_The Mendele Review_: Yiddish Literature and Language (A Companion to _MENDELE_) ______________________________________________________ Contents of Vol. 01.008 12 June 1997 From _Kalevala_ to "Evigingo": Background Materials for Leyzer Volf's "Evigingo" 1) About Leyzer (born Mekler) Volf (Lazer Wolf) (1910-1943) 2) The "Finnish trochee": M.L. Gasparov 3) The trochaic foot in English: D.S. Parker 4) _Kalevala_: excerpt from the Yiddish translation by Hersh Rozenfeld 5) Henry David Longfellow's "The Song of Hiawatha" (13:1-23; 18:1-21) 6) Yehoyesh's translation of "The Song of Hiawatha": (13:1-23;18:1-21) 7) Shmuel Halkin's revision of Yehoyesh's "Song of Hiawatha":(as above) 8) Reading "Evigingo": ed. ------------------------------------------ 1. About Leyzer Volf: a. "Fun di kleyne fardinstn shport Leyzer op etlekhe zlotes un er git aleyn aroys in 1936 zayn poeme "E v i g i n g o." A Leyzer Volfisher fantastish-filosofisher peyresh oyf di eybikayt-zukhenishn fun mentsh. Geshribn in stil fun Longfelos "Hayavatha," vos iz, in Yehoyesh's iberzetsung, populer un balibt bay der yidisher shul-yugnt in Vilne...." "Grod vert demolt fun etlekhe bale-khaloymes banayt A. Vayters a farvorfener pruv (fun arum 1905), 'aroystsufirn yidish loshn in der breyter velt', durkhn farbaytn dem 'umfarshtendlekhn' yidishn alef-beys oyf dem 'fun-kekhol-hagoyim-farshtendlekhn' lataynishn alfavit...." "Di lataynishe shrift, far dem azoy oykh nisht tsu laykhtn Hayavatha-imitirtn loshn, makht di poeme nokh veyniker tsugenglekh. Vi kleyn Leyzers ershtes zekhtsn zaytik lider-bikhele zol nisht hobn geven, di oprufn fun di leyener un literatur-kritiker zaynen geven nokh klener." (pp. 12-13) "Di grunt-kharakteristik fun Leyzer Volfs lid iz der origineler pruv davke tsu porn satire mit romantik un lirishn troyer mit sarkazm. Derfar iz Volf bazunder originel in zayne grotesk-lider." (p. 14) (Leyzer Ran, "Leyzer Volfs lebnsveg," in Leyzer Volf, _Lider_, collected by Leyzer Ran and selected and edited by H. Leyvik. New York: Congress for Jewish Culture, 1955). b. "Hagam es frest mikh oyf a farakshenter pesimizm iz mayn batsiung tsu der tsukunft fun der mentshhayt a mer-veyniker optimistisher... Mayn vayter ideal iz: Di mentshhayt -- eyn folk. Di velt -- eyn land." (Leyzer Volf, "Autobiografye," dated 4 July 1932, concluding lines. Leyzer Volf's was the winning entry in the Yivo autobiography competition for young people in 1934. Reprinted in Leyzer Volf, _Lider_, p. 42). c Du prekhtiker shtamling fun Iev un Motke Khabad, Gevaksn oyf yidishn gas, oyf an erdenem toyer, -- Ver hot dikh fartoyznteynnakhtikt in hek Ashkharad, Farhungert mit sheynkayt, tsu shtarbn on keynems badoyer? (Avrom Sutskever, "Tsu Leyzer Volf," Vilne 1945, first stanza.) d "Lazer Wolf wrote expressionist, sometimes almost surrealist lyrics, with jangling rhythms and images, which deal with themes of boredom and deracination; his dominant tone of voice is satiric but in a suppressed, almost cryptic way." (_A Treasury of Yiddish Poetry_, edited by Irving Howe and Eliezer Greenberg. New York, Chicago, San Francisco: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1969, p. 51. This anthology includes four poems by Volf (here called Lazer Wolf): "Why," "No Child With Honey Heart," Songs," "A Murder," all translated by Nathan Halper, pp. 222-224). e "Leyzer Volf wrote in a mocking, antiromantic vein... that reflects the darker side of his nature. His poetry often tends to black humor and the grotesque: without leaving Vilna, he parodied his own images of cosmopolitan Europe." (_The Penguin Book of Modern Verse_, ed. by Irving Howe, Ruth R. Wisse and Khone Shmeruk. Penguin, 1988, p. 619. This anthology includes three poems by Volf: "The Coarse Old Maid," "I Am Not a Honey-Hearted Child," "Montefiore in Vilna," all translated by Robert Friend, pp. 620-632.) 