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Fahrshtaist

by Arthur H Rosen

Glossary at end of piece

Sadly when I hear it now, I only get the gist,
My bubbeh spoke it beautifully; but me, I am tsemisht.

So och un vai as I should say, or even oy vai iz mir,
Though my pisk is lacking Yiddish, it's familiar to my ear.

And I'm no Chaim Yonkel , in fact I was shtick naches,
But, when it comes to Yiddish though, I'm talking out my tuchas.
Es iz a shandeh far di kinder that I don't know it better
(Though it's really nisht-geferlech when one needs to write a letter)

But, when it comes to characters there's really no contention,
No other linguist can compete with honorable mentshen.

They have nebbishes and nebechels and others without mazel,
Then too, schmendriks and schlemiels and let's not forget schlemazel.

These words are so precise and descriptive to the listener,
So much better than "a pill"- is to call someone farbissener.

Or that a brazen woman would be better called chaleria,
And you'll agree farklempt says more than does hysteria.

I'm not haken dir a tsheinik and I hope I'm not a kvetch,
But isn't 'mieskeit' kinder than to call someone a wretch?

Mitten derinnen, I hear bubbeh say, It's nechtiker tog, don't fear,
To me you're still a maven, zol zein shah, don't fill my ear.

A leyben ahf dein keppele, I don't mean to interrupt,
But you are speaking narishkeit. And A gezunt auf dein kop!