In Zaltsikn Yam

In Zaltsikn Yam (Yiddish: אין זאַלטציקן ים, lit. 'In the Salty Sea') also known as In Zaltsikn Yam Fun Di Mentshleche Trern (Yiddish: אין זאַלטציקן ים פֿון די מענשליכע טרערן, lit. 'In the Salty Sea of Human Tears'), Tsum Bund: In Zaltsikn Yam Fun Di Mentshleche Trern (Yiddish: צום בונד: אין זאַלטציקן ים פֿון די מענשליכע טרערן, lit. 'To the Bund: In the Salty...') or simply Tsum Bund (Yiddish: צום בונד, lit. 'To the Bund'), is a Yiddish poem written by S. Ansky in 1901 and published in Der Arbeyter a year later. It became a popular Yiddish song when music was added to it. While it is unclear who composed the music to the song, the first published version was printed in 1919 by Yankev Glatshteyn in Warsaw, in the book Freiheits Lieder (Yiddish: פרײַהײַטס לידער, lit. 'Freedom's songs'). The poem and song is dedicated to the socialist General Jewish Labour Bund.

The text has often been considered controversial, with its direct critiques of wealthy Jews (especially in Russia), Zionists, and the belief in Messiah. Following The Holocaust, in 1945 the First, Second, Fifth, and Final stanzas were published in Mikhl Gelbart's yiddish song book Zingt mit mir and as such it has become convention to perform only these verses so as to omit criticism of other elements of the Jewish community. Daniel Kahn however has recorded and performs the full version; such as for the Yoyvls of the Australian Bund (one of the times with Psoy Korolenko; who translated the verses into Russian).

Recordings

Due to the song's aforementioned controversial nature, recordings are difficult to track down (including with several published versions of the manuscript having no known recordings). However here are some of the few that exist:

• [Ethnographic recording], Lazar Vishniak singing in a Frankfurt P.O.W Camp, 1915 Recording
• "Once upon a time" (Amol Iz Geven A Mayse), compiled and narrated by Joseph Mlotek arr. Vladimir Heifetz sung by Sidor Belarsky and Masha Benya, 1957 Recording
• "In Love And In Struggle: The Musical Legacy Of The Jewish Labor Bund", featuring Zalmen Mlotek, Adrienne Cooper, Dan Rous with The New Yiddish Chorale and The Workmen's Circle Chorus, 1999 Recording
• "The Upward Flight: The Musical World of S. An-sky", Michael Alpert and Stuart Brotman, 2006 Recording
• "The Unternational: The First Unternational", featuring Daniel Kahn, Psoy Korolenko, and Oy Division, 2008 [The song is sung in both Yiddish and English] Recording

