De que nace el chiquitico, fin' a años cuatro y cinco, como se cría un pollico ansí se cría el hombre. En los senos de su madre, y 'n los brazos de el su padre, como la rosa que se abre, ansí se cría el hombre. Cuando ya tiene diez años sus hechos son mal y daños, destruir y romper paños, ahí ya se quema el padre. Cuando ya tien' años quince lo que quiere el habla y dice, ninguno no hay quien lo avise, ya me se conta por hombre. Cuando ya tien' años vente el casar lo mete en mente lo de sí no se 'repiente y se hace un león fuerte. Ya casó como podía, alcanzó lo que el quería, ya empezan con el combate y demanda casa aparte. Antes que se vaiga la añada la mujer se queda preñada: si quere el Dió dos de una 'ntrada, ahí ya se quema el hombre. Cuando ya tiene años trenta los devdores lo apretan; se 'sconde detr s de las puertas, las colores se le piedren.
From the time the little boy is born,
until he is four or five years old,
just as a little chick is raised,
so too is a man raised. In the breasts of his mother,
and in the arms of his father,
like a rose that opens,
so too is a man raised. When he already turns ten years,
his deeds are bad and harmful,
he destroys and tears cloth,
there the father begins to burn (with frustration or worry). When he turns fifteen years,
he says and speaks what he wants,
there is no one who can advise him,
he already counts himself a man. When he turns twenty years,
he starts thinking of marriage,
he does not regret anything about himself,
and he makes himself into a strong lion. He marries as he is able,
he achieves what he wanted,
but the fighting begins,
and he demands his own house. Before the year is over,
the woman is already pregnant;
if God wills it, two at once—
there the man begins to burn (now it's his burden). When he turns thirty years,
the creditors start pressing him;
he hides behind the doors,
his color fades away.
From Arboleras - De las altas mares, Ecos Sefardies de la isle de Rodas, cd1, 2009 A copla sung on the night before the circumcision, the noche de viola or shemir. The strophes are ordered according to epochs in man's growth, in five years' stages, since his birth, describing him as he is and what he does in each stage. (According to the informant, it was much longer, up to 80 years old, but she remembered only up to 30.) Rhythmically, each half of the strophe has 32 beats, in the first half, as 9+5+9+9, and in the second half, 7+9+7+9.
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