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From the Shores of the Golden Horn
Musical Memories of the Spanish Jews of Turkey
'Paths of Exile' Quincentenary Series, Volume I
TEXT AND TRANSLATIONS
Commentary by Dr. Susanna Weich-Shahak
It should be stressed that the program of this record is most special
in the fact that it includes a wide scope of genres in the Turkish
Sephardi repertoire. Proportionately, the majority of the items are lyric
songs,
a category that somehow has received less attention among scholars and performers.
As such, the VOICE OF THE TURTLE rescues from oblivion an important
portion of the Judeo-Spanish repertoire which has been wide open to the
influence of their neighbors(in this case the Turks).
This body of music clearly demonstrates the creativity, adaptablity,
and the dynamism of the Sephardim.
The record also includes romanças,coplas (strophic festival songs),
endechas (dirges),rarely sung in the oral tradition today,
as well as and songs which reflect the socio-economic and
political environment of the Turkish Sephardim.
Besides presenting a representative panorama of the repertoire,
this record is also special and even outstanding in that almost
all of the songs are based on authentic sources,
i.e., learned directly from unarranged recordings of informants
whose traditions these were.
Dr. Susanna Weich-Shahak
Derek Burrows: flutes, mandolin, guitar, dumbeks, naqqara and voice
Lisle Kulbach: rebec, kamanja, violin, shawm, percussion, and voice
Jay Rosenberg: 'ud, guitar, dumbeks, percussion and voice
Judith Wachs: baglama, saz, naqqara, percussion, and voice
La prima vez
SOURCE: Diana Sarano Vocalist: J.R.; violin
La prima vez ke te vidi
De tuz ojos me 'namori. )x2
De akel momento te ami,
Fina la tomba te amare. )x2
Aserkate me kerida,
Salvadora de me vida. )x2
Descubrite i avlame
Sekretos de la tu vida. )x2
The first time I saw you
I fell in love with your eyes.
From that moment I loved you.
I will love you to the grave.
Come close, my beloved,
Salvation of my life.
Speak to me, reveal
The secrets of your life.
The stylistic features of this lyric song suggest a recent creation.
Todo bueno tengo
SOURCE: combination of two versions: Kol Yisrael Archives and Los Pasharos
Sefardis, Vol.2
Vocalist: L.K.; baglama, kamanja, mandolin, flute, 'ud
Todo bueno tengo,
Marido viejo tengo.
De ver a los mancevoz
M'enamoro yo!
Los mancevoz visten chapines de lustrin,
I este viejo malo chapeo de poplin.
Los mancevos yevan camisa sirmali,
I este viejo malo pishtemal yagli.
Los mancevos visten fez makinali,
I este viejo malo chapines nalchalis.
La noche ya se aze me meto a yorar
I con este viejo malo
Como me vo a echar?
Everything is fine
I have a lovely old husband.
But when I see the young men,
I'm crazy about them.
The young men wear
Patent leather shoes;
My rotten old husband
A poplin hat!
The young men wear
Embroidered shirts,
This rotten old one,
A thick broad sash.
The young men wear
Machine-made fez' (modern);
My rotten old husband,
Shoes with iron taps! (like horseshoes)
Night is falling;
I begin to cry
How will I go to bed with this
Rotten old husband?
An old woman's complaint. The melody is popular Turkish, here stressed by
the instrumental accompaniment.The tune has a narrow range (only six notes,
moving mostly stepwise) and a lively tempo in a duple meter.
Esturulu
SOURCE: Istanbul (Kol Yisrael Archive) Vocalists: L.K. and J.W.
Esturulu no kome karne Porke kere kaza aparte.
Chorus: Esturulu, 'sturulu 'sturulu, Esturulu de la mama. No me tengas dingun
mal.
Esturulu se fue al pozo, Para ver su bel hermozo.
Chorus
Esturulu se fue al tejado, Para ver su 'namorado.
Chorus
Esturulu se metio palto, Para irse al teatro.
Esturulu (little Esther) does not eat meat, Because she wants a house of
her own.
Esturulu, mama's Esturulu, May no trouble befall you! (Don't you bring me
trouble!)
Esturulu went to the well, To see her handsome one.
Esturulu went to the roof, To see the object of her desire.
Esturulu wears a cape To go to the theater!
A mocking song, formulated in strophes of a parallelistic structure. (Each
stanza starts with Esturulu;, changing only for the new action and purpose.)
