Yiddish Book Center

Asya’s selections highlight the goldene pave, or golden peacock, a frequent motif in Yiddish folklore and literature that often acts as a messenger or companion on a long journey. So frequent is this symbol that it has also come to stand for Yiddish culture itself. Let’s see where the bird has landed in our collections, focusing in particular on the works of American Yiddish poet Moyshe-Leyb Halpern (1886–1932).

Moyshe-Leyb Halpern titled his second book of verse, published in Cleveland in 1924, after the legendary creature. The volume contains several poems that feature the golden peacock, such as “The Ballad of Kashtakhan.” For a literary analysis of this poem (including the peacock’s role in it), see Yiddish poet and literary critic Abraham Tabachnik’s book Dikhter un dikhtung (Poets and Poetry).

To learn more about Halpern in the context of American Yiddish poetry, you can explore this reading resource guide that was created for members of the Yiddish Book Center’s Great Jewish Books Club of 2019. The guide quotes Benjamin Harshav, who describes Di goldene pave as “a tour de force, combining elements of Yiddish and Slavic folk bards, direct naturalistic description with satirical and grotesque overtones and a lyrical romanticism.”

Di goldene pave was illustrated by cartoonist, poet, and puppeteer Yosl Cutler (1896–1935). The graphic following the beautifully designed title page depicts the golden peacock within what is likely an illustration of the aforementioned “Ballad of Kashtakhan.” In a virtual public program from 2021, Eddy Portnoy, the academic advisor and director of exhibitions at the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research, talks about Cutler and his artistic partner Zuni Maud. Portnoy shares Cutler’s peacock illustration from 21:06 to 21:53 of the presentation, describing it as “modernist” and “compelling.”