22. La galana (CES)

A love song that apparently disappeared from oral tradition. However, it was popular in Salonica at the beginning of the twentieth century. The article in the Ladino journal El Mesajero (Salonica, 1939, see above in the introduction) evidently referring to CES, cites a fragment from La galana: “Sin te olvidarte / de siempre amarte. / No esto por mi / no salgas loco. / Matar me matas, galana, / Galana, galana, / sal a la ventana.” (Bunis 1999, English part, p. 329, note 87). Elie Cohen also recorded this song in a shorter version entitled “Sultana” (in makam Hüseyni, see below no. 61). Two additional versions come from Rhodes: a written version by Amato-Levy (1987, p. 141) and an audio recording by Roza Avzaradel (NSA Y 05824) described by the informant as a wedding song. Its opening line is: “Yo quería ser patron de esta guerta.” Isaac Levy (1959-1973, vol. II, no. 33) documented a very truncated version of both text (in fact only the refrain) and melody that appears to echo this recording.

See also: "The song of the month" (November 2020): La Galana: A Very Old-New Sephardic Song.

Sufriendo siempre, siempre, yaré,

sufriendo siempre, siempre, parezco.

Kale olvidarmos lo que tengo,

esto por mí no salga loco.

Matarme, matarme,

matarme, matarme,

galana, galana.

Ay ya yürek.

Miri lo que va, que va, que va,

miri lo que va, que va, que va

Por ti galana, galana

ah ya yürek, ya yürek,

ah ya yürek, ya yürek,

ah ya yürek.

Por ti galana, galana,

por ti galana, galana

Ah ya yürek.

Me kale hacerte

porque me agradecerte siempre.

A todo que yo kale me contente

a todo que kale me contente.

Matar, matarme,

matarme. matarme,

galana, galana,

Ah yürek.

Miri lo que va,

miri lo que va

por ti galana, galana.

Ah ya yürek, ya yürek,

por ti galana,

por ti galana, galana.

Yarem, ah, amán, amán.