De las altas mares 2

Jerusalem National Sound Archives placement: Y5842b/27 Referenced and notated in: Romancero Sefardi de Oriente, pg. 70, Editorial Alpuerto, 2010 Susana Weich-Shahak. Another ballad about prisoners and captives, this one widely spread among Sephardic Jews in the East and Morocco, as well as throughout Spain. Text: De las altas mares, abaja la blanca y linda, cargada la lleva de oro y perlería. En la su cabeza una piedra muy fina, más alelumbra de noche que el solen la mediodía. Triste va su madre, que la piedrería, alegre va el moro que se la llevaría ande la reina mora la presentaría. - ¿Y para qué la quero a esta blanca y linda? que el rey es mancebo de ella se enamoraría. - Y mitelda, siñora, 'n el caño de la cocina, el humo de la teya su cuerpo le ennegrecía. - Cuanto más le quitan, más le arecendía y su gesto galano nunca no lo pedría. - Quitalde, señora, el beber de vino, piedrerá colores y cobrará suspiro. - Cuanto más le quitan, más le arecendía su gesto galano nunca no lo pedría. - Y mitelda, señora, a lavar al río, a lavar al río, y enjugar al sol. Y un día lavando y enjugando al sol por ahí pasó un caballero, de ella se namoró. Of, que manos blancas que en el río lavan, y of, que cuerpo blanco que enjuga al sol. - ¿De ónde sos, siñora, de arriba o de abajo? - D’ arriba, el caballero, que a mí me robaron y ande la reina mora por esclava me llevaron. . - ¿Si te place, la mi siñora, subir en mi caballo? - D’acordo, el caballero, que ahí es mi estado. En medio de el camino a cantar se le metía. - Oh, campos, oh, campos, campos de Oliva! vos deje muy chicos, vos topí en oliva. - ¿De quién son estos campos, que vos los conocías? - De mi padre, el caballero, que a mí me robaron y ande la reina mora por esclava me llevaron. - Abreme la puerta, puertas que no se abrían, por traer ermuera, a la hija yo vos traía.

Translation:

From the high seas, descends the fair and lovely one,
she carries a load of gold and pearls.
Upon her head a very precious stone,
it shines more brightly at night than the sun at midday.
Sadly goes her mother, because of the jewelry,
glad goes the Moor who would take her away,
where the Moorish queen he would present her.
- And why should I want this fair and lovely one?
for the king is young, he would fall in love with her.”
- And my lady, in the pipe of the kitchen chimney,
the smoke of the roof tile blackened her body.”
The more they take from her, the more she glows,
and her graceful face she would never lose.
- Take from her, my lady, the drinking of wine,
she will lose her color and regain her sigh.
The more they take from her, the more she glows,
her graceful face she would never lose.
- And my lady, send her to wash at the river,
to wash at the river, and dry in the sun.
And one day washing and drying in the sun,
there passed a knight, and he fell in love with her.
- Oh, what white hands that wash in the river,
and oh, what a fair body that dries in the sun.
- From where are you, my lady, from above or from below?
- From above, good knight, for I was stolen away,
and to where the Moorish queen is they took me as a slave.
- If it pleases you, my lady, to mount upon my horse?
- Agreed, good knight, for that is my fate.
In the midst of the road she began to sing.
- Oh fields, oh fields, fields of Oliva!
I left you very young, I found you grown in olive trees.
- Whose fields are these, that you recognize them?
- Of my father, good knight, from whom I was stolen,
and to where the Moorish queen is they took me as a slave.
- Open to me the door, doors that would not open,
for bringing back my sister-in-law, I bring you your daughter.

Description

Details