Día de martes de maniana partí con tren al Pleto para pelear con el bulgar, y el serbo y el grego. Ampecimos a peleiar con toda la Ermada, mos arrempujó el bulgar, a fuerza de la spada. Ah, de esta ansia vo morir, mi Dio, a la tierra vo ir a podrir. Sentimos que Endirne cayó, piedrimos la speranza, Sukri Pasha ya se entregó con sesenta mil almas. Ah, de esta ansia... El bulgar se apareció, el turco namás kildiando, el bulgar se apareció, "ura na nosz" gritando. Ah, de esta ansia...
On a Tuesday morning
I left by train for the front,
to fight with the Bulgarian,
and the Serb and the Greek. We began to battle
with the whole army,
but the Bulgarian pushed us back
by the power of the sword. Ah, from this anguish I shall die,
my God, to the earth I shall go to rot. We heard that Edirne had fallen,
we lost all hope,
Şükrü Pasha had already surrendered
with sixty thousand souls. Ah, from this anguish… The Bulgarian appeared,
the Turk only retreating,
the Bulgarian appeared,
crying out “hurray with our knives!” Ah, from this anguish…
From Arboleras vol. 3, Sephardic songs from the 20th century, 2000
This song is a clear description of the tragic events in the Balkan War against Bulgaria of 1912-1913, and especially of the suffering of the Jewish population after the fall of Edirne (Adrianópolis), and their exodus. Mustafá Pashá and the Bulgarians who appear in the song are not the main characters, but rather the Jews who, in the face of persecution, hunger, and abandonment, are left without a homeland or hope.
This website was created by Orit Perlman with the collaboration and blessings of Dr. Susana Weich-Shahak in 2025