Also known as “La Serena” – Traditional
In The Flory Jagoda Songbook Flory writes, “‘La Tore’ tells of a young princess, only child of a king who, when told his daughter would die at age 19 from a rattlesnake bite, built a tower in the middle of the sea to keep her safe. Lonely, she looked through the window each night, calling out to the sailors, one of whom fell in love with her.” This idea of placing vulnerable young women in towers is not an uncommon theme in Sephardic and other song traditions (check out our recording of “Tres Ermanikas” from our first CD “Sefardic Celebration”). In her book, Flory describes the song as a romanza, the Sephardic term for songs that tell a story, in other words, a ballad.
Listen to Flory sing La Tore
Susan, vocals; Howard, lute; Tina, bass viol
LYRICS + TRANSLATIONS
| En la mar ay una tore | In the sea there is a tower; |
| En la tore ay una ventana | In the tower there is a window; |
| En la ventana ay una ija | In the window there is a maiden |
| Ke a los marieneros yama | Who loves the sailors. |
| Dame la mano tu Paloma | Give me your hand, my Dove; |
| Kero suvir onde ti | I want to climb to you. |
| Maldicha ke durme sola | Cursed is she who sleeps alone; |
| Durmire yo kon ti | I will sleep with you. |
| Se la mar si faze leche | If the sea became milk |
| Yo me fago peshkador | I would become a fisherman |
| Peshkare por mis dolores | And fish for my sorrows |
| Kon palvrikas di amor | With little words of love. |
