Grine Kuzine

Di Grine Kuzine

Tsu mir iz gekumen a kuzine
Sheyn vi gold iz zi geven, di grine
Bekelakh vi royte pomerantsn
Fiselakh vos betn zich tsum tantsn.

Herelakh vi zaydn-veb gelokte
Tseyndelekh vi perelakh getokte
Eygelakh vi himl-bloy in friling
Lipelekh vi karshelekh a tsviling.

Nisht gegangen iz zi, nor [bad word] 
Nisht geret hot zi, nor gezungen
Lebedik un freylekh yede mine -
Ot aza geven iz mayn kuzine.

Un azoy ariber tseyner yorn
Fun mayn kuzine iz a tel gevorn
"Peides" hot zi vokhenlang geklibn
Biz fun ir iz gornisht nit geblibn.

Haynt az ikh bagegen mayn kuzine
Un ikh freg ir: S'makhtsu epes, Grine?
Ziftst zi op, un kh'leyen in ir mine:
Brenen zol Colombus' es medine!

There came to me a green cousin,
And a beauty, and a green one.
Little cheeks like red oranges
Little feet that only beg to dance.

(Und dan gekummen meyne nexdorke
Voz zi hot a millinery shtorke
dzhob hot zi gehad for meyne [bad word] #33;
zei sheyn iz Columbus’es medineh!.)

(And then came my next-door  neighbor
What she had a small millenary store
She had a job for my cousin!
How wonderful, Columbus’s country!)

And now after tens of years,
My cousin became a wreck,
(Work for) Paydays took their toll
From her, nothing good remained..

Now [bad word] into my cousin
And I ask, how are you doing, Greenie?
She sighs and I can read  it in her eyes:
“Go to [bad word]  Columbus’s country.”