Jerusalem National Sound Archives placement: Y2185/14 Referenced and notated in: La Boda Sefardi, pg. 92, Editorial Alpuerto, 2007 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. Lyrics: Dice la nuestra novia: ¿cómo se llama los pelos? -No se llama pelos sino seda de labrar, ay, mi seda de labrar! Pase la novia 'n ca del novio, la novia, el novio. Dice la nuestra novia: ¿cómo se llama la cabeza? -No se llama cabeza sino campos espaciosos, ay, mis campos espaciosos, ay, mi seda de labrar! Pase la novia 'n ca del novio, la novia, el novio. Dice la nuestra novia: ¿cómo se llama la frente? -No se llama cabeza sino espada reluciente, ay, mi espada reluciente, ay, mis campos espaciosos, ay, mi seda de labrar! Pase la novia 'n ca del novio, la novia, el novio. Dice la nuestra novia: ¿cómo se llama las cejas? -No se llama cejas sino cinta de telar, ay, mi cinta de telar, y ay, mi espada reluciente, ay, mis campos espaciosos, ay, mi seda de labrar! Pase la novia 'n ca del novio, la novia, el novio. Dice la nuestra novia: ¿cómo se llaman los ojos? -No se llaman ojos sino ricos miradores ay, mis ricos miradores... Dice la nuestra novia: ¿cómo se llama la nariz? -No se llama nariz sino dátili datilar, ay, mi dátili datilar... Dice la nuestra novia: ¿cómo se llama la cara? -No se llama cara sino rosa de rosal, ay, mi rosa de rosal... Dice la nuestra novia: ¿cómo se llama la boca? -No se llama boca sino anillo de dorar, y ay, mi anillo de dorar... Dice la nuestra novia: ¿cómo se llaman los dientes? -No se llama dientes sino aljofas de enfilar, y ay, mi aljofa de enfilar... Dice la nuestra novia: ¿cómo se llama la lengua? -No se llama lengua sino rico tragapán, ay, mi rico tragapán... Dice la nuestra novia: ¿cómo se llama la garganta? -No se llama garganta sino rosca de sobar, ay, mi rosca de sobar... Dice la nuestra novia: ¿cómo se llama el vientre? -No se llama vientre sino río de nadar, ay, mi río de nadar... Dice la nuestra novia: ¿cómo se llaman los brazos? -No se llaman brazos sino remos de remar, ay, mis remos de remar... Dice la nuestra novia: ¿cómo se llaman los pechos? -No se llaman pechos sino limón limonar, ay, mi limón limonar... Dice la nuestra novia: ¿cómo se llama la espalda? -No se llama espalda sino tabla de lavar, ay, mi tabla de lavar, ay, mi limón limonar, y ay, mis remos de remar, ay, mi río de nadar, ay, mi rosca de sobar, ay, mi rico tragapán, ay, mi aljofa de enfilar, ay, mi anillo de dorar, ay, mi rosa de rosal, ay, mi dátili datilar, ay, mis ricos miradores, ay, mi cinta de telar, ay, mi espada reluciente, ay, mis campos espaciosos, ay, mi seda de labrar. Pase la novia 'n ca del novio, la novia, el novio. Translation: Our bride says: what is hair called? -It is not called hair but silk to be embroidered, oh, my silk to be woven! The bride passes by the groom's house, the bride, the groom. Our bride says: what is the head called? -It is not called head but spacious fields, oh, my spacious fields, oh, my silk to be embroidered! The bride passed by the groom's house, the bride, the groom. Our bride says: what is the forehead called? -It is not called a head but a shining sword, oh, my shining sword, oh, my spacious fields, oh, my silk for weaving! The bride passed by the groom's house, the bride, the groom. Our bride says: what are the eyebrows called? They are not called eyebrows but loom ribbon, oh, my loom ribbon, and oh, my shining sword, oh, my spacious fields, oh, my silk to weave! The bride passed by the groom's house, the bride, the groom. Our bride says: what are the eyes called? -They are not called eyes but rich balconies, oh, my rich balconies... Our bride says: what is the nose called? -It is not called a nose but a date palm, oh, my date palm... Our bride says: what is the face called? -It is not called a face but a rose from a rose bush, oh, my rose from a rose bush... Our bride says: what is the mouth called? -It is not called a mouth but a gold ring, oh, my gold ring... Our bride says: what are teeth called? -They are not called teeth but a string of pearls, oh, my pearls to string... Our bride says: What is the tongue called? -It is not called tongue but a morsal to swallow oh, my morsal to swallow It’s not a throat, but a ring of dough Ah my ring of dough Our bride says: what is the belly called? -It's not called belly but swimming river, oh, my swimming river... Our bride says: “What is the belly called?”
-“It’s not called a belly, but a river for swimming,
ah, my river for swimming…” Our bride says: “What are the arms called?”
-“They’re not called arms, but oars for rowing,
ah, my oars for rowing…” Our bride says: “What are the breasts called?”
-“They’re not called breasts, but lemons from a lemon tree, ah, lemons from a lemon tree …” Our bride says: what is the back called? -It is not called a back but a washboard, oh, my washboard, oh, my lemon tree, and oh, my oars for rowing, oh, my river for swimming, oh, my dough for kneading, oh, my rich pan for eating, oh, my string for threading, oh, my ring to gild, oh, my rose from the rose bush, oh, my date palm, oh, my rich viewpoints, oh, my loom ribbon, oh, my shining sword, oh, my spacious fields, oh, my silk to weave. The bride passed by the groom's house, the bride, the groom.
This website was created by Orit Perlman with the collaboration and blessings of Dr. Susana Weich-Shahak in 2025