Song transmitted by Tova Blum Dobkin which she collected from Isaac Milstein, Brooklyn, N. Y., published October 20, 1974 in the Perl. Zishe Breitbard (1883-1925) was the youngest son of a Jewish blacksmith in Lodz, Poland, whose prodigious strength brought him fame throughout the world. He presented his feats of strength in theatres of Warsaw, in all capitals of Europe, and also in New York, at the Orpheum and Palace Theaters. The world press hailed him as the “Iron King,” the “Polish Apollo,” the “Superman of Strength” and the, “Modern Samson.” At one performance he banged a nail with his hand (the song states that the nail went into his right foot) and he contracted blood-poisoning from which he died. The New York Times of October 16, 1925 devoted an editorial to his death, comparing him to the great and legendary strong men of history.
Part of the melody of this song is adapted from the song “Reyzele dem shoykhets” (Reyzele, the Ritual Slaughterer’s Daughter), words by Z. Segalovitch, which in turn was based on the Italian song Sorrento.
Other songs about Zishe Breitbart were submitted by A. Edelman (Los Angeles), Irene Goldberg (Forest Hills, N. Y.) and Hershl Altman (Bronx, N. Y.).
In a little cramped cottage,
With parents not wealthy,
A boy grew up —
You’ve probably heard about him.
Zishe was his name,
And he became well known as a strong fellow,
Even as a child.
Even when he was still going to kheyder,
He told everyone to bring him pieces of chain
And he tried to rip them apart.
His awesome strength was admired by all;
More than one mother wanted to give him her daughter as a bride.
Zishe was constantly drawn to the world of athletes,
And nothing could deter him despite his mother’s pleas that he not become a fighter and never become a circus performer.
Zishe could not resist his appetite for athletics.
Later he left his parents’ and his childhood home.
To develop his strength he set forth into the world.
He was luckier than anyone, everyone yielded to him.
There in the outside world they crowned him “the King of Iron.”
His name became well known everywhere and in all circles.
But suddenly a misfortune befell the King of Iron.
It was a beautiful night, the stars were shining in the sky.
Out on the street in Radom, there was a sudden tumult.
Young and old came running,
Each one·separately,
For Zishe was to show there his great wonders.
Everyone knew about him already,
All about him;
That this was Zishe from Lodz,
Who could break iron chains with his teeth.
The circus was brightly lit,
The trumpets were blaring.
Zishe stood in the middle of the arena and ripped the heavy chains.
Then he took some sheet metal and nails and tried to hammer them in as always, with bare hands.
But instead of hitting the nails into the metal, he hit them into his right leg.
Zishe then grew ill and could no longer crush anything.
He traveled to foreign lands to heal his right leg.
No one was able to keep him alive, even though the doctors removed his leg.
Tragically was Zishe the hero taken from the world.
A little piece of iron took his life away.
The sight of this mound in the Berlin cemetery is a tragic reminder to those who pass by.
In a little cramped cottage,
not with wealthy parents,
a boy grew up –
you have probably heard about him.
Zishe, he was called,
and he became well known
as powerful and strong
even in his childhood years.
Even when he still went to kheyder
he would tell everyone
to bring him pieces of chains
and try to tear them open.
His fearsome strength
was admired by everyone.
More than one mother wanted her daugher
given to him as a bride.
But Zishe was drawn more and more
to the world of atheletes.
And it did not help at all,
though his mother pleaded
that he not become a fighter
and never become a circus performer,
Zishe could not
resist his drive for athletics.
He left his parents’
and his childhood home,
to develop his strength
he set forth into the world
He was luckier than anyone,
everyone yielded to him.
There in the outside world
they crowned him “the King of Iron”.
His name was recognized
everywhere and in all circles,
but suddenly a misfortune
befell the King of Iron.
It was a beautiful night
the stars were shining in the sky,
there on the streets of Radom
there was a noise and a commotion.
Young and old came running,
each one separately,
for there Zishe was going show
his great wonders.
Everyone knew about him already,
and everybody already knew
that this was the famous Zishe from Lodz,
who could break iron with his teeth.
The circus was brightly lit up,
the trumpets were blaring,
Zishe stood in the middle of the arena
and he ripped the heavy chains
Then he took sheet metal and some nails
and tried to drive them in, just like the day before
but instead of into the tin
he drove them into his right leg.
Zishe then grew ill
and could no longer entertain anyone.
He traveled to foreign lands
to heal his right leg
But no one could manage,
oy, to keep him alive;
even though, for the doctors,
he parted with his leg.
