Los caminos de Sirkigí
s’hincheron de arena,
para pasar y vo tornar
y verte a ti, morena.
Morena tú, moreno yo,
ven mos frecuentaremos,
si no te queres frecuentar
ven, mos esposaremos.
Cuando empecimos a frecuentar
con biras y gazozes,
a la fin fue retiración
palabras de hielores.
El tu papa me prometió
campos y viñas,
yo no te quero a ti, pasá,
ni por tapón de pila.
The paths of Sirkigí
filled up with sand,
so I could pass and return
to see you again, dark beauty.
Dark-skinned you, dark-skinned I,
let’s meet more often and if you don’t want just meetings
come, let’s marry
When we started meeting
with beers and fizzy drinks,
in the end, it all dissolved
in lofty words
Your father promised me
fields and vineyards but I wouldn’t take you now,
not even as a stopper for a sink
Jerusalem National Sound Archives placement: YCD 2979/3
Typical of the cantigas genre, the order of the strophes are not necessarily important. The text speaks of the sand paths in Sirkigi, where the lover walks to see his beloved. Another strophe states a motif that appears repeatedly in the Judeo-Spanish songs: both lovers are dark they should be engaged or at least see each other. The last strophe shows the beloved's refusal to accept her suitor (not even as a cork for the basin), even if the dowry is generous.
This website was created by Orit Perlman with the collaboration and blessings of Dr. Susana Weich-Shahak in 2025