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Yiddish Sayings Mama Never Taught You (Paperback)
by: Marvin S. Zuckerman, Gershon Weltman Ph.D.
Price: US $10.75
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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!
--Moyshe Tsukerman
English translation:
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!
Marvin Zuckerman
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