Tragically, Zishe the hero was
taken from the world.
A pointy little piece of iron
took his life away.
In the Berlin Cemetery
there is a little mound,
and whoever passes by
must remember the tragedy.
אין א קלײנעם ענגן שטיבלן.
נישט בײַ רײַכע טאַטע-מאַמע,
האָט דערצױגן זיך אַ בחור,
איר האָט דאָס געהערט מסתּמא.
זישע האָט מען איס גערופֿן,
און באַקאַנט איז ער געװואָרן
אַלס קרעפֿטיקער און שטאַרקער,
שױן אין זײַנע קינדער-יאָרן.
נאָך בעתן גײן אין חדר,
האָט ער אַלע שױן געהײסן,
ברענגען זיך נאָר שטיקלעך קײטן
און געפּרוּװט האָט ער זײ רײַסן.
זײַנע שרעקלעכע גבֿורות
האָבן דאַן באַװוּנדערט אַלע,
נישט אײן מאַמע האָט איר טאָכטער
אים געװאָלט געבן אַ כּלה.
זישע האָט נאָר אַלָצ געצױגן
צו אַ סבֿיבֿה פֿון אַטלעטן,
און עס האָט גאָרניט געהאָלפֿן
כאָטש זײַן מאַמע האָט געבעטן,
אַז ער זאָל קײן קעמפֿער װערן,
אין קײן צירקן קײן מאָל שפּילן,
נישט געקאָנט האָט אָבער זישע
זײַן אַטלעטן-חשק שטילן.
דאַן פֿאַרלאָזט די טאַטע-מאַמע
און זײַן קינד-שטוב פֿון קינדער–יאָרן,
צו אַנטװיקלען זײַנע גבֿורות
פּרוּװט ער אין דער װעלט צו פֿאָרן.
ער שפֿילט אַ מזל איבער אַלעם,
יעדער איז אים אונטערטעניק,
און מען קרױנט אים דאָרט אין אױיסלאַנד
מיטן נאָמען ’’אײַזן-קעניג.’’
איז זײַן נאָמען באַקאַנט געװאָרן
איבעראַל אין אַלע קרײַזן,
נאָר פֿלוצלונג איז געשען אַן אומגליק
מיטן קעניג פֿון דעם אײַזן.
עס איז געװען אַ נאַכט אַ שײנע,
געלײַכט די שטערן אױפֿן הימל,
דאָרטן אױף דער גאָס אין ראָדעם
איז אַ רעש און אַ געטימל (געטומל).
עס לױפֿן יונג, עס לױפֿן אַלטע,
יעדער אײנער לױפֿט באַזונדער,
װײַל געדאַרפֿן האָט דאָרט זישע
באַװײַזן זײַנע גרױסע װוּנדער.
װעגן איס האָט שױן געװוּסט יעדערער,
עס האָט געװוּסט שױן יעדער אײנער,
אַז דאָס איז דער לאָדזשער זישע,
װאָס ברעכט אײַזן מיט די צײנער.
העל איז דער צירְק באַלױכטן,
הילכיק שפּילן די טרומפֿײטן,
זישע שטײט אין (מיטן) סצענע
און ער רײַסט די גראָבע קײטן.
דאַן נעמט ער א בלעך און טשװעקעס
און פּרוּװט זײ קלאָפּן פּונקט װי נעכטן,
נאָר אַנשטאָט אין די בלעכן,
טרעפֿט ער זיך אין פֿוס אין רעכטן.
זישע איז דאַן קראַנק געװאָרן,
ניט געקאָנט שױן מער קײנעס װײלן,
צוריק קײן אױסלאַנד אָפּגעפֿאָרן,
זיך דעס פֿוס אױסהײלן.
עס האָט שױן קײנער ניט באַװיזן,
אױ, אים צו דערהאָלטן בײַ זײן לעבן,
כאָטש ער האָט פֿאַר די דאָקטױרים
זײַנס אַ פֿוס אַװעקגעגעבן.
טראַגיש איז דער העלד זישע
פֿון די װעלט אַװעקגעקומען,
עס האָט אַ שפּיציק שטיקל אײַזן
אים זײַן לעבן צוגענומען.
אױפֿן בערלינער בית-הקברות
איז אַ בערגל דאָרט פֿאַראַנען,
װער סיטוט דאָרטן פֿאַרבײַגײן,
מוז זיך דעם טרױער דערמאַנען.
Song Title: Zishe Breytbard
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.”
