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In 2017, Rabbi David Evan Markus prepared the end of Dr. King’s famous speech read at the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom (August 28, 1963) with trope (t’amim, cantillation marks). The following year on Facebook he shared a recording of the reading hosted on Soundcloud. Rabbi Markus writes, “This weekend at Temple Beth El of City Island, I offered the end of Dr. King’s 1963 “I Have a Dream” speech, which I set to haftarah trope because I hold Dr. King to be a prophet. When my community applauded, I offered President Obama’s response, ‘Don’t clap: vote.’ And do more than vote: organize, donate, volunteer, help, heal, advocate. Only then, in Dr. King’s words quoting Isaiah 40:5, will ‘all flesh see it together.'”
In transcribing Rabbi Markus’s cantillation into digital text, I had to Hebraicize the English text since Hebrew cantillation diacritical marks can only be combined with Hebrew letters. The orthography I’ve used is adapted from the convention we use for Yiddish which is similar to that suggested by YIVO. For Rabbi Markus’s original cantillation over the text of the speech in English, see below. The text of Rabbi Markus speech is abridged from the original and also replaces several words in places. Where this has occured I have placed those words in brackets and indicated abridgement with four dots.
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| Judeo-English (transliteration with cantillation) | Source (English) |
|---|---|
א֤ײַ סײ טוּ יוּ טו֨דײ, מ֣ײַ פרע֔נדז, דֿאַט אין ס֥פּײַט אָפ דֿע דיפיקאָל֖טיז [אנד פראָסטר֥ײשאָנס אָפ דֿע מומ֑ענט], א֥ײַ סטיל ה֖אב א דרים׃ איט א֧יז א דר֛ים דיפּ֥לי רוט֖עד אין דֿ֥ע אמעריק֖אן דרים׃ |
I say to you today, my friends, so even though we face the difficulties [and frustrations of the moment], I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. |
אײַ ה֤אב א דר֨ים דֿאט װ֣אָן ד֔ײ דֿיס נ֥ײשן װיל רײַז אָ֖פּ אנד ליב אָ֑וט דֿע ט֧רוּ מינ֣ינג אָפ איטס קר֗יד – “װי האָ֤לד דֿיס טר֨וּתֿס טוּ בּי ס֣עלפ עביד֔נט; דֿאט א֥ל מ֖ען אר קריעֶײט֥ד איקװאל”׃ |
I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: “We hold these truths to be self-evident; that all men are created equal.” |
אײַ ה֨אב א דר֜ים דֿאט װ֧אָן ד֛ײ אָן דֿע ר֥עד הילז אָפ גֿאָרגֿ֖א דֿע ס֣אָנז אָפ פאָרמר סל֑ײבז אנד דֿע ס֤אָנז אָפ פאָרמר סל֣ײב אָװנרז װיל בּי ע֥ײבּל טוּ ס֖יט דאָװן טוּג֑עדֿר אַת א ט֖ײבּל אַפ בּראָדֿרהוּד׃ |
I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood…. |
אײַ ה֠אב א֣ דר֡ים דֿאט מ֨ײַ…שֿילדר֜ען װיל װ֣אָן ד֗ײ ל֤יב אין א נײש֨ן װײר דֿ֣ײ װיל נאט בּי גֿאָ֔גֿד בּײַ דֿע ק֥אָלר אָפ דֿײר סק֖ין בּאָט בּײַ דֿע קאנט֣ענט אָפ דֿײר קארעק֑טר. אײַ ה֥אב א דר֖ים טודײ׃ |
I have a dream that my…children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today. |
אײַ ה֣אב א דר֞ים דֿאט װ֣אָן ד֡ײ דֿע סט֣ײט אָפ אלאבּאמא….[װ֨יל בּי טראנזפאָרמ֜ד אינטוּ א סיט֧יועײשן װײר] ליטל בּל֛אק בּױז אנד בּל֥אק גרל֖ז װיל בּי עײבּ֥ל טוּ גֿאָין האנ֑דס װיתֿ ליט֤ל װײַט בּ֨ױז אנד װ֣ײַט גר֔לז [אנד װ֥אק טוגעדֿ֖ר] אז סיסט֥ערס אנד בּראָדֿרס׃ |
