Mekhuteneste Mayne

M. Varshavsky

Unknown

Yiddish Lyrics

1.
Mekhuteneste mayne, mekhuteneste getraye,
Oy, lomir zayn oyf eibik mekhutonim.
Ikh gib aykh avek mayn tokhter far a shnur,
Zi zol ba aykh nit onvern dos ponim.

2.
Mekhuteneste mayne, mekhuteneste getraye,
Mayn kind zolt ir nisht fri oyfvekn,
Un tomer vet ir zen an avle oyf mayn kind,
Vi an eygene mame zolt ir dos fardekn.

3.
Mekhuteneste mayne, mekhuteneste getraye,
Oyf kinder hobn muz men blut fargisn,
Un tomer vet ir zen, az dre zun hot lib di shnur,
Zol es aykh gornisht fardrisn.

4.
Mekhuteneste mayne, mekhuteneste getraye
Ikh far tzu aykh mit a parikl
Tomer vet ir zayn
A shlak a beygzey shviger
Iz mayn tokhter oykhet an antikl

Translation

1.
My dear in-law, this is what I want to tell you.
Today, we have become relations.
I am giving you my own daughter for a daughter-in-law.
May she not lose face with you.

2.
My dear-in-law, this is what I want to tell you.
Do not wake my daughter too early in the morning.
And should you hear an evil word from her,
May you forgive as her own mother would.

3.
My dear in-law,
It needs much effort to bring up a child.
And if your son looks lovingly at his wife,
Do not keep a jealous eye on him.

4.
My dear in-law,
I am willing to bet you
That if you are going to be an angry, unforgiving
mother-in-law,
My daughter is quite a brilliant herself!

Half-joking and half-begging, a mother who is giving away a bride wants her daughter to be treated well in the in-laws' home. The sound clip featured below (in .wav format) is from the Klezmer Conservatory Band's site, from their album "A Jumpin' Night in Gan Eden". One of several "folksy" songs written by a prolific Kiev composer/songwriter Mark Varshavsky

Media

Added February 5th, 2020