Sung by Ester Cadoch Israel, Tetuán, 1956.

The young Count Niño enchants the people with his song as he waters his horse near the seashore. The queen hears him and fears it is a siren of the sea. But her daughter tell her it is her lover come to take her away. When the queen threatens to kill him the daughter defies her authority, but the angry queen has the two lovers killed. A lemon tree grows over her grave, and a grapefruit from his. But the queen, still furious, orders them cut down. Transformed into a dove and a hawk, they fly heavensward seeking justice. In the last verse, spoken by the singer, the queen dies of sorrow.

The young count arose
The morning of San Juan
To water his horses
At the edge of the sea.

While his horses drink,
The count sings a song;
Doors that are closed
Open, pair by pair.

Women that are pregnant
Miscarry;
Men who are in the fields
Return to the city.

“Do you hear, little princess,
Are you sleeping or awake?
Do you hear how she sings,
The siren of the sea?”

“It is not the siren, mother,
It is not even her song;
It is the young count, mother,
Who comes to carry me away.

“If he carries you away, princess,
I will order him killed.”
“If you order him killed, mother,
They will bury us together.”

The queen, maddened by jealousy,
Ordered them murdered;
From her, milk and blood flew,
From him, royal bleed flows.

She was buried in the church,
And he at the altar;
From him grows a grapefruit tree,
From her, a lemon tree.

One grows and the other grows,
They join high in the sky;
The queen, maddened by jealousy,
Ordered them cut down.

From her, a dove flew,
From him, a hawk;
One flies and the ether flies,
Heavenwards they seek justice.

Next day in the morning
Spoken: She died on the spot;
The queen, with much sorrow,
Will always remember it.

Armistead: Vol. I, pg. 344 (J1)

Sung by Ester Cadoch Israel, Tetuán, 1956.


Levantóse el conde Niño
mañanita de San Juan
a dar agua a sus caballos
a la orilla de la mar.

Mientras los caballos beben,
el conde dice un cantar;
puertas que estan cerradas
se abren de par en par.

Mujeres que estan en cinta
las hacían abortar;
hombres que están en el campo
se vuelven a la ciudad.

“¿Si ois, la niña infanta,
si dormis o recordais?
Si ois como lo canta,
la sirena de la mar?”

“No e’ la sirena, mi madre,
ni meno’ e’ del su cantar;
el conde Niño es, mi madre,
que a mi viene a demandar.”

“Si a tí demanda, la infanta,
yo le mandare a matar.”
“Si a el le matais, mi madre,
juntos nos han de enterrar.”

La reina de gran celos
los mandaría matar;
De ella corre leche y sangre,
de el corre sangre reál.

A ella la enterró en la iglesia,
y a el en el altar;
de el ya crece una toroja,
de ella crecie un limonar.

Crece el uno y crece el otro,
al cielo se iba a juntar;
la reina, con grande celo,
los mandaría a cortar.

De ella salió una paloma,
de el un gavilán;
vuela el uno y vuela el otro,
al cielo iban a juzgar.

Y otro día en la mañana
Hablado: Muerta quedó en el lugar;
la reina, con grande pena,
siempre lo iba a recordar.