The Preservation of Jewish Languages and Cultures in memory of Hayyim (Marani) Trabelsy
Dialog between the poet and a silver tray hung on the wall. The dialog reminisces family gatherings from holidays, different delectable, etc.
por Mathilde Koen-Sarano
La tavlá de dulse
Tavlá de plata
A mi pared enkolgada,
Kualo te akodras de tu vida pasada?
M’akodro fiestas
I me akodro de bodas,
M’akodro manos de mujeres henozas.
T’akodras madres,
Ijas, tías i parientes?
T’akodras las kazas tan yenas de djentes?
M’akodro dulses,
Shurbetes i sharopes
De roza, de almendra i de fistokes.
M’akodro pirón
De plata i kucharika,
I fruta dulse i de kolor tan rika.
T’akodras karas
Sunriyentes i jentiles,
Refletándosen en luzes de kristales?
M’akodro dichas,
Suetos i bindisiones,
Saliendo - entrando en los korasones.
Agora durmo
En tu pared enkolgada,
Para ti ke sonyas tu vida pasada.
Matilda Koén-Sarano - En kamino de Beer-Sheva a Yerushaláyim, 3.6.1997
(de ANTOLOJIA DE POETAS SEFARADIS KONTEMPORANEOS de Salvador Santa Puche,
Edisiones Capitelum, Sivdad de Valensia, 1999, pp. 30-31)
The speaker is not a native Ladino speaker
During the Spanish inquisition, a priest persuaded a Jew to convert to Christianity. One day, on a Friday afternoon, the priest came to visit the Jew, to make sure he is not breaking any Christian laws, but was surprised to find the Jew sitting down having a roasted veal for lunch.
“What is this?!” said the priest, “are you eating meat?! You know that’s not allowed on a Friday.”
“No, it’s not meat, it’s fish”, the Jew replied.
“I beg your pardon?!” said the priest, “I can clearly see that it is meat indeed.”
“It is very simple”, the Jew answered. “I sprinkled three drops of salted water on the meat, crossed it and said: “You used to be meat, but now you are fish”, “You used to be meat, but now you are fish”, “You used to be meat, but now you are fish”, just like you did to me during my conversion.
The speaker is not a native Ladino speaker
