Ansina dice la nuestra novia: - Cómo se llama la cabeza? - Esto no se llama cabeza sino campos de espaciar, a mis campos de espaciar, goce la novia con el novio. Ansina dice la nuestra novia: - Cómo se llaman los cabellos? - Esto no se llaman cabellos sino briles de labrar, a mis briles de labrar, a mis campos de espaciar, goce la novia con el novio. Ansina dice la nuestra novia: - Cómo se llama i la frente? - Esto no se llama frente sino spada leluciente, a mis spada leluciente a mis briles de labrar... Ansina dice la nuestra novia: - Cómo se llama i las cejas? - Esto no se llaman cejas sino arco de tirar, ah, mi arco de tirar, ah, mi spada leluciente ... Ansina dice la nuestra novia: - ¨Cómo se llama i los ojos? - Esto no se llama ojos sino almendras de comer, ah, mis almendras de comer, ah, mi arco de tirar... Ansina dice la nuestra novia: - Cómo se llama i las caras? - Esto no se llama caras sino manzanicas agras, ah, mis manzanicas agras, ah, mis almendras de comer...
Thus speaks our bride:
- What is the head called?
- This is not called head,
but wide fields,
ah, my wide fields,
may the bride rejoice with the groom. Thus speaks our bride:
- What are the hairs called?
- These are not called hairs,
but shining threads for weaving,
ah, my shining threads for weaving,
ah, my fields for wandering,
may the bride rejoice with the groom. Thus speaks our bride:
- What is the forehead called?
- This is not called forehead,
but shining sword,
ah, my shining sword,
ah, my shining threads for weaving... Thus speaks our bride:
- What are the eyebrows called?
- These are not called eyebrows,
but bow for shooting,
ah, my bow for shooting,
ah, my shining sword... Thus speaks our bride:
- What are the eyes called?
- These are not called eyes,
but almonds to eat,
ah, my almonds to eat,
ah, my bow for shooting... Thus speaks our bride:
- What are the cheeks called?
- These are not called cheeks,
but little sour apples,
ah, my little sour apples,
ah, my almonds to eat...
Jerusalem National Sound Archives placement: Y5436/4 Referenced and notated in: El ciclo de la vida, pg. 222, Editorial Alpuerto, 2013 Susana Weich-Shahak. During the bride’s bath, an event attended only by women, that, in both the Eastern and Western Sephardic traditions, a cumulative song is performed. Similar to the Portrait of the Lady known in various regions of Spain, the song describes the bride’s beauty from head to toe. Yet, unlike its Spanish counterpart, it assigns to each feature a metaphorical comparison and then, in reverse order, repeats all the comparisons rather than the physical features themselves. This same song theme appears both in the Eastern tradition and in Morocco, sharing the same cumulative structure and strikingly similar expressions.
This website was created by Orit Perlman with the collaboration and blessings of Dr. Susana Weich-Shahak in 2025