HALELUYE (Hallelujah)
Original English by Leonard Cohen, Yiddish by Daniel Kahn
geven a nign vi a sod,
vos Dovid hot geshpilt far got,
nor dir volt's nisht geven aza yeshue.
me zingt azoy: a fa, a sol,
a misheberekh heybt a kol,
der duler meylekh vebt...
dayn emune iz gevorn shvakh,
Basheva bodt zikh afn dakh,
ir kheyn un di levone dayn refue
zi nemt dayn guf, zi nemt dayn kop,
zi shnaydt fun dayne hor a tsop
un tsit fun moyl arop a haleluye.
o tayere, ikh ken dayn stil,
ikh bin geshlofn af dayn dil,
kh'hob keynmol nisht gelebt
mit aza tsnue
ikh ze dayn shlos, ikh ze dayn fon,
a harts' iz nisht keyn meylekhs tron,
s'iz a kalte un a kalye haleluye.
oy vi amol, to zog mir oys
vos tut zikh dortn in dayn shoys.
to vos-zhe darfst zikh shemen
vi a bsule?
nor gedenk vi kh'hob in dir gerut,
vi di shkhine glut in undzer blut,
un yeder otem tut a haleluye...
zol zayn mayn got iz gornisht do
un libe zol zayn kol-mumro,
a puster troym tsebrokhn un mekhule,
nisht keyn geveyn in mitn nakht,
nisht keyn bal-tshuve oyfgevakht,
nor an elente kol-koyre haleluye.
an apikoyres rufstu mikh,
mit shem-havaye lester ikh,
iz meyle,
ikh dervart nisht keyn geule.
nor s'brent zikh heys in yedn os
fun alef-beys gor bizn sof
di heylike un kalye haleluye...
un dos iz alts, s'iz nisht keyn sakh.
ikh makh dervayle vos ikh makh.
ikh kum do vi a mentsh,
nisht keyn shiluye.
khotsh alts farloyrn say vi say
vel ikh farloybn Adoynay
un shrayen vi l'khayem "haleluye..."