Oath — Jordan Wax

The Oath / Di Shvue

(S. Ansky, 1902)

ברידער און שװעסטער פֿון אַרבעט און נויט

Brider un shvester fun arbet un neyt

Brothers and sisters of work and need

אַלע װאָס זײַנען צעזײט און צעשפּרייט

Ale vos zaynen tsezeyt un tseshpreyt,

All that are scattered and spread-out

צוזאַמען צוזאַמען, די פֿאָן איז גרײט

Tsuzamen, tsuzamen, di fon iz greyt,

Together, together, the flag is ready

זי פֿלאַטערט פֿון צאָרן, פֿון בלוט איז זי רױט

Zi flatert fun tsorn, fun blut iz zi reyt

It trembles/waves with rage, from blood is it red

אַ שבֿועה, אַ שבֿועה אױף לעבן און טויט

A shvue, a shvue, af lebn un teyt

An oath, an oath, of life and of death

הימל און ערד װעט אונדז אױסהערן

Himl un erd vet undz oyshern

Heaven and earth will hear our testimony

עדות װעט זײַן די ליכטיקע שטערן

Eydes vet zayn di likhtike shtern

Witnesses will be the bright stars

אַ שבֿועה פֿון בלוט און אַ שבֿועה פֿון טרערן

A shvue fun blut un a shvue fun trern,

An oath of blood and an oath of tears

מיר שװערן, מיר שװערן, מיר שװערן

Mir shvern, mir shvern, mir shvern

We swear, we swear, we swear

Brothers and sisters to a common struggle sworn

The countless before us and yet to be born

Together, together, we’ll stand the flood

The promise we’ve inherited that pounds in our blood

We swear again, we swear again, we swear again

The stars in the ancient sky, the Earth slowly turning

Bore witness to its birth, when hope, grief, and yearning

In flames forged a promise that has never stopped burning

We swear again, we swear again, we swear again:

That we’ll recall the path that our ancestors paved

Dismantling the systems that keep up enslaved

Together, together in every age

We’ll lift again the tear-stained flag of love and of rage

We swear again, we swear again, we swear again.

מיר שװערן צו פֿירן דעם הײליקן שטרײַט

Mir shvern tsu firn dem heylikn shtrayt

We swear to carry out this sacred struggle

ביז װאַנען די װעלט װעט ניט װערן באַפֿרײַט

Biz vanen di velt vet nit vern bafrayt

Until the world is liberated