Se paseaba Carmela

Jerusalem National Sound Archives placement: Y4552/25
Referenced and notated in: Romancero Sefardi de Marruecos, pg. 159, Editorial Alpuerto, Pardes Publishing House, 2018 Susana Weich-Shahak.

Another variety of the evil mother-in-law theme occurs in the peninsula and among the Eastern Sephardim and Moroccans; in Morocco the theme was probably introduced recently from Spain, as shown by the mention of Jesus Christ and very Christian names of the protagonists (Carmela, Pedro).

Lyrics:
Se paseaba Carmela      por la su salita alante
con los dolores del parto      que los corazones parte.
- Ay, mi Dios, y quin me diera    y una sala en aquel valle
y por compaña me diera     a Jesucristo y su madre.
Su suegra la estaba oyendo      desde la su sala alante.
- Coge tu ropa, Carmela,     vete a casa de tu madre;
a la noche vendrá Pedro,     yo le daré de cenare,
yo le daré ropa limpia     si se quisiere mudare.
Por la noche vino Pedro,     por Carmela preguntare:
- Y adó Carmela, mi madre,    Carmela, mi buen donaire?
cuando no la veo en casa    se me oscurece el lugare.
- No preguntes por Carmela,   ni la digas buen donaire:
me ha dicho mala mujer     y tú eres hijo de un fraile.
Montó Pedro en su caballo    y a Carmela fue a buscare.
Al entrar en la ciudad      se encontró con la comadre:
- Buenos das, señor Pedro,    ya tenemos un infante.
El infante vivirá      y Carmela, Dios lo sabe!
- Alevántate, Carmela,      vente a casa de mi madre.
- Cómo quieres tú, don Pedro,  cómo quieres que me levante?
de dos horas de parida     no hay mujer que se levante.
Montó Pedro en su caballo     y a Carmela puso alante
- Carmela por qué no hablas?     .......
- Cómo quieres tú, don Pedro,  cómo quieres que te hable
que las ancas del caballo   están bañadas en mi sangre?
Y habló la criatura,    con la gracia de Dios Padre:
- No la mates, no la mates,   no la mates a mi madre
por un testimíonio falso    que mi agüela le fue a dare.
Montó Pedro en su caballo    y a su madre fue a matare.
Al entrar en la ciudad.....
Ya repican las campanas,   las campanas de aquel valle.
- ¿Quién se ha muerto, quién se ha muerto? -La duquesita de un fraile.
Y habló la criatura    con la gracia de Dios Padre:
- No se ha muerto, no se ha muerto,  que la ha matado mi padre
por un falso testimíonio    que mi agüela le fue a dare.

 Translation:   
Carmela was walking through her little front room
with the pains of childbirth that break the hearts.
- Ah, my God, who would grant me a chamber in that valley
and for company would give me Jesus Christ and his mother.
Her mother-in-law was listening from her own front room.
- Gather your clothes, Carmela, go to your mother’s house;
at night Pedro will come, I will give him supper,
I will give him clean clothes if he wishes to change.
At night Pedro came, asking about Carmela:
- And where is Carmela, my mother, Carmela, my graceful one?
when I do not see her at home the whole place darkens to me.
- Do not ask for Carmela, nor call her graceful:
she has called me a bad woman and you are the son of a friar.
Pedro mounted his horse and went to look for Carmela.
Entering the town he met with the midwife:
- Good day, Señor Pedro, we already have an infant.
The infant will live and Carmela, God knows!
- Rise up, Carmela, come to my mother’s house.
- How do you want, Don Pedro, how do you want me to rise?
two hours after giving birth no woman can rise.
Pedro mounted his horse and placed Carmela in front
- Carmela, why don’t you speak? .......
- How do you want, Don Pedro, how do you want me to speak
when the horse’s haunches are bathed in my blood?
And the child spoke, by the grace of God the Father:
- Do not kill her, do not kill her, do not kill my mother
over a false testimony that my grandmother gave her.
Pedro mounted his horse and went to kill his mother.
Entering the town.....
Already the bells are ringing, the bells of that valley.
Who has died, who has died? - The little duchess of a friar.
And the child spoke by the grace of God the Father
- She has not dies she was killed by my father
because of the false testimony that my grandmother gave.