Sung by Alicia Benassayag, Tetuán, 1956.

In this Reconquest story, a Christian girl is sold as a slave to a renegade, as converts to Islam were called, and brought in chains to his house. But his wife, a kindly woman, treated her tenderly, loosened the chains, and advised her to return home. Reluctant to leave, she was told that freedom would allow her to live with her own people rather than with strangers in a foreign land.

Moors captured me
Between peace and war;
They put me up for sale
Near a cathedral.

No real Moor, man or woman,
Offered so much as a "blanca";
It had to be a renegade,
May he be stabbed to death!

He put his hand in his purse,
He paid a hundred doubleens for me;
He took me to his house
And put me in chains.

God's will and my good fortune,
The mistress was kind;
When the master left the house,
She loosened my chains.

She gave me white bread to eat,
The same that the master ate;
She gave me wine to drink,
The same that the master drank.

She put me on her lap,
And cleaned my head of lice;
Every day she said to me:
"Christian, go to your own country."

“How can I go, madam,
And leave your kind face?"
"More important is your freedom
Than to be loveless in a foreign land."

Armistead: Vol. I, pg. 282 (H6.7)

Sung by Alicia Benassayag, Tetuán, 1956.

Cautiváronme los moros
entre la paz y la guerra;
y sacáronme a vender
averes de una romera.

Y no hubo moro ni mora
que por mi una blanca diera;
Si no era un renegado,
que a mala lanzada muera.

Metió una mano a la su bolsa,
las cien doblas por mi diera;
y llevárame a su casa
pusiérame la cadena.

Quiso Dios y mi fortuna,
que la ama tuviera buena;
cuando el amo iba de casa,
me aflojaba la cadena.

Diérame a comer pan blanco,
del que el amo comiera;
diérame a beber del vino,
de lo que el amo bebería.

Y me echaba en su regazo,
y me espulgaba la cabeza;
cada día me decía:
“Cristiano, vete a tu tierra."

“¿Cómo me iré, señora,
dejaré tu cara buena?"
"Mas vale tu libertad
que no amar en tierra ajena.”