Am Grabe eines jungen Bruders | At the grave of one's younger brother, a teḥinah by Lise Tarlau (1907)

Source Link: https://opensiddur.org/?p=48341

Date: 2023-01-09

Last Updated: 2025-03-27

Categories: Mourning

Tags: 20th century C.E., 57th century A.M., cemetery prayers, German vernacular prayer, Jewish Women's Prayers, prayers for siblings, Teḥinot in German, תחינות teḥinot

Excerpt: "Am Grabe eines jungen Bruders" by Lisa Tarlau can be found in Rabbi Max Grunwald's anthology of Jewish women's prayer, Beruria: Gebet- und Andachtsbuch für jüdische Frauen und Mädchen (1907), pages 546-547. . . .

Content:

Source (German)	Translation (English)
Am Grabe eines jungen Bruders.	At the grave of one’s younger brother.
Bruder! Wie ein stolzer Krieger, Wie ein stolzer, tapfrer Krieger, Plötzlich fällt im heißen Kampfe, Ehe der verdiente Lorbeer Ihm die Siegerstirne schmückte, So bist du von uns gegangen, Nicht gekrönt noch mit den Kränzen, Die für dich gewunden waren, Und die aus der Hand des Lebens Schweigend nahm der stille Tod.	Brother! Like a proud warrior, Like a proud, brave warrior, Suddenly falls in hot battle, Before the laurel he deserves Adorned his victor’s brow, That’s how you left us, Uncrowned with the wreaths That were prepared for you, And which from the hand of life Silent death stealthily took.
Du warst jung, und deine Jugend Schlug die Schlachten deines Lebens Mit dem frohen Mut des Kindes. Stark und hell war deine Seele, Treu und schweigsam deine Liebe, Wie ein Baum des Waldes warst du, Der ein Stolz ist den Genossen, Und an dessen kühle Rinde Der vom Weg bestaubte Wandrer Gerne lehnt das heiße Haupt.	You were young, and your youth Fought the battles of your life With the joyful courage of a child. Strong and bright was your soul, Faithful and silent was your love, Like a tree of the forest you were, The pride of its companions, And on whose cool bark The road-weary wanderer Gladly leans their sweltering head.
Du warst jung, und deine Jugend Schien kein Mißgeschick zu kennen. Wer in deiner Nähe lebte, Wurde froh an deiner Freude, Wurde stark an deiner Stärke, Lernte Mut von deinem Mut, Unverwundbar schienst du allen, Als ob dich ein Zauber schüße, Ein geheimnisvoller Zauber, Doch der Zauber war dein Herz.	You were young, and your youth Seemed to know no misfortune. Those who lived close by you, Became glad in your joy, Became strong in your strength, Learned courage from your courage, You seemed invulnerable to all, As if by some magic you were protected, A mysterious magic, But the magic was your heart.
Du warst jung, Triumphgesänge Schien das Leben dir zu dichten, Da erklang das Lied des Todes Und berauschte deine Seele, Daß sie müde unseres Treibens Sich zur ew’gen Heimat wandte, Und uns einsam ließ zurück. Was uns blieb, ist ein Erinnern, Ein Erinnern, das zur Klage Hier an deinem Grabe wird.	You were young, triumphant songs Life seemed to compose for you, Then the song of death sounded And intoxicated your soul, So that, tired of our labors To the eternal home it turned, And left us lonely. What we have left is a memory, A memory that becomes a lament Here at your grave.

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“Am Grabe eines jungen Bruders” by Lisa Tarlau can be found in Rabbi Max Grunwald’s anthology of Jewish women’s prayer, Beruria: Gebet- und Andachtsbuch für jüdische Frauen und Mädchen (1907), pages 546-547.

The transcription of the German provided machine-readable text for machine translations by DeepL, which we then edited for accuracy and clarity. We welcome any/all corrections, improvements, and additional transcriptions and translations of this work’s contents. –Aharon Varady

Source(s)

 

Contributor: Aharon N. Varady (transcription)

Co-authors:

• 
  Name: Lise Tarlau
  Bio: Lise Tarlau (also known as L'Ysaye/Isaye/Ysaye/Ysale, Lisa, Lize, Elizabeth, Luise, and Louise Tarleau; 1879-1952), was a writer born to a prominent Viennese Bohemian Jewish family, the daughter of Rabbi Dr. Joseph Samuel Bloch and Laura Lachmann. In an essay published in 1906, "The Religious Problem," she expressed enthusiasm for Zionism and a deep sympathy for East European, Yiddish speaking Jewry, praising them for having retained their own distinctive cultural identity and their own language. This posture was accompanied by harsh criticism of Western European Jewish cultural assimilation, writing that they have “lived as parasites on the creative possibilities of the dreams of beauty of other peoples” (as quoted in Peter Singer's Pushing Time Away, 2003). Before emigrating to the United States in 1908, nearly two dozen prayers she wrote were published in Beruria (1907), an anthology of teḥinot in German compiled by her sister's husband Rabbi Dr. Max Grunwald. A decade later in the US, Houghton Mifflin Company and Riverside Press published The Inn of Disenchantment (1917), a collection of her prose and several short stories. Tarlau's fiction also appeared in major magazines of the day, including The Nation (105:2725, September 20, 1917), The Atlantic Monthly (in 1919), and Harper's Magazine. In 1924, her short story "Loutré" was awarded second place in Harper's first ever short story contest. During World War II, she wrote a number of scripts for radio and film and worked as a translator for the US military. Several of her works were included in The Fireside Book of Romance (ed. C. Edward Wagenknecht, 1948). She died on October 9, 1952 in Kew Gardens, Queens, Long Island, New York.
  Website: https://www.geni.com/people/Louise-Tarlau/6000000039642814681
  Profile Link: https://opensiddur.org/profile/lise-tarlau
• 
  Name: Aharon N. Varady (transcription)
  Bio: Aharon Varady (M.A.J.Ed./JTSA Davidson) is a volunteer transcriber for the Open Siddur Project. If you find any mistakes in his transcriptions, please let him know. Shgiyot mi yavin; Ministarot naqeni שְׁגִיאוֹת מִי־יָבִין; מִנִּסְתָּרוֹת נַקֵּנִי "Who can know all one's flaws? From hidden errors, correct me" (Psalms 19:13). If you'd like to directly support his work, please consider donating via his Patreon account. (Varady also translates prayers and contributes his own original work besides serving as the primary shammes of the Open Siddur Project and its website, opensiddur.org.)
  Website: https://aharon.varady.net
  Profile Link: https://opensiddur.org/profile/aharon-varady-transcription

Featured Image:

Title: Am Grabe einer jungen Bruders (Lise Tarlau 1907) – cropped
Caption: Am Grabe einer jungen Bruders (Lise Tarlau 1907) - cropped