Ah lalo, lalo mi alma

Jerusalem National Sound Archives placement: NSA Y5479/3
Referenced and notated in: Romansero Sefardi de Oriente, pg. 83
Editorial Alpuerto S.A. 2010 Susana Weich-Shahak

This is one of the themes about captives and prisoners typical of the Hispanic Middle Ages and the wars between Moors and Christians. Recognition between sisters is a theme of Pan-European ballads  and is known in current oral tradition in Spain. In the Sephardic romansa, the two captive sisters - one a queen and the other a slave - give birth at the same time and recognize each other through the slave's song. The version presented here is a fragment of the complete romance, the part that is presented is the lullaby within the song. 

Text: 
Ah, laló, laló, mi alma,      ah, laló, laló, mi vida, 
criada de los mis pechos,     non salida de mi tripa. 
Si tú eras la mi hija,   ¿que nombre te metería? 
te metería Malquesa,    nombre de una hermana mía. 

Translation: 
Ah, lalo, lalo my soul, ah lalo lalo my life 
you are raised on my breasts but not brought forth from my womb 
Had you been my daughter which name would you be given? 
I would name you Malkeza, the name of my sister