I lay in my bed, anana, sleeping as usual. I picked up my little vihuela, onono, plucked its strings as usual. to pluck the vihuela I went, anana, to the house of my girlfriend. Open, I said, my soul , anana, open, I said, my life. I'm holding the child in my arms, onono, If I opened, it would awaken. Put a fig in its hand, onono, and the problem will take care of itself. I have doors of pine wood, onono, if I opened, they would squeak. Put vinegar on the hinges, onono, and they will open by themselves. The wicked old man is sleeping, onono, if I opened, he would awaken. Throw covers over the old man, onono, and sleep will triumph over him. As these words were spoken, onono, the old man awakened. What is the matter, my wife, onono, that I see you so disturbed? With the child of my neighbor, onono, who gave me burnt bread. I see you, my wife, onono, on a slippery pavement. Wicked old man, I wish, onono, that you, with a hundred logs With a hundred logs, onono, would burn in the oven! This song tells the story of a young man who cannot sleep for his desire of a woman who is married to an old man. The historical Spanish version in the Cancionero de Palacio, set to music by Juan del Encina, contains only the first four lines of the account, while in the Sephardic version from Tetouan (Morocco) the entire story has been preserved. The two versions are basically different in melody and structure, but exhibit several corresponding melodic elements. Performers: Sarband
Música sefardí
Sephardic Song
sh
69