It is a very popular song among the Sephardim of Istanbul
Dak'il tas
SOURCE: Berta Aguado vocalist: J. R.; flute, finger cymbals
Dak'il tas toma'l tas, (2x)
Las muchachas meten baz En shaba de Hanuka,
L'hadlik ner shel Hanuka.
La gayina de la kuzina, (2x)
Dalde a gostar a la vizina Ke le sea milizina, En shaba de Hanuka L'hadlik
ner shel Hanuka.
Dak'il tas . . .
Mete la karne al tandur (2x) Ke le sea buen santur
En Shaba de Hanuka L'hadlik ner shel Hanuka
(Not sung on this recording but included to understand the structure)
[Una skulacha bien azme (2) Ke ya kero yo artarme De lo bueno yo gozarme
En Shaba de Hanuka L'hadlik ner shel Hanuka]
El vino de de la sterada (2x) Ke a mi mucho m'agrada A bever en Hanuka Ocho
dias de Hanuka L'hadlik ner shel Hanuka. Give the bowl, take the bowl, The
girls get into the act, On the Sabbath of Hanukah Light the candle of Hanukah
Give the chicken from the kitchen To the neighbor to taste May it be for
her as medicine On the Sabbath of Hanuka Light the candle of Hanuka
Put the meat in the oven That it will be well santur On the Sabbath . .
[A gum well softened, One with which I want to stuff myself, Of its goodness
I will enjoy myself, On the Sabbath. . . ]
The wine in the straw Which I so much like to drink, To drink at Hanukah
Eight days of Hanukah On the Sabbath . . .
A song for Hanukah, ending all the strophes with the Hebrew wordsL'hadlik
ner shel Hanuka as in the benediction for the Hanukah candles. It is a strophic
song, and like many other songs for the Jewish festivities, it is structured
in one of the most typical coplas structures, namely, the zejel. The text
tells of the preparation of a good meal for the feast: chicken and meat,
stew and wine. The opening verses of the song(perhaps not too clear as a
result of years in oral tradition) recalls the sound produced by striking
the metal (bronze or copper) bowl, carried by the insistent girls (meter
bas =to insist) probably to gather the ingredients for the Hanuka meal,
as was the custom in Turkey.
O Madre mia
SOURCE: Diana Sarano Vocalist: D.B.; guitar, tambourines, VOT
O madre mia, Tu muy kerida, De ke 'stas triste En este dia.
Keridos ijikos, Yora la manziya Ke amargo Muestra famiya.
Tu ermano el grande, K'el era soldado, El fue matado En Lule Burgaz.
Es en esta gerra Lo ke se vido Las krueldades De la Bulgaria.
L'armada Turka Era komandada, Por el ministro Enver Pasha.
Adelantre, adelantre Ivan gritando A Edirne Ivan entrando x2
Maldicho seas Tu rey Ferdinan Ke tu kavzates Todo 'ste mal
Djemidos amargos De kriaturas ) Ivan suviendo ) A las alturas )x2
O my mother, My beloved mother, Why are you so sad This day?
Beloved children, I cry for the tragedy That embittered Our family.
Your eldest brother, He was a soldier, Killed, In Lule Burgas.
It is in this war One can see The cruelties Of Bulgaria.
The Turkish armada Was commanded By the Minister, Enver.
Forward, forward, They cried! To Edirne! They were invading.
Cursed be you, You King Ferdinand! You have caused All this misery. The
bitter sighs of children Reached up to the skies.
A song of sadness and mourning, belonging to the repertoire of endechas
(dirges). The piece reflects the tragic consequences of the Turco-Bulgarian
war and tells about the conquest of Edirne(Adrianopolis). Most interestingly,
the last stanza lays the blame on King Ferdinand and his Edict of Expulsion(1492)
. The endechas were sung on the occasion of a death in the family; those
whose
theme was about war were particularly selected to be sung to mourn the death
of a young man.
Ir me kero madre
SOURCE: Berta Aguado Vocalist: L.K.
Ir me kero madre a Yerushalayim I komer las yervas i artarme de eyas. )2x
En el Kotel Maravi ay una ziara; Todas mis demandas ay me s'afirmavan. )2x
En el m'arimo y o en el m'enfiguzio yo, En el Patron del mundo en el Sinyor
del mundo.
