A Askerlik yo sto sirviendo en los aires y en el sol, mes caras de leche y sangre s'hicieron pretas carbón. Cuando la libertad se dio stuvimos contentes; asker judio se dimandó: dengunos placientes. Cada'l dia, yo en un balo, cada noche, un ziafet; agora, por las montaas, el tufek por demuasel. Tres anillos en un dedo, uno de cada color, los avolto y los maneo, m'acodro del mi amor. Tres cosas son di murir: asperar y no vinir, meter mesa y no comer, echar en cama y no durmir.
To military service I am serving
in the air and in the sun,
my white (milk) and red (blood) face
has turned coal-black. When liberty was declared
we were all content;
Jewish soldiers were called,
none too pleased. Each day, I am in a dance,
each night, a feast;
now, through the mountains,
the rifle for a damsel. Three rings on one finger,
one of each color,
I turn them and I play with them,
I remember my love. Three things are cause to die:
to wait and not arrive,
to set the table and not eat,
to lie in bed and not sleep.
From Arboleras vol. 3, Sephardic songs from the 20th century, 2000 The great change that military reform brought to Turkey in 1908, with the rebellion of the "Young Turks" and the abolition of exemption from military service, is reflected in this song. It was sung in Jerusalem and in other communities, such as Saloniki and Istanbul.
This website was created by Orit Perlman with the collaboration and blessings of Dr. Susana Weich-Shahak in 2025