Source Link: https://opensiddur.org/?p=37153
open_content_license: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) 4.0 International copyleft licenseDate: 2021-05-19
Last Updated: 2022-03-24
Categories: 7th Day of Pesaḥ, Nirtsah
Tags: 19th century C.E., hymns, spirituals, זמירות zemirot
Excerpt: The African-American Christian spiritual adapted for a Pesaḥ song in Hebrew and English. . . .
Translation (Hebrew) | Source (English) |
---|---|
מִרְיָם שִׁירִי אַל־תִּבְכִּי עוֹד
מִרְיָם שִׁירִי אַל־תִּבְכִּי עוֹד צְבָא מְצָרִים הֻטְבַּע אָז מִרְיָם אַל־תִּבְכִּי עוֹד׃ |
Whoa, Mary, don’t you weep no more!
Whoa, Mary, don’t you weep no more! Pharaoh’s army got drownded! Whoa, Mary don’t you weep! |
אִם הָיָה אֶפְשָׁר לָקוּם
בְּצוּר מֹשֶׁה לִרְאוֹת קִיּוּם צְבָא וגו׳ |
If I could I surely would
stand on the rock where Moses stood! Pharaoh’s army… |
בַּלַּיְלָה הַבָּא בִּזְמַן כַּחֲצוֹת
בְּכׇל־הָעוֹלָם תִּהְיֶינָה רְעִידוֹת צְבָא וגו׳ |
One of these nights ‘round twelve o’clock,
this old world’s gonna reel and rock! Pharaoh’s army… |
צִוָּה לְמשֶׁה מָה לַעֲשׂוֹת
לְכׇל־יִשְׂרָאֵל בָּנִים וּבָנוֹת צְבָא וגו׳ |
God told Moses what to do,
to lead the Hebrew children through! Pharaoh’s army… |
עָמַד מֹשֶׁה עַל־שְׂפַת הַיָּם
הִכָּה אֶת־הַמַּיִם לִפְנֵי כׇל־הָעָם צְבָא וגו׳ |
Moses stood on the Red Sea shore,
smote the water with a two-by-four! Pharaoh’s army… |
נָתַן לְנֹחַ אֶת־הַסִּימָן
שֶׁאֵין עוֹד מַיִם אַךְ אֵשׁ בִּזְמַן צְבָא וגו׳ |
God gave Noah the rainbow sign:
No more water, but fire next time! Pharaoh’s army… |
“Mary Don’t You Weep” (alternately titled “O Mary Don’t You Weep”, “Oh Mary, Don’t You Weep, Don’t You Mourn”, or variations thereof) is a Spiritual that originates from before the American Civil War. It is one of the most important of Negro spirituals.[1] via Wikipedia Singing this hymn is a Gantwerk Mayer family Passover tradition. This is the variation of the hymn sung at their seder during Nirtsah.
Contributor: Isaac Gantwerk Mayer (translation)
Co-authors:
Featured Image:
Title: Melancholy (Odilon Redon 1876)
Caption: Melancholy (Odilon Redon 1876)