Mother, I wish to go to Jerusalem To eat of the herbs and fill myself with
them.
In the Western Wall there is a wishing place Everything I wished was confirmed
for me.
I lean on the Wall, I place my faith In the Master of the world, in the
Lord of the World.
This song belongs to the repertoire of endechas (dirges) which used to be
sung in Turkey during the party celebrated before somebody (usually older
people) departed to the Holyland, to live there their last years in order
to be buried in Jerusalem. On these occasions, a mortaja (robe for the dead,
shroud) was prepared, the cutting and sewing of the mortaja accompanied
by endechas. The words express the deep feeling for Jerusalem and the holy
places, as well as the longing to be there to pray at the Western Wall (Kotel
Hamaaraví )
Durme, durme mi linda donzeya
SOURCE: Diana Sarano Vocalist:J.W.; violin, guitar
Durme, durme mi linda donzeya, Durme durme sin ansia i dolor.)x2
Ek tu sklavo ke tanto dezea, Ver tu esfuenyo kon grande ardor.)x2
Ay dos anyos ke sufre mi alma, Por ti djoya mi linda dama. }x2
Siente hermoza el son de mi guitara, Siente hermoza mis males kantar. }x2
(words of last verse from Kamelia Shahar, Izmir)
Sleep, my beauty Sleep without worry or pain.
Here is your slave who ardently wants To see your dreams.
For two years my soul has suffered For you, my joy, my beauty.
Listen my beauty to the sound of my guitar. Listen my beauty -
I will sing of my troubles.
A lyric song formulated as a lullaby for the beloved woman, declaring great
love and long suffering.
Te akodraz Sara
SOURCE: Diana Sarano Vocalist: D.B.; mandolin
Te akodraz Sara, Una noche de Alhad; Me tomaba l'ambra, Me kemaz la alma.
Lagrimaz de los mis ojos Kaygan en tu korason. Ke te kemez i te asez Sin
tener la salvasion.
Te akodraz Sara . . .
Mu pes pos m'agapas, Melon pezis yalas, Ke tos orcos xsehnas, Ke me alis
melas. (Greek)
Do you remember Sara, One Saturday night (eve of Sunday) I fell into your
arms. You burned my soul.
Tears from my eyes Fall on your heart. May you burn With no salvation.
Do you remember . . .
You tell me that you love me, With others you play and laugh, You forget
your promises, You talk with others.
A lyric song about long- lost love - the memories of a bygone evening, sung
in a waltz rhythm. This was a Greek song, sung in Turkish in Izmir and later
translated to Judeo-Spanish.
Yo hanino, tu hanina
SOURCE: Leon Algazi, Chants Sephardis Vocalists: J.R.
and L.K.; flute, 'ud, naqqara, finger cymba
l Yo hanino tu hanina, Nos tomaremoz loz doz. Los hijikoz ke moz nacen,
Aman komo la luna el sol, Derman komo la luna el sol.
O ke hermozas palavrikaz, Ke me dizez tu a mi. El Dio grande ke te oyga,
Aman, tu soz sola para mi, Derman tu soz sola para mi.
I am handsome you are lovely. We two will marry, The children we will have
Will be Like the sun and the moon, At last! Like the sun and the moon.
Oh! What beautiful words You have spoken to me. May God hear you. Oh! You
alone
are for me, At last! You alone are for me
This is a love song, widely known by Judeo-Spanish speaking Jews in all
the Balkan countries, and is often included in the repertoire of wedding
songs. It is formulated as a dialogue between the two lovers, who imagine
their marriage and their children like the "sun and the moon"
- a known metaphoric expression in the Sephardi repertoire. The opening
lines evidence a characteristic feature of Judeo-Spanish, i.e., combining
the Hebrew Hen (grace) with a Spanish suffix (hanino-hanina = lovely)
De edad de kinzay anyoz
SOURCE: Yitzhak Levy,
"Yitzhak Levy Cante Judeo-español."
Vocalist: D.B.; guitar, violin, dumbek, tambourine
De edad de kinzay anyoz, Empesi azer l'amor Con un mancevico brigante Ke
me pudo arrevatar.
El oficio de mi kerido Es ladron i kumardjí. El tavan ke me lo guadre
De la mano del police!
Trenta liras me demanda, Trenta i una le vo dar; Ke las meta en oficio,
En oficio de ganar.
From the age of fifteen I began to have an affair With a young rascal Who
had swept me off my feet.
