Lunes era lunes

Jerusalem National Sound Archives placement: Y4550/8
Referenced and notated in: Moroccan Sephardic Romancero, pg. 118, Gaon Books, House, 2018 Susana Weich-Shahak.

The story of Don Bueso y su hermana develops a theme that appears in the 11th-century Austrian epic poem Kudrun, as well as in various songs from French, Danish, German, Swiss, and Scandinavian traditions. In traditional ballads, a noble maiden is kidnapped and forced to wash clothes in the river after which her brother comes to her rescue and reunites her with her mother. In this version, the queen afraid of her beauty, sends her to do manual work which only intensifies her beauty. The prince supposedly comes to her rescue.
This narrative seems to be set against the backdrop of the border conflicts between the Moors and Christians at the end of the Middle Ages. The romance exists in two forms: the older version, which is the one we have here (hexisyllabic - six syllables for every half line) , and a more modern octosyllabic (eight syllables for every half line) version. This romance likely reached the Sephardim of Morocco through Andalusian influence.

Text:
Lunes era, lunes   de Pascua Florida.
guerrean los moros   en campos de Oliva
Donde hay buena gente   la llevan cautiva,
entre ellos llevaban   a la Blancaniña;
a la reina mora   se la presentarían:
⁃ Tomís, reina mora,   y a esta cautivita
que en todo tu reino   no la hay más bonita
tomadla, señora,   y a esta cautivada
que en todo tu reino   no la hay más galana
 - No la quiero, no,   a la cautivita
si en todo mi reino     no la hay más bonita
no la quiero, no,   a la cautivada
que el rey es pequeño   y me la enamorara
- Mandadla, señora,   con el pan al horno:
ahí dejaría    hermosura y rostro
Ya se va la niña   con el pan al horno
más se le encendía   color en su rostro.
- Mandádla, señora,   a lavar al río:
ahí dejaría   hermosura y brillo
Ya se va la niña   a lavar al río:
mientras más lavaba,   mientras más tendia
color en su cara   más se la encendía
El hijo del rey   por ahí pasaba
Ay, que lindos pies   en el agua fría,
ay, que lindos pies   en el agua clara.

Translation:
It was Monday, Easter Monday.
The Moors were waging war in the fields of Oliva.
Where there are good people, they take them captive.
Among them they took the Blancaniña (Little White Girl);
they would present her to the Moorish queen:
"Take her, Moorish queen, and this little captive,
for in all your kingdom there is none more beautiful.
Take her, my lady, and this captive girl,
for in all your kingdom there is none more lovely."
"I don't want her, no, the little captive,
for in all my kingdom there is none more beautiful.
I don't want her, no, the captive girl,
for the king is weak and he would fall in love with her."
"Send her, my lady, with the bread to the oven:
there she would leave beauty and face."
"Now the girl goes with the bread to the oven,
but her face blushed more colorful."
Send her, lady, to wash at the river:
there she would leave beauty and brightness
Now the girl goes to wash at the river:
the more she washed, and the more she hung the washing
the more the shiny her face became
The king's son was passing by
Oh, what lovely feet in the cold water,
oh, what lovely feet in the clear water.