Makhela Aliza

Kol Rinah, the Jewish Chorale of Westchester, sings Makhela Aliza by Nurit Hirsh and Le'a Na'or, arranged by Gil Aldema. Our conductor is Benjamin Gruder, and our accompanist is Laura Ravotti. Our soloists are Linda Kingsbury, Antonia Nikitenko, Barbara Stein, and Miriam Turkel. Recorded live at Congregation Sons of Israel, Briarcliff Manor, on June 16, 2024
Lyrics and translation:
Al rosh habrosh sheb'chatzeir simcha vahamuta.
Sham kol hatziporim ba'ir hekimu makhela.
Ha'efronit hasolanit nikta et hagaron
Shilva kanof, zakfo makor, v'gam patscha b'ron.
Tiri, tiri, tit; tsif tsif, shrik shak,
Bul bul bul bul, il bal, la la la la ...
V'chol misheshama amar:
"Ach, eizo makhela!"
Pitom hifsik et hashirah pashosh echad za'ir
Im ein milim v'ein tovim hu lo muchan lashir.
"Anachnu lo notsim milim," ragzu habulbulim.
"Anachnua gam l'lo milim nora mitbalbilim!"
Tiri, tiri...
Hasnuniot katvu tavim al chut v'al g'deirot.
Tuki echad limeid otan milim nehedarot.
Alfei drorim v'efronim partsu miyad b'shir,
Umikolot habulbulim hitbalb'la ha'ir.
Tiri, tiri...
"Oy dai kvar dai lachem lashir!"
Tsa-ak pitom habrosh,
"L'chu lishon, kvar m'uchar, ko'ev li kvar harosh!"
Ha'operetta hayafah lo ba'ah ad sofah --
Machar y'tsafst'fu kontsert al eits hatsaftsafah.
Tiri, tiri...
Atop the cypress tree in the yard
There's happiness and tumult.
There are the birds in the city have set up a choir.
The soloist, a lark, cleared her throat,
Crossed her wings, raised her beak and burst out in joyous song.
Tweet tweet, chirp, chirp ...
And all who heard them said, " Wow! What a choir!"
Suddenly a tiny warbler stopped the song.
If there are no lyrics and no notes,
Then he's not willing to sing.
"We don't want lyrics," replied the larks angrily.
"We, even without lyrics, get terribly mixed up!"
Tweet, tweet...
The swallows wrote the notes on a wire and on fences.
One parrot had taught them some great lyrics.
Thousands of sparrow and larks broke into song right away.
And from the voices of the larks the entire city got confused.
Tweet, tweet...
"Oy, enough already, quit singing!"
The cypr4ess tree suddenly shouted.
"Go to sleep, it's late, my head aches already."
This pretty operetta isn't over yet -
Tomorrow they'll chirp a concert on top of the poplar tree.
Tweet , tweet...