Mendele: Yiddish literature and language
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Contents of Vol. 6.282
April 10, 1997

1) What song is this? (Aren Portnoy)
2) Leybish (Berel Leiser)
3) Leybish (Sam Weiss)
4) Leybish (Al Grand)
5) Leybish (Andrey Bredstein)
6) Leybish (David Sherman)
7) Di Megile fun Itsik Manger (Dovid Braun)
8) Nibl-pe (Sam Weiss)

1)----------------------------------------------------
Date: Tue, 8 Apr 1997 17:34:52 -0400 (EDT)
From: ep73@columbia.edu
Subject: What song is this?

Since the song in Marvin Engel's post [6.271] turned out to be Yosl
Cutler's poem, "Nishka," I thought I'd throw this interesting anecdote
into the tsholnt. In Khaver-paver's (Gershn Einbinder) memoirs,
"Gershn in amerike," Cutler brings Einbinder to a basement cafe in
Greenwich Village populated by a number of bohemian artists and
writers, among them Maxwell Bodenheim. Apparently, and to Einbinder's
great surprise, Cutler was asked to read one of his poems for the
assembled hipsters. He happened to read, "Nishka," and though the
audience didn't understand the words, they seemed enthralled by
Cutler's reading.

Aren Portnoy

2)----------------------------------------------------
Date: Tue, 08 Apr 97 20:28:48 EDT
From: leiser@pacevm.dac.pace.edu
Subject: Leybish

In response to Liebe Denner's inquiry [6.281]:

I believe it's a diminutive or affectionate form of Leyb (Lion), often
combined with the Hebrew Aryeh: Aryeh-Leyb.  A similar form is
commonly used in connection with other names, including my Yiddish
name, Berel -> Berish, often combined with the equivalent Hebrew,
Dov-Ber.

Berel Leiser

3)----------------------------------------------------
Date: Tue, 8 Apr 1997 18:28:47 -0400 (EDT)
From: sweiss@mail.bcpl.lib.md.us
Subject: Leybish

Leybish (sometimes also Leybush) indeed comes from the word leyb, but
this word does not mean body (which would be rendered by layb) but
lion.  Its English cognate is Leo.  The name is usually a translation
of the Hebrew Aryeh, and is often paired with it in Aryeh-Leyb. [Other
common names on this model are Z'ev-Volf = Velvl (wolf) &
Dov-Ber=Berish (bear).] You'll also come across the H.-Y. pair
Yehuda-Leyb, stemming from Yehuda-Aryeh, in turn based on Jacob's
blessing to his son in Gen.49:9 _gur aryeh yehuda_.  So if Leo won't
work, you might consider Ari for child-naming purposes.

Sam Weiss

4)----------------------------------------------------
Date: Tue, 8 Apr 1997 22:41:45 -0400 (EDT)
From: savoyid@aol.com
Subject: Leybish

In response to Liebe Denner's inquiry regarding the meaning of the
Yiddish name Leybish, I would rather think that it's the endearing
form of Leyb meaning "lion" rather than from the Yiddish word for
"body" which, of course is _layb_.

Al Grand

5)----------------------------------------------------
Date: Wed, 9 Apr 1997 12:40:56 +0400
From: anbredstein@glas.apc.org
Subject: Leybish

Liebe Denner asked (6.281:8) about Leybish.

The Yiddish name Leybish/Leybush can be found in Harkavi
(Fartseykhenish fun yidishe nemen) as a diminutive from Leyb. Other
forms are Leybtshik, Leybtshe, Leybl and Leybele. The English
equivalents are Leo and Leon.

S'iz a groyser sofek that this name comes from the word "layb" (body).
There is a kosher Yiddish word leyb (lion) which seems to be much more
appropriate. The English forms Leo (leo, leoni [lat.] > leon [gr.])
and Leon (Leon [fr.] > leo, leonis [lat.] > leon [gr.]) have the same
meaning: lion. There are some more complicated forms based on the
"lion", for example Leonard (comes from Althoykhdaytsh 'lewo' -- lion,
and 'hart' -- strong), Leonidas (lat. > Leonidas [gr.] -- like a lion),
etc. The only strange exception which I know is Leopold
(Althoykhdaytsh 'liut' * folk, people, and 'bald' * brave).

The origin of the Greek word 'leon' is not clear. It was borrowed, but
who was the donor?  Maybe there is some connection between it and the
Egyptian word 'labu' (lion) or Hebrew 'lamed-beys-yud-alef' (lion),
and maybe this question has no answer -- at least today.

Andrey Bredstein
Moscow

6)----------------------------------------------------
Date: Wed, 09 Apr 1997 23:13:46 -0400
From: dave@cai.lsuc.on.ca
Subject: Leybish

Liebe Denner asks whether the name Leybish is from "leyb"--body.
Wouldn't it be more from arye-leyb, lion? Along the same lines as
tsvi-hirsh, dov-ber and zev-volf.

David Sherman
Toronto

7)----------------------------------------------------
Date: Tue, 08 Apr 1997 18:40:39 EDT
From: dovid@mit.edu
Subject: Di Megile fun Itsik Manger -- on video?

Is _Di Megile fun Itsik Manger_  (i.e. Manger's _Megile-lider_ as set
to music by Dov Seltzer) available on video?  (I am aware of the
record with the Burstyns and company performing it, and I know that
they performed it many times throughout the world.)  Please send
answers to my personal address and I'll submit the information to
Mendele (if there is any).

Thanks,

Dovid Braun
Cambridge, MA

8)----------------------------------------------------
Date: Tue, 8 Apr 1997 23:09:00 -0400 (EDT)
From: sweiss@mail.bcpl.lib.md.us
Subject: Nibl-pe

Recent postings have used the term "nibl-pe" for "obscenity(-ies)".
Weinreich also lists this pronunciation, as well as do some Hebrew
dictionaries.  However, the only way I have ever encountered this term
in actual Yiddish speech is with a "veys" instead of a "beys"; i.e.
"nivl-pe".  Any comments?

Sam Weiss

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End of Mendele Vol. 6.282