Dona, dona

Paroles Aaron Zeitlin Musique Sholom Secunda
Interprètes Muriel Hirschman, Juliet Hoarau

On a wagon bound for market
There’s a calf with a mournful eye
High above him, there’s a swallow
Winging swiftly through the sky

How the winds are laughing
They laugh with all their might
Laugh and laugh the whole day through
And half the summer’s night
Dona, dona, dona, dona…

“Stop complaining,” said the farmer,
“Who told you to be a calf?
Why don’t you have wings to fly away
Like the sparrow so proud and free?
Calves are easily bound and slaughtered
Not knowing the reason why
But whoever treasures freedom
Like the swallow must learn to fly”

Oyfn furl ligt a kelbl
Ligt gebundn mit a shtrik
Hoykh in himl flit a foygl
Flit un dreyt zikh hin un tsrik

Lakht der vint in korn
Lakht un lakht un lakht
Lakht er op a tog a gantsn
Un a halbe nacht
Dona, dona, dona, dona…

Schrayt dos kelbl, zogt der poyer
Ver zhe heyst dikh zayn a kalb?
Volst gekert tsu zayn a foygl
Volst gekert tsu zayn a schvalb?
Bidne kelblekh tut men bindn
Un men shlept zey un men shekht
Ver s’hot fligl flit aroyf tsu
Iz bay keynem nisht keyn knecht