Creator Bio
Elyokum Tsunzer
ca. 1836–1913
Elyokum Tsunzer was born in Vilna and became “the father of Yiddish poetry,” a prolific and widely revered versifier. He wrote before, after, and even during his conscription in the Russian army, jotting poems in the soldiers’ barracks. Poetry aside, he was a well-known singer, in high demand at Russian weddings and other public occasions. Tsunzer’s unflinching and faintly lugubrious melodies chronicled the plight of Jews under tsarist rule.
Entries in the Posen Library by This Creator
Primary Source
Song of the Railway
A whole world of railways appeared in our time
They carry their passengers—poor men and rich.
Admire the wonder, but bear this in mind:
It’s really a parable, meant just for you.
It is we who are…
Primary Source
The Flower
Where everyone travels, in the middle of the road,
there is a wonderful flower.
It’s been lying there and rotting for several days now.
The wind blows it around,
and it cries out and weeps a great…
Related Guide
Music and Opera in Jewish Culture, 1750–1880
One of the most striking changes in European Jewish culture toward the later eighteenth century was marked by the entry of Jews into art music, opera houses, and the stage.