Eternal life

דאָס אײביקע לעבן

In the penultimate song of the cycle, the mood changes. In the first stanza, Gebirtig says he has long wished for an end to his life. After all, sooner or later, he will not cheat death. But in the second stanza he says when sees all the wonders when people, like eagles, soar, he wishes that someone would discover eternal life.

This setting was composed in summer 2020 and first performed at the online Yiddish Open Mike.

Source: Mayn Fayfele, page 113

I would for a long time have made an end to my life
And end for once and all to the suffering
Sooner or later, what is the point
Death will finally not spare me

But when I see the endless wonders
When people, like eagles, soar
Then I hope that someone will, at some point
Discover eternal life

Kh’volt lang gemakht tsu mayn lebn an ek
a sof shoyn a mol tsu di laydn
tsi frier, tsi shpeter, vos iz do der tsvek
der toyt vet mikh endlekh nisht maydn

Nor ven ikh derze do di vunder on tsol
ven mentshn, vi odlers shoyn shvebn
dan hof ikh, az efsher vet eyner a mol
derfinen dos eybike lebn


כ’װאָלט לאַנג געמאַכט צו מײַן לעבן אַן עק
אַ סאָף שױן אַ מאָל צו די לײדן
צי פֿריער, צי שפּעטער, װאָס איז דאָ דער צװעק
דער טױט װעט מיך ענדלעך נישט מײַדן

נאָר װען איך דערזע דאָ די װוּנדער אָן צאָל
װען מענטשן, װי אָדלערס שױן שװעבן
דאַן האָף איך, אַס אפֿשר װעט אײנער אַ מאָל
דערפֿינען דאָס אײביקע לעבן