Ventanas altas tienes tú
kon velas amarillas,
esta noche arrogo al Dio
ke me suban arriba.
Tirilai la hop, tirilaila hopa,
Marika anaxe tin borta.
El anillo ke llevas tú
el diamante es mío,
el kuyumĝí ke te lo dió
es primo hermano mío.
Tirilai..
Esta noche yo me armí
por vuestro vecindado
dejarme la puerta abierta
y el kandil amatado.
Tirilai..
Buenas noches, Hanum Dudún,
buenas noches, mi alma,
los pieses tengo en la nieve
y la kabeza en la hielada.
Tirilai..
Adon Olam asher malakh
b’terem kol y’tsir nivra
l’et naasa b’kheftso kol
azai melekh shmo nikra
Elohai hu elohai hu
Elohai hu elohai hu
V’akharei kikhlot hakol
levado yimlokh nora
v’hu haya v’hu hove
v’hu yihye b’tifara
Elohai hu …
You have high windows
with yellow curtains,
tonight I pray to God
that you will let me enter.
Tirilai la hop, tirilaila hopa,
Marika open the door for me
The ring you’re wearing
the diamond is mine,
the goldsmith who gave it to you
is my first cousin.
Tirilai..
Tonight I set out for your neighborhood,
leave the door open for me
and the candle lit.
Tirilai…
Good night, Hanum Dudún,
good night, my soul,
my feet are in the snow
and my head in the heights.
Tirilai..
Adon Olam asher malakh
b’terem kol y’tsir nivra
l’et naasa b’kheftso kol
azai melekh shmo nikra
Elohai hu elohai hu
Elohai hu elohai hu
V’akharei kikhlot hakol
levado yimlokh nora
v’hu haya v’hu hove
v’hu yihye b’tifara
Elohai hu …
From Ventanas Altas de Saloniki, 2013.
This love song, which tells of a diamond ring given to a beloved named Marika in the repeated chorus, includes Greek lyrics that hint at its origins in Saloniki. The same melody is also used for the liturgical poem Adon Olam, as heard in the voice of informant Yakob Sadikario, a cantor. The words added to the poem: Elohai hu, Elohai hu, are there to match the original chorus of the love song.
This website was created by Orit Perlman with the collaboration and blessings of Dr. Susana Weich-Shahak in 2025