Lyrics

Yiddish (original 1901 spelling)	Transliteration	Literal Translation	Poetic Translation (Daniel Kahn)
אין זאַלציגען ים פון די מענשליכֿע טרעהרען	In zaltsikn yam fun di mentshlekhe trern	In the salty sea of the people's tears	Beneath the salt sea of humanity's weeping
געפינס זיך אַ שרעקליכֿער תּהום	Gefint zikh a shreklekher thom,	Found there a terrifying abyss	A terrible chasm abides
ער קאָן שוין נישט טיפער נישט פינסטערער װערען	Er ken shoyn nit tifer, nit fintsterer vern,	It could already not be deeper, not darker become	It couldn't be darker, it couldn't be deeper
איהם צײכֿעגט אַ בּלוטיגער שטראָם	Im tseykhnt a blutiker shtrom.	It is marked by a bloody stream	It's stained with a bloody red tide
דעם תּהום האָבּען טױזענדער יאָהרען געגראָבּען	Dem thom hobn toyznter yorn gegrobn	The sea has been dug for thousands of years	And thousands of years have created this chasm
,אמונה און שנאה און פּיין	Emune in sine un payn,	Faith in hatred and pain	Of piety, hatred, and pain,
און טױזענדער יאָהרען אלץ טראָפען נאָך טראָפען	Un toyznter yorn, alts tropn nokh tropn	And thousands of years, all drop by drop	And for thousands of years all humanity's weeping
.עס גיסען זיך טרעהרען אריין	Es gisn zikh trern arayn.	It fills with tears inside	Flows like a limitless rain.
און פול איז דער תּהום דאָס איז יודישע טרעהרען	Un ful iz der thom dos iz yidishe trern	And full is the abyss with Jewish tears	So much of the sea has been filled with this sorrow
ער האָט נישט קיין טעות אין זיי	Er hot nisht keyn toes in zey	It has not an error in them	Endured by the suffering Jews
אַ בּלוטיגע טרעהר טהוט דעם קבּצן געהערען	A blutiger trer tut deym kibbutzin geheren	A bloody tear belongs to the poor	But only the tears of the poor ones are bloody
דעם נגיד—אַ װײסע װי שנײ	Deym nagid - a vayse vi shney	The wealthy - a white as snow	The rich cry as clear as the dew
נאָר אייך בּעלי-מלאכֿות, אביונים, קבּצים	Nor aykh bali-malokhes, ab'yonem, kibbutsim	But you masters of state, the poor, the assembled	Yes only the worker, the pauper, the beggar
געהערט דאָך דער בּלוטיגער תּהום	Gehert dokh der blutiger thom	Belong still to the bloody abyss	Belong to the bloody abyss.
און אייערע „בּרידער“, די רײכֿע גזלנים	Un ayere "Brider," di raykhe gazlonim	And your "brothers," the wealthy thieves	While those you call “brother,” the rich and the greedy,
געהערט נאָר פון אױבּען דער שױם	Gehert nor fun oyben der shoym	Belong yet from above the foam.	Fly high overhead in their bliss.
שױן פול איז דער ים און פערפלײצט אַלע בּרעגען	Shoyn ful iz der yam un ferfleytst ale bregen	Already full is the sea and flooding all beaches	The ocean flows over and floods out the levees,
װאו זענען די העלדען, די לייט	Vu zenen di helden, di leyt	Where are the heroes, the light	There isn't a hero in sight,
די, װעלכֿע װעלען זיך מוטהיג דערװעגען	Di, velche velen zikh mutig dervegen	Yes, which will bravely lead the way	Yes where are the ones that will stand at the ready
צו װאַרפען אין תּהום זיך, אין שטרייט	Tsu varfen in thom zikh, in shtreyt	To dive in the abyss, in war	To dive in the chasm and fight?
דעם אַרבּײטער װרע-זשע װעט ענדליך ערלײזען	Der arbeter ver vet endlekh derleyzn	The worker who will finally release them	And who will at last free the worker from slavery,
?פון הונגער און אײבּיגע לײד	Fun hunger un eybiker layd?	From hunger and eternal suffering	Give hunger its final relief?
און װער װעט דעם װעג איהם צו פרײהײט בּעװײזען	Un ver vet dem veg im tsu frayhayt bavayzn	And who will show them the path to freedom	And who will be guiding the pathway to freedom,
צו בּרידערשאַפט, גלײכֿהײט און פרײד	Tsu brudershaft, glaykhkayt un freyd?	To brotherhood, equality, and freedom.	To brotherhood, justice and peace?
די גבירישע קינדער, משכּילים, רבּנים	Di gvirishe kinder, mashkilim, rabonim	The children of wealthy, the enlightened, the clergy	The children of wealthy, enlightened, the clergy —
זיי רופען אין ציון דעם יוד	Zey rufen in Tsiyen dem yid	They call into Zion the Jews	Into Zion they call the Hebrews,
אַ לידעל אַנ'אַלטע פון אונזערע שונאים	A lidel an' alte fun undzere sonim	A little old story from our enemies	We’ve heard this old story before from our enemies
"!אַ געטאָ דעם אייבּיגען זשיד"	"A geto deym eybigen Jid!"	"A ghetto for the eternal Jew!"	“A ghetto for the Eternal Jew!”
זיי רופען און זוכֿען, די קאַלטינקע מתים	Zey rufen un zukhen, di kaltinke meysim	They call and seek, the accusers of men	They say that they answer the prayers of our fathers
פון הייליגע קברים אַ לאַנד	Fun heylige kvorim a land	From the Holy graves, a country	From deep in their graves, hear them call
און דאָס, װאָס עס לײַדען און זיפצען הקדושים	Un dos, vos es layder un ziftsen hakdoyshim	And this, what is sang and sighed by the saints	While souls who are living in sorrow and hunger
צו דעם איז מען טויבּ װי די װאַנד	Tsu dem is men toyb vi di vand	To them are men deaf as the wall	To them they're deaf as the wall.
משיח און יודענטום - בּײדע געשטאָרבּען	Moshiakh un yidentum - bayde geshtorben	Messiah and Jewry - both dead and buried	Messiah and Jewry are both dead and buried,
אַנ'אַנדער משיח קומט אָן	An'ander Moshiakh kumt on	Another messiah comes soon	Another messiah's to come:
דער יודישער אַרבּײטער גבירישער קרבּן	Der Yidisher arbeyter gvirisher korben	The Jewish worker, the wealthy man's victim	The new Jewish worker the banner will carry
הױבּט אױף שױן פון פרייהייט די פאָהן	Hoybt oyf shoyn fun frayhayt di fohn	Lifts up already from freedom the flag	To signal that justice is done.
דער העלד װעט די װעלט אי בּעפרייען, אי היילען	Der held vet di velt i bafrayen i heyln,	The hero will liberate and heal the world	The world will be freed and be healed by this hero,
ער ט'גרייכֿען דעם תּהום בּיז'ן גרונד	Er t'greykhn dem thom biz'n grund,	He reaches through the abyss to its core	Who dives to the root of its wound!
זאָל לעבּען פון רוסלאַנד, פון ליטאָ און פוילען	Zol leben fun Rusland, fun Lite un Poyln,	Should lives from Russia, from Lithuania, and Poland	In Russia, in Poland, in Vilna all hail now
!דער יודישער אַרבּײטער-בּונד	Der Yudisher Arbeyter-Bund.	The Jewish Worker's-Bund!	The Great Jewish Worker's Bund!