Quando el Rey Nimrod

Quando el Rey Nimrod (Judaeo-Spanish pronunciation: [ˈkwando el rei nimˈrod], modern Spanish spelling: Cuando el Rey Nimrod; "When King Nimrod") is a Sephardic folk song. It is sung in Judaeo-Spanish, the Jewish-Spanish language, and tells the story of the birth of Abraham, the biblical prophet.

Interpretations

Anachronistically, Abraham — who in the Bible is the very first Jew and the ancestor of all who followed, hence his appellation "Avinu" (Our Father)—is in theJudaeo-Spanish song already born, in the Djudería (modern Spanish: Judería), the Jewish quarter. This makes Terach and his wife into Jews, as are the parents of other babies killed by Nimrod. Abraham in the Bible is the very first man to be circumcised and perform circumcision.

In essence, unlike its Biblical model, the song is about a Jewish community persecuted by a cruel king and witnessing the birth of a miraculous saviour—a subject of obvious interest and attraction to the Jewish people who composed and sang it in Medieval Spain before they were expelled in 1492.

The song attributes to Abraham elements from the story of Moses's birth (the cruel king killing innocent babies, with the midwives ordered to kill them) and from the careers ofShadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who emerged unscathed from the fiery furnace. Nimrod is thus made to conflate the roles and attributes of two archetypal cruel and persecuting kings—Nebuchadnezzar and Pharaoh. For more information, see Nimrod.

It is also suggested that the song borrows from the Christian nativity story. For example, the miraculous light that signaled the birth, the birth in a manger, and the massacre of the innocents ordered by the cruel king Herod.

Lyrics

Auto-da-fé held at Valladolid Spain May 5, 1559

Quando el Rey Nimrod (Avraham Avinu)

Quando el Rey Nimrod al campo salía

mirava en el cielo y en la estrellería

vido una luz santa en la Djudería

que havía de nascer Avraham Avinu.

chorus:

(Avraham Avinu, Padre querido

Padre bendicho, luz de Yisrael) (x2).

Luego a las comadres encomendava

que toda mujer que prenyada quedasse

si no pariera al punto, la matasse

que havía de nascer Avraham Avinu.

(chorus)

La mujer de Terach quedó prenyada

y de día en día le preguntava

"¿De qué teneix la cara tan demudada?"

Ella ya savía el bien que tenía.

(chorus)

En fin de nueve meses parir quería

iva caminando por campos y vinyas,

a su marido tal ni le descubría

topó una meara, allí lo pariría

(chorus)

En aquella hora el nascido avlava:

"Andavos, la mi madre, de la meara,

yo ya topó quien m'alechará,

Malakh de cielo me accompanyará

porque so criado del Dio bendicho."

(chorus)

En fin de veinte días lo fue a visitar,

lo vido d'enfrente, mancevo saltar,

mirando al cielo y bien atinar,

para conocer el Dio de la verdad.

(chorus)

"Madre, la mi madre, qué buscaix aquí?

Un hijo preciado parí yo aquí.

Vine a buscarlo, si se topa aquí,

si está bivo me consolaré yo."

(chorus)

"Madre, la mi madre, qué avlaix?

Un hijo preciado, cómo lo dexaix?

A fin de veinte días, cómo lo visitaix?

¡Yo so vuestro hijo preciado!"

(chorus)

Mirad la mi madre, que el Dio es uno,

el crio los cielos uno per uno.

Dizedle a Nimrod que perdió su tino

porque no quiere creer en el Verdadero.

(chorus)

Lo alcanzó a saver el rey Nimrod esto,

"¡dixo que lo traigan aína y presto

antes que desreinen a todo el resto

y dexen a mí y crean en el Verdadero!"

(chorus)

Ya me lo truxeron con grande albon

y el travó de la silla un buen travón.

"¿Di, raxa – por qué te tienes tú por Dio?

¿Por qué no quieres creer en el Verdadero?"

(chorus)

"¡Acendiendo un horno, bien acendido,

echadlo presto que es entendido!

Llevadlo con trabucos, que es agudo,

si d'aquí el Dio lo escapa, es el Verdadero."

(chorus)

Echándolo al horno, iva caminando,

con los malakhim iva paseando,

y todos los leños fruto ivan dando;

d'aquí conocemos al Dio verdadero.

(chorus)

Grande zekhut tiene el senyor Avraham,

que por el conocemos el Dio de la verdad.

Grande zekhut tiene el senyor parido,

que afirma la mitsva de Avraham Avinu.

(chorus)

Saludemos agora al señor parido,

que le sea besiman-tov este nacido,

que Eliahu Hanavi mos sea aparecido,

y daremos loores al Verdadero.

(chorus)

Saludemos agora al compadre [sandak] y también al mohel

que por su Zehut nos venga

el Goel y Rahmã a todo Yisrael,

cierto loaremos al Verdadero.

(chorus)

When King Nimrod (translation)

When King Nimrod was going out to the fields

He was looking at heaven and at the stars

He saw a holy light above the Jewish quarter

[A sign] that Abraham, our father, must have been born.

chorus:

(Abraham Avinu [our Father], dear father

Blessed Father, Light of Israel) (x2).

Then he was telling all the midwives

That every pregnant woman

Who did not give birth at once was going to be killed

because Abraham our father was going to born.

(chorus)

Terach's wife was pregnant

and each day he would ask her

"Why do you look so distraught?"

She already knew very well what she had.

(chorus)

At the end of nine months she was determined to give birth,

She walked through the fields and vineyards

She didn't tell her husband anything,

She found a manger [cave]; there, she would give birth.

(chorus)

At that time the newborn spoke:

'Get away from the manger [cave], my mother

I have already found someone who will remove me.

An angel from heaven will accompany me

Because I am a child of the Blessed God.'

(chorus)

After twenty days she went to visit him.

She saw in front of her a young man leaping,

Looking at the sky, aiming to understand,

In order to know the God of Truth.

(chorus)

"Mother, my mother, what are you looking for here?

I gave birth to a precious son here.

I came to look for him here.

If he is alive I will be consoled."

(chorus)

"Mother, my mother, what are you saying?

How could you leave your precious son?

After twenty days how is it that you're visiting him?

I am your precious son!

(chorus)

Look, mother, God is one,

He created the heavens one by one.

Tell Nimrod that he has lost his common sense

Because he does not want to believe in the True One.

(chorus)

King Nimrod did not manage to learn.

"Bring him here immediately

Before they cause a rebellion

And encourage others to believe in the True One!"

(chorus)

They brought him in great humility.

He strongly seized the throne.

"Tell me, evil one - Why do you think you are God?"

Why do you not wish to believe in the True One?"

(chorus)

"Light a fiery furnace,

Throw him in immediately!

Protect yourself from him because he is clever.

If God allows him to escape, then He is real."

(chorus)

He was thrown into the furnace, wherever he walked

He walked with the angels

The trees gave forth fruit

And that's how we know about the true God.

(chorus)

Great merit has honorable Abraham

Because of him we recognize the true God.

Great merit has the father of the newborn

Who fulfills the commandment of Abraham our father (circumcision).

(chorus)

We wish to greet the father of the newborn

We wish mazel tov (good luck) to the newborn.

Because Elijah the Prophet appeared

And we give praises to the True One.

(chorus)

We greet the godfather and the circumciser,

Because of his merit the Redeemer and Merciful One [God] will come to all Israel,

And we give praises to the True One.

(chorus)