2. The "Finnish trochee" "... in 1775 the first collection of Finnish verse appeared. For the most part the contents were imitations of Swedish and German syllabo-tonic hymns; but it is not by chance that the greatest attention was given to the trochaic tetrameter, the measure most approximate to the folk octosyllable...." "It was only in the Romantic period that the metrical aspect of Finnish verse was finally defined. On the one hand, Elias Loennrat published the _Kalevala_ (first edition 1835) and the _Kanteletar_ (1840-1), the genuine structural regularities of the folk syllabic-metrical octosyllable were made clear, and this line was exploited in a large number of literary imitations. The _Kalevala_ became extremely widely known in German trochaic translations, and its 'Finnish trochee' was even to become the model for Longfellow's _Song of Hiawatha_." (M.L. Gasparov. _A History of European Versification_. Translated by G.S. Smith and Marina Tarlinskaja. Edited by G.S. Smith and Leofranc Holford-Strevens. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1996, p, 260). 3. The trochaic foot in English "...by itself it has never been a favorite in English, owing no doubt to the difficulty of finding words or phrases to begin the line with a stressed syllable... Used mechanically, as in _Hiawatha_, the trochee becomes monotonous; but in short passages it is often handled with success." (Douglas S. Parker in Alex Preminger, ed. _Princeton Encyclopaedia of Poetry and Poetics_, Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1974, p. 870). 4. _Kalevala; folks epos fun di finen_, yidish fun Hersh Rozenfeld. New York: Marstin Press, 1954. An 1852 German translation of the _Kalevala_ became the basis for many others. Rosenfeld, who actually learned Finnish at Columbia to facilitate his task, worked from translations in several languages. He translated the first 18 (of 50) cantos (which he calls "runes.") Though Leyzer Volf was a voracious reader there is no certainy that he knew any of the translations of the _Kalevala_. And, of course, the partial Yiddish translation here illustrated came years after Volf's death. (Lovers of the Yiddish book will especially prize this product of the master printer Israel London and his Marstin Press. This work is introduced by Yankev Shatski and ornamented by several artists.) An excellent introductory essay to the _Kalevala_ and a summary of its contents together with a biographical sketch of its author, Elias Luennrot, may be seen at http://www.vn.fi/vn/um/finfo/english/kalevala.html. ______________________________________________________ The third rune begins as follows: Un der alter Vaynamoynen Hot a tsayt gelebt tsufridn Af* di felder fun Vaynola, *spelled phonetically: alef+lange fey Af di Kalevala pleynen: Dort gelebt zikh un gezungen Zayne lider ful mit khokhme: Gantse teg hot er gezungen, Gantse nekht adurkhgezesn Un bazungen alte doyres, Un bazungen velt-bashafung. Nit keyn kinder, nit keyn heldn Zingen ot-di lider itster, In di troyerdike tsaytn, Bay dem dor, vos geyt shoyn unter. 5. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, "The Song of Hiawatha" Entire text may be found at: http://hs1.teachersoft.com/Library/poetry/longfellw/contents.htm a. XIII. Blessing the Cornfields (lines 1-23) Sing, O Song of Hiawatha, Of the happy days that followed, In the land of the Ojibways, In the pleasant land and peaceful! Sing the mysteries of Mondamin, Sing the blessing of the Cornfields! Buried was the bloody hatchet, Buried was the dreadful war-club, Buried were all warlike weapons, And the war-cry was forgotten. There was peace among the nations; Unmolested roved the hunters, Built the birch canoe for sailing, Caught the fish in lake and river, Shot the deer and trapped the beaver; Unmolested worked the women, Made their sugar from the maple, Gathered wild rice in the meadows, Dressed the skins of deer and beaver. All around the happy village Stood the maize fields green and shining, Waved his soft and sunny tresses, Filling all the land with plenty. b. XVIII. The Death of Kwasind (lines 1-21) Far and wide among the nations Spread the name and fame of Kwasind; No man dared to strive with Kwasind, No man could compete with Kwasind. But the mischievous Puk-Wudjies, They the envious Little People, They the fairies and the pygmies Plotted and conspired against him. "If this hateful Kwasind," said they, "If this great outrageous fellow Goes on thus a little longer, Tearing everything he touches, Rending everything to pieces, Filling all the world with wonder, What becomes of the Puk-Wudjies? Who will care for the Puk-Wudjies? He will tread us down like mushrooms, Drive us all into the water, Give our bodies to be eaten By the wicked Nee-ba-naw-baigs, By the Spirits of the water!" 6. Yehoyesh, "Dos lied fun Hayavatha," New York: "Yehoyesh" Ferlag, 1910, pp. 160-161; 224-5. a. XIII. Dos benshen fun di kukuruze-felder (lines 1-25) (bentshn) Zing, o lied fun Hayavatha. (lid) Fun di gute teg vos zaynen, Oyf dos land fun di Odzhibveys, Oyf dos shene land gekumen. (sheyne) Zing di heylige minhogim, (heylike) Fun Mondamin un dos benshen, (bentshn) Fun di kukuruze-felder. M'hot di blut'ge hak bagroben, (blutike...bagrobn) Un dem moyre'digen krigs-shtok, (moyredikn) M'hot bagroben ale vafen, (bagrobn... vafn) Un dem shlakhts-geshrey fargesen, (fargesn) Eyn folk friedlekh mit dem tsveyten. (fridlekh...tsveytn) Ruhig umgehn flegt der yeger, (ruik... umgeyn) Boyen zikh zayn birken-shifel, (birkn-shifl) Fangen fishen in di taykhen, (fangn... fishn... taykhn) Shisen hirshen, khapn* bibers; *with khes (shisn hirshn, khapn) Ruhig flegt di froy dem tsuker, (ruik) Zamlen fun di tsuker-boymen, Kleyben vilde rayz in lonke, (kleybn) Garben hirsh- un biber-felen. (garbn... -feln) Grin arum dem ruh'gen derfel, (ruikn derfl) Hot geglantst der kukuruze, Hoben zikh gevigt di federn, (hobn) Un di gold-loken Mondamin's, (goldlokn Mondamins) Filendig dos land mit shefe. (filndik) b. XVIII. Kvasind's toyt, lines 1-20 Vayt un breyt bay ale felker, Hot geshemt der nomen Kvasind's; Kvasinds Keyner nit gekent hot ranglen Oder mesten zikh mit Kvasind. mestn Di Pok-Vodzhes nor di shlekhte, Zey, di karlikes, farbunden farbundn Hoben zikh akegen Kvasind. hobn... akegn Zey gezogen hoben: Oyb Kvasind, gezogn hobn Der farhaster riez der frekher, riz Zol azoy zikh vayter fihren, firn Raysen alts tsu vos er rihrt zikh, raysn... rirt Brekhn yede zakh in shtiker, Un di velt mit vunder fillen -- filn Vos vet zayn fun di Pok-Vodzhis? Ver vet darfen di Pok-Vodzhis? darfn Er vet