El vapor sin carta Maris hondas, montañas altas Ilevadme ande mi amor, me toparé a su lado, que me dé consolación. Amán del amor Los ojos se me sesean de tanto mirar la mar. Vaporicos van y vienen, letras para mí non hay. Amán del amor. Buenos Aires es muy bueno para quien dice el aver, ahi se fue el mi querido sẻ va a hacer un mercader. Amán, del amor. La América es muy alta yo non te puedo alcanzar. Mándame tử letras buenas por poderme consolar. Amán, del amor.
A Ship Bearing no Letters Deep seas, high mountains,
carry me to where my love is.
I will find myself beside him,
that he may give me comfort.
Amán, of love. My eyes grow weary
from so much gazing at the sea.
Little steamers come and go,
yet no letters come for me.
Amán, of love. Buenos Aires is very good
for one who knows how to make money;
there my beloved went away,
to become a merchant.
Amán, of love. America is so vast,
I cannot reach you there.
Send me your good letters,
so that I may be consoled.
Amán, of love.
From Arboleras - De las altas mares, Ecos Sefardies de la isle de Rodas, cd 2, 2009 This cantiga expresses the longing of a lover left behind while her beloved emigrates overseas, likely to Buenos Aires, in search of livelihood. She watches the steamships cross the sea, hoping for letters that never arrive. The refrain “Amán” is an exclamation influenced by Arabic usage, common in Judeo-Spanish song and poetry.
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