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 kleynem engn shtibl,
Nisht bay raykhe tate-mame,
Hot dertsoygn zikh a bokher —
Ir hot dos gehert mistame.
Zishe hot men im gerufn,
Un bakant iz er gevorn
Als kreftiker un shtarker
Shoyn in zayne kinder-yarn.
Nokh beysn geyn in kheyder
Hot er ale shoyn geheysn
Brengen zikh nor shtiklekh keytn
Un gepruvt hot er zey raysn.
Zayne shreklekhe gvures
Hobn dan bavundert ale,
Nisht eyn mame hot ir tokhter
Im gevolt gebn a kale.
Zishe hot nor alts getsoygn
Tsu a svive fun atletn,
Un es hot gornit geholfn,
Khotsh zayn mame hot gebetn,
Az er zol keyn kemfer vern,
In keyn tsirkn keyn mol shpiln,
Nisht gekont hot ober Zishe
Zayn atletn-kheyshek shtiln.
Dan farlozt di tate-mame
Un zayn kind-shtub fun kinder-yarn,
Tsu antviklen zayne gvures
Pruvt er in der velt tsu torn.
Er shpilt a mazl iber alem,
Yeder iz im untertenik,
Un men kroynt im dort in oysland
Mitn nomen “Ayzn-kenig.”
lz zayn nomen bakant gevorn
lberal in ale krayzn,
Nor plutslung iz geshen an umglik
Mitn kenig fun dem ayzn.
Es iz geven a nakht a sheyne,
Gelaykht di shtern oyfn himl,
Dortn oyf der gas in rodem
lz a rash un a getiml (getuml).
Es loyfn yung, es loyfn alte,
Yeder eyner loyft bazunder,
Vayl gedarfn hot dort Zishe
Bavayzn zayne groyse vunder.
Vegn im hot shoyn gevust yederer,
Es hot gevust shoyn yeder eyner,
Az dos iz der lodzher Zishe
Vos brekht ayzh mit di tseyner.
Hel iz der tsirk baloykhtn,
Hilkhik shpiln di trumpeytn,
Zishe shteyt in mitn stsene
Un er rayst di grobe keytn.
Dan nemt er a blekh un tshvekes
Un pruvt zey klapn punkt vi nekhtn,
Nor anshtot in di blekhn,
Trett er zikh in fus in rekhtn.
Zishe iz dan krank gevorn,
Nit gekont shoyn mer keynem veyln,
Tsurik keyn oysland opgeforn
Zikh dem fus oysheyln.
Es hot shoyn keyner nit bavizn,
Oy, im tsu erhaltn bay zayn lebn,
Khotsh er hot far di doktoyrim
Zayns a fus avekgegebn.
Tragish iz der held Zishe
Fun di velt avekgekumen,
Es hot a shpitsik shtikl ayzn
Im zayn lebn tsugenumen.
Oyfn berliner beys-hakvores
lz a bergl dort faranen,
Ver s’tut dortn farbaygeyn,
Muz zikh dem troyer dermonen.
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.”
