יְצִיב פִּתְגָם לַפּוּרִים | Yetsiv Pitgam for Purim, by Avraham Menaḥem Mendel Mohr (1855)

Source Link: https://opensiddur.org/?p=54933

Date: 2024-03-19

Last Updated: 2025-04-25

Categories: Purim

Tags: 19th century C.E., 57th century A.M., Aramaic, English Translation, parody, Purim parody, purimspiel, יציב פתגם Yetsiv Pitgam, פיוטים piyyuṭim

Excerpt: This is a parody riffing on the piyyut Yetsiv Pitgam for Purim by Avraham Menaḥem Mendel Mohr from his Kol Bo l'Purim (1855) transcribed and translated from Hebrew into English by Isaac Gantwerk Mayer. . . .

Content:

Source (Aramaic)	Translation (English)
יְצִיב פִּתְגָם דְלוֹט מִסְדוֹם בְּרִבּוֹ רִבְבָן שִׁכּוּרִין	Steadfast is the word of Lot from Sodom in the hundreds of thousands of drunkards.
שָׁתֵי אֲנָא מְחֶנְוָנָא דְזַבִּן לַעֲנִיִּין וְעַשִׂירִין	I drank from the shopkeeper who sold to poor and rich.
חֲבִיתוֹהִי לְגוֹ מוֹהִי נָגֵד וְנָפֵק נְהַר דְּנוּרִין	His barrels flowed and descended fiery streams[1] Find Daniel 7:10  into the liquid.
בְּמֵי דִבְשׁוּתָא וְיַיִן שְׂרָפוּתָא וְזִיקִין דְּנוּר וּבָעוּרִין	In the honeyed liquid, and burnt wine,[2] Referring to distilled beverages  and fiery sparks and burning,[3] Find Talmud Bavli, Bava Metzia 85b
שְׁתָא וּסְבָא מַה בַּחֲבִיתָּא וְעִמֵּיהּ שַׁרְיָין נְהוֹרִין	Drink and gorge what is in the barrel, and with it, lights dwell.
מַשְׁקִין שְׁתָא בְּלָא פִּסְקָא וְגַלְיָן לֵיהּ דְּמִטַטְרִין	Drink beverages without ceasing, and the Heavenly Scribe is revealed to him.
בְּעֵית מִנֵיהּ יַת יֵינֵיהּ וּבַתְרוֹהִי דּוּבְשָׁה וּמֵי פֵּירִין	Ask him for his wine, and after it mead[4] Note: the Hebrew says dvash, “honey.” This might refer to sweet wine, wine with honey added, or some other fermented honey product. I’ve chosen to consistently translate it as “mead” to preserve the implications of ”honey” and ”alcoholic.”  and fruit juice.
יוֹדְעֵי הִלְכָתָא מֵיכְלָא וּמִשְׁתָּא מִשׁוּפְרֵי שׁוּפְרִין	Knowers of the halakha eat and drink the very best.
מַיָּא חַיָּא לְעָלְמַיָּא יְתָרְכוּן וְלָא מְשַׁחֲרִין	Eternal living waters they release and do not rise early.
אָמִיר עֲלֵיהֹן בְּטֵלִין יְהוֹן ולָא יִתְחַשְׁבוּן הֵיךְ עַפְרִין	It is said of them, they are nullified, and should not be thought of as dust.
יִשְׁתוּן כְּעָן חַכִּים וְרַבָּן יְטוּפוּן עֵינוֹהִי חַמְרִין	Sage and rabbi will drink now, their eyes drowning in wines.
רְעוּתָן הַב וְאַפָּנָא צְהַב יְנַהֲרוּן כִּנְהַר צַפְרִין	Give our desire, and jaundice our face; let them shine like the morning light!
לִי הַב חַמְרָא כְּמָא דְאִתְאַמְרָא בִּמְסֵכְתָּא פּוּרִים וּשְׁאָר סָפְרִין	Give me wine as had been commended in Masekhet Purim[5] The quintessential work of Purim Torah, written by Kalonymus ben Kalonymus in the fourteeenth century  and other books.
וִיהוֹן עֲדָנָא לְגוֹ נַפְשָׁתָנָא לִבְסוּמֵי בְּיוֹמָא דְפּוּרִין	And let it be pleasant towards our souls to be soused on this day of Purim.
יְרַוֵי יָתָן נוּנָא כְּלִוְיָתָן בְּכֵן לֵיהּ נַמְטֵי אַפְרִין	May Leviathan-like fish quench us; thus let us offer praise![6] Find See Talmud Bavli, Bava Metzia 119a

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This is a parody riffing on the piyyut Yetsiv Pitgam for Purim by Avraham Menaḥem Mendel Mohr from his Kol Bo l’Purim (1855) transcribed and translated from Hebrew into English by Isaac Gantwerk Mayer.

Source(s)

 

Notes

Notes

1	Find Daniel 7:10
2	Referring to distilled beverages
3	Find Talmud Bavli, Bava Metzia 85b
4	Note: the Hebrew says dvash, “honey.” This might refer to sweet wine, wine with honey added, or some other fermented honey product. I’ve chosen to consistently translate it as “mead” to preserve the implications of ”honey” and ”alcoholic.”
5	The quintessential work of Purim Torah, written by Kalonymus ben Kalonymus in the fourteeenth century
6	Find See Talmud Bavli, Bava Metzia 119a

Contributor: Isaac Gantwerk Mayer (transcription & naqdanut)

Co-authors:

• 
  Name: Avraham Menaḥem Mendel Mohr
  Bio: Avraham Menaḥem Mendel Mor (April 11 , 1815 - 29th May 1868), born in Lemberg, was a Galician Jewish scholar, publisher, translator and author in Hebrew and Yiddish. He was one of the members of the Haskala movement in Galicia. Mortkhe Yofe has a nice article written up for him at the Congress for Jewish Culture.
  Website: https://he.wikipedia.org/wiki/אברהם_מנחם_מנדל_מור
  Profile Link: https://opensiddur.org/profile/avraham-menahem-mendel-mohr
• 
  Name: Isaac Gantwerk Mayer (transcription & naqdanut)
  Bio: From a family of musicians, Isaac Gantwerk Mayer believes that creative art is one of the most powerful ways to get in touch with the divine. He composes music and poetry in Hebrew and English. (He also translates and authors his own original works.) Isaac runs a Jewish music transcription service, which will transcribe and set any Jewish music in any language, recorded or written. Contact his service on Facebook or via his music blog.
  Website: https://igmjewishcreativeworks.com
  Profile Link: https://opensiddur.org/profile/isaac-gantwerk-mayer-transcription
• 
  Name: Isaac Gantwerk Mayer (translation)
  Bio: From a family of musicians, Isaac Gantwerk Mayer believes that creative art is one of the most powerful ways to get in touch with the divine. He composes music and poetry in Hebrew and English. (He also authors his own original works and transcribes Hebrew and Aramaic text, adding niqqud and t'amim as needed.) Isaac runs a Jewish music transcription service, which will transcribe and set any Jewish music in any language, recorded or written. Contact his service on Facebook or via his music blog.
  Website: https://igmjewishcreativeworks.com
  Profile Link: https://opensiddur.org/profile/isaac-gantwerk-mayer-translation

Featured Image:

Title: jonah and the fish from bl add 21160 f 292 510120 1024
Caption: jonah and the fish from bl add 21160 f 292 510120 1024