Text: Yehoash [Solomon Baumgarten]
Sung in Yiddish
There’s rejoicing in the woods,
It’s a holy day for the trees.
From dawn on, a wind bears
The good news from tree to tree.
A tremble runs through the branches,
There’s a sweet whisper,
As they creak and strain:
“Our time has also arrived.”
And man lovingly contemplates
The trees—his brothers,
And assists them in celebrating the holy day:
As their time is also here.
The forest is bedecked in snow,
White Rosh Hashanah (New Year) attire.
And for the holy day the heavens have
Cleared themselves of clouds.
And the sun, from sheer joy,
Sparkles on the white, snowy branches,
And decks them out in jewelry of its rays
And sprinkles them with diamonds.
Like wedding musicians in the morning
After a wedding,
The birds assemble and chirp:
“Your time has come, too.”
It’s a holy day for the trees,
Rosh Hashanah in the woods.
Earth and heaven, man and beast,
All wish them: “Happy Holyday!”
s’iz a simkhe in di velder,
ba di beymer iz a yom-tov.
fun baginen on a vintl trogt
fun boym tsu boym di bsure.
durkh di tsvaygn geyt a tsiter,
geyt a sheptsheray, a zise,
un zey knakn un zey shtrekn:
undzer tsayt iz oykh gekumen.
un es denkt der mentsh mit libshaft
on di beymer—di brider zayne,
un helft zey fayern dem yom-tov:
zeyer tsayt iz oykh gekumen.
mit a shney badekt der vald iz,
vayse rosh-hashone kleyder.
un der himl hot tsum yom-tov
oysgelaytert zikh fun volkn.
un di zun fun loyter simkhe
putst di vays bashneyte tsvaygn,
tut zey on takhshitim—shtraln
un bashpritst zey mit diamantn.
vi klezmorim af morgn
nokh a khasene farzamlen zikh
di feygelekh un zey piptshen:
ayer tsayt iz oykh gekumen.
s’iz a simkhe ba di beymer,
rosh-hashone in di velder
erd un himl, mentsh un khayes
ale vintshn zey: gut yom-tov!
