Der Rebbe Elimeylech. Yiddish folk song. English translation

Singing by Talila & Kol Aviv, translation into English by Alexandra Shamarova:

Once Rabbi Elimelekh
Was brave and merry,
He was brave and merry -
Elimelekh.
He took off his tefillin godly,
He picked up his glasses slowly,
He asked to send him two fiddlers to play.

Fiddles started trembling shyly,
They were moaning and crying,
They were moaning and crying so hard.
Although they were trembling,
Although they were scared,
They were singing and were playing from the heart.

Once Rabbi Elimelekh
Was braver than ever,
He let himself to be merry -
Elimelekh.
He took off his simple hat,
He put on his crazy cap,
He invited cymbalists to play.

The cymbalists came to him,
They were pulling at heartstrings
And they made the cymbals ring and sing.
They were dreaming, they were ringing,
They were whistling, they were singing,
They made all of us glance, bounce and dance.

Once Rabbi Elimelekh
Was the bravest and merriest,
He was the bravest and merriest -
Elimelekh.
Then, he sighed the deepest sigh
And he yawned the biggest yawn
And he asked the guests to have a rest.

But the bunch felt like they were happy,
They were drunk and they were merry
And they didn’t want to go home at all.
They were singing, they were dancing,
They were laughing, they were bouncing,
They were having joy together all night long.

Когда рэбэ Элимэлэх - Der Rebbe Elimeylech
Иной

Когда рэбэ Элимэлэх
И веселым был и смелым,
Был весёлым, смелым рэбэ Элимэлэх
Он снимал тфилИн набожно,
И очки брал осторожно
И просил прислать веселых скрипачей

Скрипки робко заиграли
И от страха задрожали,o
Задрожали, застонали скрипки эти,
А хотя и задрожали,
И от страха заиграли,
Заплясали и запели от души

Когда рэбэ Элимэлэх
Становился очень смелым,
Становился очень смелым Элимэлэх,
Он кончал все церемонии
И дела все посторонние,
И просил он барабанщиков прислать

Барабанят барабаны,
Бьются насмерть барабаны,
Избивает барабанщик барабаны,
Барабанят барабаны,
Бьются насмех барабаны,
И буянит бубном бодрый барабан

Когда рэбэ Элимэлэх
Был не в меру очень смелым,
Веселиться смел не в меру Элимэлэх,
Он снимал простую шапку,
Одевал лихую шляпку,
Цимбалистов он велел тотчас подать

Цимбалисты прибегали,
Раззвеневшись, забренчали,
И по струнам разгулялись цимбалисты,
Размечтавшись, разбренчались,
Раззвеневшись, разгулялись,
И плясал под свист удалый цимбалист

Когда рэбэ Элимэлэх
Стал совсем лихим и смелым,
Стал совсем лихим и смелым Элимэлэх,
Он зевнул - и мудро, складно
Произнёс – ну, хватит, ладно, -
И отправил всю капеллу отдыхать

Ну а пьяная капелла
Возвращаться не хотела,
Получил большую дулю Элимэлэх,
И веселая капелла
Пела радостно и смело
И играла, и плясала до утра,

А веселая капелла
Пела радостно и смело
И играла, и плясала до утра.