט אָן בױען גאָלדענע שלעסער,
װערסט פֿאַרכּישופֿט פֿונעם גליק.
Song Title: S’iz A Lign!
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.
