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Message: <br /><br /> If you are having trouble reading this email, you may view this article online at: http://www.jweekly.com/21360/full/21360/the-cat-in-the-hat-in-yiddish-a-book-review/ <br /><br /> <b>The Cat in the Hat — in Yiddish: a book review</b> <br /> Friday, December 26, 2003 | by <p>dan pine and robyn raymer </p> <br /><br /><p>Every kid down in preschool<br />‘Tween naptime and juice<br />Reads “The Cat in the Hat”<br />By that old Dr. Seuss.</p><p><br /><br /> </p><p>And not just Americans,<br />Spaniards and Swedes<br />Have read of the<br />Top-hatted cat’s messy deeds. </p><p><br /><br /> </p><p>You can read it in French.<br />You can read it in Persian,<br />In Russian and Prussian<br />Or some other version.</p><p><br /><br /> </p><p>Now one Yiddish scholar<br />With wit and with smarts<br />Has translated “Cat”<br />With his linguistic arts.</p><p><br /><br /> </p><p>True — our own grasp of Yiddish<br />Is certainly poor.<br />We know words like “meshuga,”<br />And not many more.</p><p><br /><br /> </p><p>So we can’t really judge<br />This translation at all.<br />Who knows if it’s good?<br />It’s not really our call.</p><p><br /><br /> </p><p>Still, the book is a treasure.<br />It’s skillful and deft,<br />All the art is the same,<br />But you read right to left.</p><p><br /><br /> </p><p>And the words are like music.<br />Here’s a sample for you:<br />“S’iz mir gor nisht nisht lib<br />Tfu dray mol! Un tfu!”</p><p><br /><br /> </p><p>So if you speak Yiddish,<br />Or even if not<br />Get “Di Kats der Payats.”<br />You will love it a lot.</p> <p> </p>

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