De que lloras, blanca ninia 4

From Arboleras Vol. 2 - Romances Sefardies Tradicion Oral

This is a partial rendition of this romance, where the husband leaves his wife. It has a  widespread geographical distribution in Sephardic culture,  sung in both areas of the Mediterranean with sililar melodies. The poet Israel Najara used this melody for several of his Hebrew religious poems, indicating its incipit in each poem.
'Doblones' were a type of Spanish gold coin, first minted in Spain and its colonies, used widely from the 16th to 19th centuries. 


Text:
- ¿De qué lloras, blanca niña?  ¿de qué lloras, blanca flor?
- Lloro por tí, caballero,    que te vas y me dejás:
me dejás niña y muchacha,    chica de la poca edad,
tengo hijicos chiquiticos,   lloran y demandan pan. -
Metió la mano en su pecho,    cien doblones ya le da.
- ¿Esto para que m' abasta,   para vino o para pan ?
- Venderés viñas y campos,    media parte de civdad,
si a los siete años non vengo,    a los ocho vos casás.

Translation:
- Why are you crying, white girl? Why are you crying, white flower?
- I cry for you, sir, because you are leaving and abandoning me:
you are leaving me a girl and a young woman, a girl of little age,
I have little children, they cry and ask for bread. -
He put his hand in his pocket, and gave her a hundred doubloons.
- Is this enough for me, for wine or for bread?
- You will sell vineyards and fields, half of the city,
if I do not return in seven years, at eight you will marry.