Ben Parvar
Hu haya ben Parvar
Khai be-oni ve-shar
Le-simkha, le-bri’ut
Le-ahava, le-pshutut kol ha-yom
Hi khayta be-merkakh rav
Mi-makom megurav
Hi khayta be-merkakh
U-mi-gavoha hibita, hibita elav

Ve-hu shar lah
Et libo ve-et kol makh’ovav
Et khalomo, et khaloma she-ahav, ahav
Ve-hu shar lah
Al tihyi ke-tsipor ba-gvahim
Al tihyi sham bein ananim rekhokim

Hi yashva le-tsido
Ve-hayta ke-tsilo
Hu ahav mabata
Ve-lo mash mi-tsidah le-olam
Mi-kita le-kita
Mi-shana le-shana
Nadedu ba-drakhim
U-shnehem ohavim, bodedim

Hi nistah
Et aviha le-karev el libo
El olamo, el yom yomo, ve-lashav, lashav
Hu nisa
Et beito lehavi el beitah
El olamah, el yom yomah, ve-lashav, lashav

Kakh yamim ve-leilot
Rak hu lah ve-hi lo
Be-bdidut, ba-tsina
Be-ke’ev, be-kin’a – levadam
Yom ekhad hu halakh
Ve-lo shav ki shakhakh
Ve-lo shav ki shakhakh
Et shiro, et khayav she-azav

Hu amar lah
Lo nukhal le-hamshikh kakh yoter
Shuvi ha-bayta, shuvi ha-bayta
Shuvi el mekomakh
Hu amar lah
Lo nukhal le-hamshikh kakh yoter
Hish’ari sham, ani el ha-oni khozer

Hi nistah
Et beitah le-karev el libo
El olamo, el yom yomo – ve-lashav

Boy From the Poor Side of Town
He was from the poor side of town
He lived in poverty and he sang
For joy, for health,
For love, for simplicity, all day long.

She lived a great distance away
From where he lived.
She lived in the distance.
And from high up she looked, looked towards him.

And he sang to her –
His heart and all of his pain.
His dream, and her dream, which he loved, he loved.

And he sang to her –
Don’t be like a bird in the heights.
Don’t be there among distant clouds.

She sat by his side
And was like his shadow.
He loved her glance
And never left her side.
From class to class,
From year to year,
They wandered on the roads.
And the two loved each other, isolated.

She tried –
To bring her father close to his heart.
To his world, to his everyday life –
But in vain, in vain.

He tried –
To bring his home to hers.
To her world, to her everyday life –
But in vain.

This way, days and nights, they had only each other
He was hers, she was his.
In isolation, in cold,
In pain, in envy – by themselves alone.

One day he left
And didn’t return, because he had forgotten –
Didn’t return, because he had forgotten –
His song, his life, which he had left.

He told her –
We can’t go on like this any longer.
Return home, return home,
Go back to your place.

He told her –
We can’t go on like this any longer.
Remain there – as for me, I return to poverty.

She tried –
To bring her home close to his heart
To his world, to his everyday life –
But in vain.