BAY UNDZ IN EYROPE
(Original German poem "Bei uns in Europa" by Kurt Tucholsky, Yiddish by Daniel Kahn & Yeva Lapsker)
ir shikt undz fun medine fun Ford
epes a miesn mentshn-eksport:
farfleytst iz Eyrope arum un arum
fun ayer prostinken kleynbirgertum
di turistn, hoykh un khazerish,
leygn di fis azoy grob afn tish,
dreyen a spodik in ale erter,
efnen dos moyl alemol mit di verter
"bay undz, bay undz in Amerike"
bay aykh in Amerike hot men
tsveyerley rekht (far orem un raykh)
vi far gut un far shlekht
kolerley keplakh - Lewis un Mencken
un diner fun dolar
vos in dolarn denken.
faran in Amerike Republikaner
un frumakishe blutike puri-tiran-er,
koyekh un yugnt un on a sof gelt
nor ir zent nisht di mos
fun der gantsiker velt,
bay aykh, bay aykh in Amerike.
bay undz in Eyrope
iz a yedere froy
nisht bloyz a kurve far a yedern boy
bay undz in Eyrope
iz shvartsinke hoyt
keyn make vos darf
a mekhitse, a ployt.
bay undz in Eyrope
ken men lebn on gelt
un fundestvegn
lebn nokh alts af der velt
bay undz in Eyrope iz alesding fayn
az me geyt nit in shul
oder kloyster arayn.
azoy zikh tsu firn iz bloyz a fardros,
a nudne un nikhtere lebn iz dos
vi bay aykh, bay aykh in Amerike
dos veys shoyn bay aykh
nor der gutinker yenk.
di reshtike yenkis,
zey veysn a krenk:
leynen in zeyere newspapers bloyz
azoy vi zey shmekn zikh zis vi a royz.
hert-zhe nit tsu, ir arbetslayt,
fargest shoyn di burzhuaze eytlkayt.
peser un fener un groyse paradn
zenen nor narishe tsementfasadn.
di grenets iz do
tsvishn tsniyes un tsviyes
un zi loyft in der kver
durkh ale medines.
di emese grenets fun khiyes un tliyes
loyft in der kver durkh ale natsyes
bay aykh, bay aykh in Amerike
vi bay undz, bay undz in Eyropike.