The profession of my lover - A thief and a scoundrel. May heaven protect
him for me From the hands of the police!
He asks me for thirty liras, I will give him thirty one; May he invest them
A humorous song in the maqam kürdi, with rich melismatic ornamentation.
Maz arriva
SOURCE: Berta Aguado Vocalist: J.R.
Maz arriva i maz arriva, En la sivda de Silivria, Aya avia peshkadorez Peshkando
suz proveriaz.
Vieron vinir trez en kavayoz Aziendo gran polveria. Vinieron serka del rio,
A la mar lo echarian.
Echo ganchoz i gancheraz Por ver lo ke lez salia; Les salio un duke de oro,
Ijo del rey paresia.
Si se lo trayian bivo. Ombres grandes loz aria; Si se lo trayian muerto
Sus presentes les daria. Kamiza de holanda yeva. Kaveson de sirma i perla,
Anio yeva en el dedo Sien provez rikoz se azian.
Once, it happened In the city of Silivria, Fishermen were fishing for Their
meager existence.
They saw three horsemen approach Making a great dust. They came close to
the sea and Threw something into it.
They threw hooks and lines To see what they might find; Out came a duke
of gold - He seemed the son of a king!
If they brought him back alive, He would make them great men; If they brought
him back dead, He would give them gifts.
He wears a shirt from Holland (fine linen) A crown of gold embroidered with
pearl. He wears a ring on his finger. One hundred poor men were made rich.
A fragment from the historical romança on "The death of the
Duke of Gandía" with assonant rhyme on 'i-a' all along the text
(in all second hemistiches). The text presents a scene in which the poor
fishermen see three riders carry a suspicious bundle and throw it into the
sea. The fishermen drag this bundle with their grappling hooks and retrieve
the corpse of the Duke(the King's son) dressed in fine clothes and wearing
a precious ring. The King proclaims that he will properly reward whoever
finds his son, dead or alive. Similar versions of this text appear in old
Spanish sources. The name of the town in this version, Silivría,
recalls faintly Sevilla, Marsilia, and Almería, which appear in othe
r collected versions of this romança. The melody is richly ornamented,
with a clear cadence in maqam hidjaz.
Maldicha tripa de madre
SOURCE: Victoria Israel Vocalist: L.K.
Maldicha tripa de madre, Ke siete ijaz pario Sin dingun ijo varon. (2x)
No mos maldigash mi padre, No mos maldigash senyor; Si es por la vuestra
gerra, La gerra la venso yo.
Kaya kaya tu mi ija, K'es verguensa i bizayon! ) 2x
Ya me muero la mi mama, Ya me muero del amor. )2x Ke te are el mi ijo, Tiene
echaz de varon. )2x
Cursed belly of mother, Giving birth to seven daughters And not a single
son.
Don't curse us my father, Don't curse us, sir. If it is for your war, I
will be victorious.
Be quiet my daughter; It is a shame and embarassment!
I am already dying, my mother, I already die of love. You are my son, You
are like a young man*
*This last verse may have been taken from another version of this song,
but was sung by our informant in this way.
A traditional romança,** belonging to the thematic category of "The
Warrior Girl" rhyming on "ó" in every second hemistich
of the whole text. The plot presents the young daughter who goes to war
to save her father from conscription. In this discussion the father says
that it is a shame -verguenza i bizayon - using both terms meaning the same
thing in Spanish and Hebrew respectively. Many versions of this romança
are known among the Judeo-Spanish speaking Jews from other Balkan countries
and North Africa. The text is also known in the Spanish and Portuguese tradition
notated since the 16th century and is first documented in Judeo-Spanish
sources in 1794.
**A medieval ballad with seven or eight syllables per line (or 16 every
two lines) in which every other line rhymes.
Minouche
SOURCE: Kol Yisrael Archives Vocalist: L.K.; 'ud, guitar
Tres klavinas en un tiesto, Una blanka i otra roze. La d'en medio colorada,
Empesijo del amor.
Chorus: Aman minouche, minouche, yavrum minouche, minouche
A la mar yo me vo echar, Un peshcado vo aferrar. Siete novias vo kitar Yo
a ti te vo tomar.
Chorus
A los cielos vo subir, A las siete tabakas,* Flecha d'oro vo echar Onde
cae el mi mazal.