unz vi shvemlikh treten, undz... shvemlekh tretn Vet fartrayben unz in vaser, fartraybn undz Un mit unz're layber shpayzen undzere laybn shpayzn Vet di beyze Ni-be-no-beygs, Vet di gayster fun'm vaser. funem 7. Henri Longfelo. _Dos gezang fun hayavatha_, iberzetst fun Yehoyesh, ibergearbet -- Sh. Halkin. Moskve: Emes, 1937, pp. 120-121; 167-168. XIII. Dos bentshn di kukuruze felder (lines 1-26) Zing dos lid fun Hayavatha, Loyb di teg fun glik un fridn, Vos es zaynen ongeshtanen, In dem land fun di Odzhibveys, In dem libn land fun sholem; Loyb di heylike minhogim, Dem Mondamin soydesfuln, Loyb di brokhe af di felder. M'hot di blut-hak tif bagrobn Un dem groyzamdikn krigs-shtok, Yedes shlakht-gever bahaltn Un dos krigs-geshrey fargesn -- Fridn hersht dort tsvishn felker. Ruik umgeyn kon der yeger, Boyen zikh zayn birkn-shifl, Fangen fishn in di taykhn, Shisn hirshn, khapn bibers; Ruik kon di froy do zamlen Zaftn fun di tsuker-beymer, Klaybn vildn rayz in lonke, Hirsh- un biber-feln garben. Rund arum dem shtiln derfl Hot geglantst di kukuruze, Hot gegrint in breyte feder Un in goldlokn Mondamin, Shenkndik dem land zayn shefe. *** XVIII. Kvasinds toyt (lines 1-23) Vayt un breyt ba ale felker Hot geshemt der nomen Kvasind; Keyner hot dervegt zikh ranglen Tsi farmestn zikh mit Kvasind. Nor di karlikes Pokvodzhis, Nor di beyze nit-farginer Hobn gegn shtarkn Kvasind A geheymen bund geshlosn Un gezogt: "Oyb ot der Kvasind, Ot der frekher giber Kvasind, Zol azoy zikh vayter firn, Alts tseshtern, alts farnikhtn, Alts, tsu vos er rirt zikh tsu nor, Zol keyn ort keyn gantss nit blaybn, Un az gor di velt zol gafn, Fun zayn vunder-kraft zol shtoynen, -- Vos vet zayn fun di Pokvodzhis? Ver vet darfn di Pokvodzhis? Er vet undz nokh, vi di shvemlekh, Eynmol mit di fis tsetretn, Undzer fleysh un blut zol shpayzn Ale beyze Nibe-nobeygs, Ale gayster funem vaser." 8. Reading "Evigingo": ed. The main parodic strain in Volf's complex and fantastic "Evigingo" derives from its use of the trochaic tetrameter which immediately suggests Longellow's _Hiawatha_. Like _Hiawatha_, it's substance is legendary and mythic. The childless and aged hero, Gutamingo, searches for a promised son, Evigingo, through whom he hopes to realize a dimly-defined goal, perhaps eternity (Evigingo < _eybik_ 'eternal'). He sets forth on a long and arduous search. He is advised to travel to Weimar and to consult Goethe (enlightenment, Western culture) but by the time he arrives there, times have changed and Marx is the reigning philosopher. He does an aboutface and treks to Moscow. At the Red Square he visits Lenin's Tomb and is chased away by an indifferent guard, who also directs him to Professor Mirograyev (< Russian _mir_ 'world' + igrat 'play'), who will answer all his questions. Mirograyev is magician, seer, all-knowing sage and embodiment of Soviet science. He offers Gutamingo a number of directions, all of which prove false. His final words incorporate the author's own Thomas Hardian perspective, which sees in the meeting of "meydl-yingl" the only hope: Yonder a maid and her wight Come whispering by: War's annals will cloud into night Ere their story die.* (*Thomas Hardy, "In Time of 'The Breaking of Nations'") ------------------------------------------------------------ End of _The Mendele Review_ vol. 01, no. 008 Leonard Prager, editor Please direct all correspondence to: Leonard Prager 13/35 Dr. Kauders St. Haifa 35439, Israel email: lprager@research.haifa.ac.il