Shulamis

Abraham Goldfaden

1881

Characters

Maenoyakh, an old citizen of Bethlehem

Shulamis, his daughter

Avisholom, a young hero descended from the Maccabees.

Fourth Scene

Avisholom

I shall not leave here until I have rested

Jerusalem is still such a long way to go.

Here I have water, that’s certainly good

And raisins and almonds, that too isn’t bad.

[He unties his bundle]

Raisins and almonds—it reminds me of the little song

With which Bas-Tsion, the Daughter of Zion,

Sang her son, Yidele, softly to sleep:

Inside the Temple in a corner room,

Sits the poor widow Bas-Tsion alone.

She rocks her son Yidele gently to sleep

And this is the song that she sings all the while:

“Under Yidele’s cradle tonight

Stands a kid with a coat of pure white,

The kid goes to market to buy.

That is the trade you will ply—

Raisins and almonds to eat,

Yidele, sleep now, my sweet!”

The song is a prophecy, Yidele mine:

You’ll be dispersed all over the world

And be a merchant of grains of all kinds.

You will grow wealthy and prosper in time.

And when you are wealthy, a prosperous man,

You should remember the song that I sang:

“Raisins and almonds to eat,

That is the trade you will ply.

Yidele will sell and will buy,

Yidele, sleep now, my sweet!”

III

Times will be coming of stocks and of bonds,

With markets all over the world.

You’ll be greatest of bankers on earth,

And you will grow richer than ever before.

And when you are wealthy, a prosperous man,

You should remember the song that I sang:

“Raisins and almonds to eat

That is the trade you will ply.

Yidele will sell and will buy,

Yidele, sleep now my sweet!”

Times will be coming of fast railway trains,

They will soon cover the earth like a flood.

You will lay roadways of iron and steel,

Growing much richer than ever before.

And when you are wealthy, a prosperous man,

You should remember the song that I sang:

“Raisins and almonds to eat,

That is the trade you will ply.

Yidele will sell and will buy,

Yidele, sleep now, my sweet!”

[He finishes singing, puts down his bundle and picks up his water-bottle.]

I’ve eaten a bit, not as much as I’d like, But washing it down with some water is good.

[He gets up to go to the well, and as he bends down to fill up with water, he hears a scream from the well. Out of fear he drops the bottle and jumps back from the well. He sings:]

What is that I hear?

A devil’s voice, I fear!

Shulamis:

[ from the well]: I will bless this unknown man—Oh, please, Sir, save me if you can!

Sheet music with English and Yiddish lyrics.

Translated by Solon Beinfeld.

Credits

Abraham Goldfaden, Shulamis, oder, Bas-Yerusholayim (London : Mazin end ḳomp., 1883), prologue, 7–9, http://archive.org/details/nybc204570.

Published in: The Posen Library of Jewish Culture and Civilization, vol. 6.

Shulamis

Fourth Scene

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