Chorus Three carnations in a pot, One white, the other, pink. The center
- red, I begin to love.
O la la Minouche, , My little one, Minouche.
I will throw myself to the sea. One fish I will catch, Seven brides I will
grasp; I will take you for my own.
To the heavens I will climb, To the seven heavens. Shoot a golden arrow
Where my luck falls.
A lyric song which, as is not uncommon to this genrem has a strophic structure:
the stanzas have no connected thematic content nor continuity. Characteristic
of the eastern Judeo-Spanish tradition, we find, in the last strophe, both
Turkish and Hebrew incorporated into the language(Tabakas=ceiling, heavens;
mazal = luck). As is common to lyric Sephardi repertoire, the text of this
song is also sung to other tunes in Turkey and other Balkan countries. The
present version is sung in the maqam hidjaz.
*Italicized words are Turkish when they occur within theJudeo-Spanish. texts.
Azeremoz una merenda
SOURCE: Yitzhak Levy, Chants Sephardis (Adrianopolis)
Vocalist: D.B.; 'ud, guitar, kamanja, violin, baglama, dumbek
Azeremoz una merenda Kualo hora vo lo diray? Yar aman, enrumé aman
La una kita l'alzeite De un teneke hasta diez. Yar aman . . .
La otra kita l'arina De un saco hasta diez. Yar aman . . .
Para hazer burmueloz En los diaz de Hanuka. Yar aman . .
.
Let us make a party! What time? I will tell you.
My love, aman, enrume aman
One gets the oil, From one to ten cans The other gets the flour From one
to ten.
To make burmuelos In the days of Hanuka
.
A song reflecting the preparations for the Hanukah feast. Children used
to go from house to house and demand to be given flour, oil and other ingredients
to prepare the burmuelos (the doughnuts or pancakes typical of Hanukah).
Por la tu puerta
SOURCE: Yitzhak Levy Vocalist: J.W.; guitar,violin
Por la tu puerta yo pasi, Te vide asentada. La yavedura yo bezi Como bezar
tu kara.
Aman, aman gül pembe, Ne bu yuzelik sende*
No te nieges ke te bezi, Te tengo y abrasado. Como'l dukado en el sarráf
, Te tengo kulaneado.
Aman, aman . . .
Ojos pretos tienes tu, Por los mavis me muero; Kuando veyo los vedrolis,
Kavo foya y m'enterro.
I passed by your door. I found you seated. I kissed the lock As if it were
your face.
Oh pink rose, How beautiful you are.
Don't deny that I've kissed you, Or even that I've embraced you. I hold
you as close to me As the banker holds his coin.
Your eyes are black, For blue ones, I die. When I see green ones, I bury
myself totally.
A lyric song of poetic wooing. Each stanza ends with a refrain with Turkish
words, possibly pointing to the use of an originally Turkish melody, moving
mostly by neighbor notes.
*N.B. The Turkish word is güzellik
Si savesh la buena djente
SOURCE:
Victoria Israel Vocalist: L.K.
Si savesh la buena djente, El pleto de zerzavat. Todo se meten d'enfrente,
Sali 'n medio el tomat. Mi kumida es alavada Mijor ke la berendjena!
La berendjena le responde: Kayada state tu tomat, Ke no valez metalik. Ke
dos diaz en el sesto Lo k'aprestaz para 'l isierko!
El tomat ya la responde: Kayada stae tu berendjena, Ke no valez metalik!
Muchas bokaz se detienen Asperando me ami.
De pishkado empesi, En el arros atemi, Si diresh por apetite, La salata
ez de mi!
La berendjena le responde: Kayado state tu tomat Ke no valez metalik. Kuando
abashe la djudria, O ke sta l'azeyte kara, Ya me azen alburnia! Mi kumida
es alavada, I mijor ke el tomat!!
Dear people, Do you know of the battle of the vegetables? All is put before
you, The tomato rises up from the center: My food is famous Better than
the eggplant!
The eggplant responds: "Quiet yourself, you Tomato. You are not worth
a penny: Two days in the basket, You are ready for the garbage!"
The tomato responds: "Be quiet, Eggplant, You are not worth a penny.
Many mouths are holding themselves In waiting for me. From the fish at the
beginning, In the rice I am submerged. If you speak of appetite, The salad
. . . c'est moi!"
The eggplant responds: "Be quiet you Tomato - Not worth a penny. When
the best people come down, (to shop) Using the most expensive oil, Alburnia*
is the result! My food is the most praised, Better than the tomato!"
