Gimpel Beynish the Matchmaker
(Gimpl Beynish der Shadkhn)
Yiddish Comics of the early 20th century

Translation and commentary by Jane Peppler
Click here to read about and order the seven Gimpel books I've published.

Comics read right to left. Click on any comic strip for larger view.

Friday, December 11, 2015

Gimpel gets to Mexico and it's no walk in the park. 5-1-1914

Glustn means desire, long for, covet. "Jonesing" was the only vernacular way I could think of translating it in this context.

Gimpel says there's a racket like "Lag  BaOmer in Spinishok" - the dictionary suggests Spinishok is a variant of Snipishok
שניפּישאָק
"name of a suburb of Vilna used as a symbol of provincialism." Lag BaOmer is a holiday during which folks light bonfires. (But in Snipishok, not in Manhattan. I guess.)



May 1, 1914: He is about to taste the flavor of war.
  1. I barely survived to see dry land! So, fine, I'm in Mexico, that's better than being on the ocean.
  2. So many young men, they were jonesing to go to war.
  3. What's this? Some racket like Lag BaOmer in a hick town
  4. Oy vey iz mir! They're shooting! You could go deaf!
  5. Sh'ma Yisrael! They could actually shoot me, for real! Gevald, help!

5-1-1914
ער האַלט באַלד בײַ׳ם פֿאַרזוכען דעם טעם פֿון מלחמה.

1
קױם דערלעבט צו זעהן יבשה! זאָל זײַן אין מעקסידאָ אַבי ניט אױפֿ׳ן ים.
2
אַזױ פֿיעל בחורים, האָט זיך זײ גאָר פֿערגלוסט צו געהן אין דער מלחמה.
3
װאָס איז דאָס? עפּעס קראָכט עס װיא אין שפּינישאָק ל״ג בעומר.
4
אױ װעה איז מיר! מען שיעסט! מען קען טױב װערען פֿון זײ.
5
שמע ישראל! מען קען מיך נאָך טאַקע דערשיעסען אױף אַן אמת, גװאַלד, ראַטעװעט!

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