Dr. Matthew Miller and Students Bring Yiddish Translation to Whitman Archive
In his celebrated poem 鈥淭o You,鈥 Walt Whitman wrote, 鈥淣one have understood you, but I understand you.鈥 The line, an example of Whitman鈥檚 trademark empathy with America鈥檚 culturally diverse working class, has hit home for countless readers over the years. For a group of early 20th-century Jewish immigrants, however, Whitman鈥檚 understanding became the inspiration for a new fusion of American and Yiddish literature鈥攁 body of work Dr. Matthew Miller, assistant professor of English at 黑料社 All鈥檚 , is hoping to bring to light.
In 1940, the Yiddish-American poet Louis Miller wrote a Yiddish translation of Whitman鈥檚 Leaves of Grass, which he titled Lider: fun bukh: bleter groz. Yiddish writers had already published a number of American authors in translation, but Whitman鈥檚 work was a popular subject for translation and literary criticism alike.
鈥淎rtistically inclined Jews who were culturally swayed and moved and wanted to contribute to the cultural development of their immigrant roots were interested in Whitman because he provided an alternate model of how to participate in the American literary tradition,鈥 explained Dr. Miller. Unlike other popular American poets who were known to express anti-Semitic tendencies, such as T.S. Eliot or Ezra Pound, Whitman referenced Jews without judgment in his major works.
鈥淗e didn鈥檛 know a lot about Jews or Judaism,鈥 said Dr. Miller, 鈥渂ut he was always respectful and tolerant, which gave Yiddish writers an entry point into American literature and culture that was more agreeable in terms of politics and cultural outlook on Jews.鈥
Louis Miller鈥檚 translation, which offered the most substantial and thorough collection of his work to date, deeply impacted these Jewish American writing groups. But bleter groz went out of print years ago and is nearly forgotten, along with many critical works by the Yiddish writers.
Dr. Miller is working to change that. With the help of student interns and the Walt Whitman Archive, where he is senior assistant editor, Dr. Miller is creating an online digital edition of bleter groz. The translation will be available on the Web for free and fully searchable as a resource for scholars, Yiddish language enthusiasts and Whitman fans alike.
鈥淔or me, the most interesting part of working on this project was to see the Jewish desire to study and appreciate Whitman's work,鈥 said Shana Singer 鈥11S, who is Dr. Miller鈥檚 first intern. A computer science major, she became interested in the project when Dr. Miller mentioned it on her first day in his American Lit course. He was looking for students who possessed computer skills but also familiarity with Yiddish, which Singer had cultivated throughout her elementary and high school years. 鈥淚 learned how to read and write Yiddish and studied the discourses and teachings of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, many of which were composed in Yiddish,鈥 she said. 鈥淢y father speaks Yiddish as well, so I was exposed to the language growing up.鈥
Like Dr. Miller, Singer鈥檚 work with bleter groz led her to believe that for some Jews, reading and connecting to Whitman鈥檚 poetry helped them integrate into American society. 鈥淢any of Whitman's poems focused on the struggling lower class and immigrants, themes that immigrant Jews could relate to,鈥 said Singer. 鈥淭o properly study and enjoy the works of America's most prominent writer of the times, they translated Whitman into Yiddish.鈥
鈥淭he work of these poets sheds light on a fascinating corner of American literary history, one that鈥檚 been more or less ignored by scholars,鈥 said Dr. Miller. 鈥淭hese writers produced many books of poetry and many translations in Yiddish. They were artists looking to be recognized as part of a larger community of writers, and as such artists often do, they aligned themselves with other great writers to declare a kind of lineage which would lend them authority and credibility. They used Whitman in that way.鈥
Dr. Miller first considered bringing bleter groz to the online community in a conversation with Whitman Archive chief editors Ed Folsom and Kenneth Price. 鈥淥ur idea was to take advantage of the rare opportunity to work with undergraduate students who had Yiddish language competence at YU,鈥 he said. Dr. Miller hopes the project will play a role in the growing Yiddish revival movement. 鈥淗aving learned a little about the way the Holocaust destroyed Yiddish, I feel this work is very important and worthwhile,鈥 he said.
In 1940, the Yiddish-American poet Louis Miller wrote a Yiddish translation of Whitman鈥檚 Leaves of Grass, which he titled Lider: fun bukh: bleter groz. Yiddish writers had already published a number of American authors in translation, but Whitman鈥檚 work was a popular subject for translation and literary criticism alike.
鈥淎rtistically inclined Jews who were culturally swayed and moved and wanted to contribute to the cultural development of their immigrant roots were interested in Whitman because he provided an alternate model of how to participate in the American literary tradition,鈥 explained Dr. Miller. Unlike other popular American poets who were known to express anti-Semitic tendencies, such as T.S. Eliot or Ezra Pound, Whitman referenced Jews without judgment in his major works.
鈥淗e didn鈥檛 know a lot about Jews or Judaism,鈥 said Dr. Miller, 鈥渂ut he was always respectful and tolerant, which gave Yiddish writers an entry point into American literature and culture that was more agreeable in terms of politics and cultural outlook on Jews.鈥
Louis Miller鈥檚 translation, which offered the most substantial and thorough collection of his work to date, deeply impacted these Jewish American writing groups. But bleter groz went out of print years ago and is nearly forgotten, along with many critical works by the Yiddish writers.
Dr. Miller is working to change that. With the help of student interns and the Walt Whitman Archive, where he is senior assistant editor, Dr. Miller is creating an online digital edition of bleter groz. The translation will be available on the Web for free and fully searchable as a resource for scholars, Yiddish language enthusiasts and Whitman fans alike.
In 1940, the Yiddish-American poet Louis Miller wrote a Yiddish translation of Whitman鈥檚 Leaves of Grass, which he titled Lider: fun bukh: bleter groz. Yiddish writers had already published a number of American authors in translation, but Whitman鈥檚 work was a popular subject for translation and literary criticism alike.
鈥淎rtistically inclined Jews who were culturally swayed and moved and wanted to contribute to the cultural development of their immigrant roots were interested in Whitman because he provided an alternate model of how to participate in the American literary tradition,鈥 explained Dr. Miller. Unlike other popular American poets who were known to express anti-Semitic tendencies, such as T.S. Eliot or Ezra Pound, Whitman referenced Jews without judgment in his major works.
鈥淗e didn鈥檛 know a lot about Jews or Judaism,鈥 said Dr. Miller, 鈥渂ut he was always respectful and tolerant, which gave Yiddish writers an entry point into American literature and culture that was more agreeable in terms of politics and cultural outlook on Jews.鈥
Louis Miller鈥檚 translation, which offered the most substantial and thorough collection of his work to date, deeply impacted these Jewish American writing groups. But bleter groz went out of print years ago and is nearly forgotten, along with many critical works by the Yiddish writers.
Dr. Miller is working to change that. With the help of student interns and the Walt Whitman Archive, where he is senior assistant editor, Dr. Miller is creating an online digital edition of bleter groz. The translation will be available on the Web for free and fully searchable as a resource for scholars, Yiddish language enthusiasts and Whitman fans alike.
