Dos lid funem tsigele

[The song of the kid]

Itsik Manger  (1901 - 1969)

[See lectures: One Only Kid; The Seasons]

Der tate hot gekoyft a tsigeleFather bought a kid
mit yorn ful tsurik,many years ago,
In khad gadye es farshpart,He imprisoned it in the "Chad Gadya",
gebundn oyf a shtrik.tied with a rope.
Iz troyerik dos tsigele,The kid is sad,  
vind iz im un vey,it grieves,
Zumer zet es nisht keyn grozIt sees neither grass in summer  
un vinter nisht keyn shney.nor snow in winter.
  
Zog mayn bruder, "Itsik, her,My brother says, "Itsik, listen,
vi derlozt es Got?how does God allow this?
Tsu iz im nisht dos tsigeleDoesn't He care about  
dos vaysinke a shod?"this white kid?"
Zog ikh, "Notl, bist gerekht!"I say, "Notl, you're right!"
un nisht lang getrakht,and didn't ponder long.
S'iz geven vi zeltnIt was an extraordinarily
ven a sheyne vesne-nakht.beautiful spring night.

Der tate shloft, di mame shloft,

Father sleeps, mother sleeps,  
s'shloft dos gantse hoyz,everyone is asleep,

Firn mir funem khad gadye

And we take the kid
dos tsigele aroys.out of the "Chad Gadya".
  
Mir firn bay di herner es,  We take it by its horns,
di velt iz vayt un groys,the world is wide and big,
Un vu mir lozn es aleynAnd we don't tell anyone  
dos zogn mir nisht oys.where we have left it.
Pesakh di ershte seder-nakhtOn the first seder night of Pesach,
s'tsigele nishto,there's no kid.
Fregt der tate: "Itsik, du?"Father asks: "Itsik, you?"
Zog ikh, "Abervo."I say, "I don't know what you're talking about."
Der tate fregt, "Notl, du?"Father asks, "Notl, you?"
Zogt er, "Vos un ven,He says, "What? When?
Zint farayorn pesakh-tsaytI haven't seen it
dos tsigele nisht gezen."since last Pesach."
  
Der tate veynt, di mame veynt,Father cries, Mother cries,
keyner veyst nisht vos,nobody knows what to do
Zingt men dem khad gadye opWe sing the "Chad Gadya",
un dos iz shoyn nisht dos.but it's not how it should be.
To vu zhe iz dos tsigele,So where is the kid?  
s'shpringt arum in feld,It's skipping about in the field,
Un hot hanoe fun der zunAnd enjoying the sun
 un fun der gantser velt.and the whole world.