I couldn't decide if this went in literature, poetry or fine art, so here it is in the general area. The following is a poem I was inspired to write over the last few days, based on a poem my uncle used to tell us at Thanksgiving. I'm attaching my illustrations too. Warning: This poem is written mostly in English but contains also words in Hebrew and Yiddish. I've tried to explain everything as best as I could. Enjoy.
In Fourteen-Ninety-Two,
Columbus was a Jew.
He sailed to the British
And taught them to make Kiddish[1].
He sailed to the Celts
And took away their Gelt[2].
He sailed to the Scots 'n' Irish
And caught him some gefilte-fish[3].
In Fourteen-Ninety-Two,
Columbus was a Jew.
He sailed to the French
And taught them how to bench[4].
He sailed to the Gauls
And gave them matzo-balls[5].
He sailed to Rome
And said shalom[6].
In Fourteen-Ninety-Two,
Columbus was a Jew.
He sailed to the Goth
And baked them some Pas[7].
He sailed to the Visigot's[8]
And gave them cholent[9] pots.
He sailed to the Danes
And taught them to lein[10].
In Fourteen-Ninety-Two,
Columbus was a Jew.
He sailed to the Poles[11]
And taught them to pray with their hearts and souls.
He went to Ukraine
And made some chreyn[12].
He sailed to the Russians
And taught them der mameh lashen[13].
He went to the Slavs
And gave them lulavs[14].
In Fourteen-Ninety-Two,
Columbus was a Jew.
He sailed to Tibet
And brought along mal’achei sharet[15].
He went to far-eastern China
And taught 'em a Talmudic tainah[16].
He sailed to the Japs
And drank with them Schnapps[17].
[1] Blessing on wine or grape juice, usually done during Shabbat and holidays.
[2] Yiddish for “money”, nowadays often has a connotation reminding of the Jewish Dreidel game.
[3] Yiddish for “stuffed fish”.
[4] Yiddish for “blessing”, more commonly used for the post-eating blessing.
[5] Dumplings made out of matzah crumbs, eggs and other stuff, usually found in soup.
[6] Hebrew for “Hello” or “Peace”.
[7] From Hebrew “Pat Yisrael”, bread of (made by) Israel. Pronounced “PAH-ss”.
[8] Visigoths.
[9] Yiddish for “meat stew”. Originally from French.
[10] Yiddish word referring to the special reading of the Torah and Tanach according to the mesoratic style.
[11] Polish people and not North & South Poles.
[12] Yiddish, spicy paste made out of horseradish.
[13] Yiddish for “the mother tongue”, a reference to the Yiddish language.
[14] Palm branches used during the holiday of Sukkot (booths/huts).
[15] Hebrew for “servant-angels”, a reference to the two angels that are said to (invisibly) protect every person.
[16] From Hebrew “Ta’anah”, “argument”.
[17] A type of liquor.
In Fourteen-Ninety-Two,
Columbus was a Jew.
He sailed to the British
And taught them to make Kiddish[1].
He sailed to the Celts
And took away their Gelt[2].
He sailed to the Scots 'n' Irish
And caught him some gefilte-fish[3].
In Fourteen-Ninety-Two,
Columbus was a Jew.
He sailed to the French
And taught them how to bench[4].
He sailed to the Gauls
And gave them matzo-balls[5].
He sailed to Rome
And said shalom[6].
In Fourteen-Ninety-Two,
Columbus was a Jew.
He sailed to the Goth
And baked them some Pas[7].
He sailed to the Visigot's[8]
And gave them cholent[9] pots.
He sailed to the Danes
And taught them to lein[10].
In Fourteen-Ninety-Two,
Columbus was a Jew.
He sailed to the Poles[11]
And taught them to pray with their hearts and souls.
He went to Ukraine
And made some chreyn[12].
He sailed to the Russians
And taught them der mameh lashen[13].
He went to the Slavs
And gave them lulavs[14].
In Fourteen-Ninety-Two,
Columbus was a Jew.
He sailed to Tibet
And brought along mal’achei sharet[15].
He went to far-eastern China
And taught 'em a Talmudic tainah[16].
He sailed to the Japs
And drank with them Schnapps[17].
[1] Blessing on wine or grape juice, usually done during Shabbat and holidays.
[2] Yiddish for “money”, nowadays often has a connotation reminding of the Jewish Dreidel game.
[3] Yiddish for “stuffed fish”.
[4] Yiddish for “blessing”, more commonly used for the post-eating blessing.
[5] Dumplings made out of matzah crumbs, eggs and other stuff, usually found in soup.
[6] Hebrew for “Hello” or “Peace”.
[7] From Hebrew “Pat Yisrael”, bread of (made by) Israel. Pronounced “PAH-ss”.
[8] Visigoths.
[9] Yiddish for “meat stew”. Originally from French.
[10] Yiddish word referring to the special reading of the Torah and Tanach according to the mesoratic style.
[11] Polish people and not North & South Poles.
[12] Yiddish, spicy paste made out of horseradish.
[13] Yiddish for “the mother tongue”, a reference to the Yiddish language.
[14] Palm branches used during the holiday of Sukkot (booths/huts).
[15] Hebrew for “servant-angels”, a reference to the two angels that are said to (invisibly) protect every person.
[16] From Hebrew “Ta’anah”, “argument”.
[17] A type of liquor.