*Alburnia (from an Arabic word): Boil entire eggplant. Slice. Put in colander.
Salt. Put heavy pot over all to get the bitterness to drip out (a while).
Brown both sides in oil. Cook with beef and TOMATO! -from Denah Levy Lida
A song in the Coplas genre, presenting a discussion between vegetables (zersavat
in Turkish), a type of Copla of which there are also quarrels between the
flowers and between the colors. In this song the dispute takes place between
the tomato and the eggplant, each stating its case(and importance) for the
preparation of various famous dishes from the menu of Turkish Jews. The
melody is somewhat similar to one of the tunes in which, using a composed
metric structure, some of the Coplas de Purim are sung.
Los kaminoz de Sirkidji
SOURCE: Berta Aguado Vocalists: D.B. andL.K.; 'ud,
dumbek, saz, shawm
Los kaminoz de Sirkidji S'incheron de arena. Para pasar i vo tornar I verte
a ti morena. Morena tu moreno yo, Ven moz frekuentaremoz; Si no te plaze
frekuentar Ven mos espozaremoz.
Kuando 'mpesimoz a frekuentar Kon biras i gazozes, A la fin fue retirasion
Palavraz de yelorez. El tu papa m'aprometio Kampoz i vinyaz. Yo no te kero
a ti pasha Ni por tapon de pila.
The streets of Sirkidji Are filled with sand; I pass by and turn And see
you, dark beauty. You, dark and beautiful, as I. Pass the time with me.
If passing time does not please you, We will get married.
We pass the time With beer and sparkling water. At the end - separation.
Cold words. Your father promised me Fields and vineyards. But sir, I don't
even want you As a cork in the sink!
Of the lyric genre. It is interesting to note that when this song was collected
from Sephardim of Turkish origin now living in Jaffa, the incipit said:
"En los kaminos de Gibilí," thus changing the name of the
original place for that of the Jaffa neighborhood in which they lived. The
song ends with a mocking answer to the enthusiastic wooing. The metric organization
is in five, typically Turkish.
Adio Rashel Levi
SOURCE: Berta Aguado Vocalist: J.R.; guitar, naqqara
Adio Rashel Levi K'ez a l'afrika ke me vo ir. Me vo ir a l'Afrika K's buena
la sivdad, Me vo ir a l'Afrika Para no tornar maz.
A l'Afrika me vo a ir, Me vo a sentar i te vo skrivir. Te vo skrivir una
letra, La letra d'amista. Dime si 'staz prenyada M'enbiyaz avizar.
Prenyada 'sto mi kerido, Echada en la cama sto. M'abondono la mi mama, De
mi chika kriatura, Por yirme por yirme por yirme detraz de ti!
Goodbye Rashel Levi, It's off to Africa I go. I am going to Africa - it's
a good city - Never to return. I am going to Africa, I will sit down, and
I will write to you A letter of friendship. Tell me if you're pregnant;
Send something to let me know.
I am pregnant my love, Taken in my bed, Abandoned by my mother, Because
of my child. Because I went after you.
It is thought that this is originally a French song about the exchange of
letters between "Rafael Falseur" who has gone to Africa as a soldier
, and his friend the poor Alexandrine, who has been left pregnant. He tries
to disuade her from following him and his "regiment." The Judeo-Spanish
words are an adapted translation with a suitable change of names, but nevertheless,
related to the situation of the Jewish community in regard to the emmigration
of many young men.
A la una yo nasi
SOURCE: Victoria Israel Vocalists: D.B.;J.R;. guitar, violin,
dumbek, tambourine
A la una yo nasi; A las doz m'engrandesi; A las trez tomi un amante; ) A
las kuatro me kazi. )2x
Dime ninya d'onde vienez, Ke te kero konoser. Dime si tu tienez amante;
) Si no yo te amare. )2x
At one I was born, At two I grew up; At three I took a lover At four I married.
Tell me young woman, where do you come from? I wish to know you. Tell me
if you have a love; If not, I will love you.
A lyric song in a strophic structure. It is a widely known song in the Balkan
countries. It is interesting to note that a similar melody is known among
the Spanish songs of the Flamenco repertoire, sung for Peteneras, whose
text refers to a beautiful Jewish woman. (The incipit says: Donde vas bella
judía?) |
