[Mendele] Mendele Personal Notices & Announcements--Bernstein's grobe un oysgelozene" yidishe shprikhverter

[Victor Bers]

MENDELE Yiddish Language and Literature
Personal Notices and Announcements

May 20, 2009

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From: z.marvin at verizon.net
Subject:  Bernstein's grobe un oysgelozene" yidishe shprikhverter
Date: 5/10/2009 5:15PM
__________________________________________________

Mayne tayere Mendelyaners (English translation follows below),

Es git mir 
groys fargenign tsu lozn visn ale yidishistn, un stam libhoberfun yidish, 
az a zamlung fun yidishe shprikhverter vos iz shoyn fun lang
aroys fun druk, iz videramol aroysgegebm gevorn af dos nay.
In 1975 hob ikh un mayn alter khaver, Dr. Gershon Weltman, 
ibergezetst,romanizirt, un ibergedrukt dem orgineyln yidish, mit yidishe 
oysyes, azamlung fun "grobe un oysgelozene" yidishe shprikhverter, ersht 
aroysgegebm
in 1908 fun der barimter zamler un aroysgeber fun yidishe 
shprikhverter,Ignaz Bernstein (ir kent im nokhzukhn in "Der Leksikon fun 
der NayerYidisher Literatur").  Er hot zey ongerufn, af lateynish, 
"Erotica unRustica."  Mir hobm undzer bikhl a titl gegebm, "Yiddish 
Sayings Mama NeverTaught You."

Bashevis (I.B. Singer) hot gezogt vegn undzer zamlung:  "A cute and 
charming addition to Yiddish folklore."  Un der barimter Amerikaner 
shrayber, Henry Miller, hot gezogt vegn dos zelbikes: "Juicy, savory, 
spicy."  Yeshaya Halevi:  "In my book collection is a gem, probably out of 
print now, called
"Yiddish Sayings Mama Never Taught You."

Gefint oys far zikh aleyn un kukt arayn in undzer bikhl, otvos af dos nay 
aroysgegebm.  Dort vet ir gefinen, tsvishn 227 andere, vertlekh azelekhe:

"Kleyne kinder kakn kleyne kupkelekh"
"Fun shmole lokshn bakumt men nit keyn breytn tokhes"
"A meyukhes, kusht in tokhes"
"A vort un a forts ken men nit tsriknemen"
Dos hot amol dertseylt a yid vos er iz geven dos ershte mol in teater: 
"Viler, vil zi nit; vil zi, vil er nit; viln beyde, lost men arop der 
forhang"
S'zenen faran tsvishn unz azelkhe velkhe hobm faribl di "grobe un 
oysgelozene" vertlekh.  Ober azelkhe vertlekh ekzistirn tsvishn ale felker 
un sphrakhn.  S'iz dokh natirlekh.  M'iz "dokh nit mer vi a mentsh."  Di 
vertlekh zenen grobe, ober zey zenen oykh komish, vitsig, un sharfzinig. 
Ir kent zey,  ibergezetst un romanizirt, ergets andersh nit gifinenen,

Leynst un hots hanoye!

S'iz tsu bakumen fun Amazon, un a bikher-gevelb ken es oykh bashteln far 
aykh. YIDDISH SAYINGS MAMA NEVER TAUGHT YOU, Zuckerman & Weltman, ISBN 
#978-1-4401-4016-7.

--Moyshe Tsukerman

English translation:
My Dear Mendelyaners,

It gives me great pleasure to let all Yiddishists, and also just plain 
lovers of Yiddish, know that a collection of Yiddish sayings that has long 
been out of print is once again back in print.
In 1975 my old friend, Dr. Gershon Weltman,  and I, translated, 
transliterated and reprinted the original Yiddish in the Yiddish alphabet, 
a collection of "coarse and vulgar" Yiddish sayings originally published 
in 1908 by the famous collector and publisher of Yiddish folk sayings, 
Ignaz Bernstein (you can find him in "The Lexicon of Modern Yiddish 
Literature," and other sources).  He called them, in Latin, "Erotica and 
Rustica."  We called our book, "Yiddish Sayings Mama Never Taught You."

I.B. Singer said about our collection: "A cute and charming addition to 
Yiddish folklore."  And the famous American writer, Henry Miller, said 
about it: "Juicy, savory, spicy."  Yeshaya Halevi said:" In my book 
collection is a gem, probably out of print now, called "Yiddish Sayings 
Mama Never Taught  ou."

Find out for yourself and look into our little book, now again back in
print.  There you will find, among 227 others, sayings such as these:
"Tiny tots make tiny turds" (see above for the original Yiddish)
"You don't get a broad behind from thin noodles"
"You're upper class?  Kiss my ass"
"Words and farts can't be taken back"
Thus a Jew who went to the theater for the first time described it: "If he 
wants, she doesn't; if she wants, he doesn't; if they both want, down 
comes the curtain"

There are those among us who are offended by these "coarse and vulgar" 
folk sayings.  But such sayings exist among all peoples and all languages. 
It is but natural.  One is, after all, "no more than human."   The sayings 
are coarse, but they are also funny, waggish, and clever.  You will find 
them translated and transliterated in no other place.

Read and enjoy!

The book can be obtained from Amazon, and bookstores can also order it:
YIDDISH SAYINGS MAMA NEVER TAUGHT YOU, Zuckerman & Weltman, ISBN 
#978-1-4401-4016-7.

Marvin Zuckerman

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