I have a dream that one day down in Alabama….[will be transformed into a situation where] little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls [and walk together] as sisters and brothers. |
אײַ ה֥אב א דר֖ים טודײ׃ אײַ ה֧אב א דר֛ים דֿאט װ֥אָן ד֖ײ עברי ב֥אלי שאל בּי עקס֑אלטד, עברי ה֨יל אנד מאָנט֜ען שאל בּי מײד לאָ֗, דֿע ר֤אפ פּלײסעז װיל בּי מ֣ײד פּל֔ײן, אנד דֿע קר֨וּקעד פּ֡לײסז֜ װ֥יל בּי מ֖ײד סטר֑ײט, אנד דֿע גל֤אָרי אפ דֿע לאָר֨ד שאל בּ֣י ריב֔ילד, אנד א֥ל פלעש שאל ס֖י איט טוגעדֿר׃ |
I have a dream today. I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exhalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together. |
דֿיס איז אָװר ה֡אָפּ ׀ דֿיס איז דֿע פ֗ײתֿ….[װיתֿ װ֤ישֿ] װי װיל בּי עײבּ֨ל טוּ טראנספאָר֔ם דֿע גֿײנ֥גלינג דיסקאָר֖דס אָפ אָװר נײש֑ן אינטוּ א בּיוּט֧יפוּל סימ֛פאָני אָפ֖ בּראָדֿרהוּד׃ |
This is our hope. This is the faith….[with which] we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. |
װ֤יתֿ דֿיס פ֨ײתֿ װי װיל בּ֣י עײבּל טוּ װר֥ק טוּגעדֿ֖ר, טוּ פּר֥ײ טוּגעדֿ֑ר, טוּ סטר֧אגל טוּגעדֿ֛ר, טוּ ג֥אָ טוּ גֿ֖ײל טוגעדֿר, טוּ סט֥אנד אפּ פאָר פרידאָם טוגעדֿ֑ר, נאָװינ֥ג דֿאט װ֖י װיל בּי פ֥רי װאן דײ׃ |
With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day. |
דֿ֣יס װיל בּי דֿע ד֣ײ װען א֨ל אָפ גאטז שֿילד֜רען װיל בּי עײבּ֣ל טוּ סינ֣ג װיתֿ א נוּ מינ֗ינג, “מ֤ײַ קאנ֨טרי ט֣יס אפ דֿי֔ ס֥װיט לאנ֖ד אָפ ליבּ֑ערטי אָפ דֿ֖י אײַ סינג׃ ל֤אנד װ֨ײר מײַ פ֣אדֿרז ד֔ײַד, ל֥אנד אפ דֿ֖א פּילג֥רימז פּר֑ײַד פראָם עב֧רי מאָװנ֛טעסײַד ל֥עט פריד֖אָם רינג”׃ |
This will be the day when all of God’s children will be able to sing with new meaning, “My country ’tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the Pilgrims’ pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring.” |
….װ֤ען װי [ל֨עט] פריד֣אָם רינ֔ג, װען װ֥י לעט איט רינ֖ג פראָם עברי ב֥ילעגֿ אנד עברי המ֑לעט, פראָם עברי סט֤ײט אנד עברי ס֨יטי, װי װ֣יל בּי עײבּ֔ל טוּ ספּ֧יד אָ֣פּ דֿאט ד֗ײ װען א֤ל אָפ גאטז שֿיל֨דרען, בּלאק מ֣ען אנד װ֔ײַט מען, גֿ֣וּז אנד גֿענ֔טײַלז, פּראָט֥עסטאנטס אנד קאדֿ֖אָליקס, װיל בּי עײבּ֥ל טוּ גֿאָײן האנ֑דז א֣נד סינ֡ג אין דֿע װר֣דז אָפ דֿע אָלד ניגרוֹ ספּיר֗יטוּאל, “פרי א֥ט לאסט! פרי אט לאס֖ט! דֿײנק ג֥אָט אלמײטי, װי אר פרי אט לאסט!”׃ |
….when we [let] freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God’s children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, “Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!” |
Judeo-English added by Aharon Varady.
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“💬 “I have a Dream” by Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (1963), cantillated by Rabbi David Evan Markus” is shared through the Open Siddur Project under their Fair Use Right (17 U.S. Code §107 - Limitations on exclusive rights: Fair use), in respect to the copyrighted material included. Any additional work that is not already in the Public Domain is shared under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license.
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