ROMANCE DE LA PÉRDIDA DE ALHAMA (Spanish) Anonymous romance, 15th C. Music by Paco Ibañez who selected lines from the original work (Cf. below). Paseábase el rey moro por la ciudad de Granada desde la puerta de Elvira hasta la de Vivarrambla. Cartas le fueron venidas cómo Alhama era ganada ¡Ay! ¡Ay de mi Alhama! ¡Ay de mi Alhama! ¡Ay! Por el Zacatín arriba, subido había al Alhambra, mandó tocar sus trompetas, sus añafiles de plata porque lo oyesen los moros que andaban por el arada. ¡Ay! ¡Ay de mi Alhama! ¡Ay de mi Alhama! ¡Ay! Allí habló un viejo alfaquí***, la barba bellida y cana, ¿Para qué nos mandas, rey? ¿A qué fue nuestra llamada? Para que sepáis, amigos, la gran pérdida de Alhama. ¡Ay! ¡Ay de mi Alhama! ¡Ay de mi Alhama! ¡Ay!

ROMANCE OF THE LOSS OF ALHAMA (This literal translation and the one of the whole romance below are from yours truly -which means "raw with no embellishments") The Moorish king was strolling through the city of Granada From the Elvira gate to the one of Bibarrambla Letters came to him [about] how Alhama was taken. Alas! Alas, my Alhama! Alas, my Alhama! Alas! Up the Zacatín* street, he went [up] to the Alhambra, He ordered be sounded his trumpets, his silver añafils** For the Moors who walked in the plowed land to hear it. Alas! Alas, my Alhama! Alas, my Alhama! Alas! There an old alfaqui spoke, his beard beautiful and gray What do you summon us for, king? What's the reason for this call? So that you know, friends, of the great loss of Alhama. Alas! Alas, my Alhama! Alas, my Alhama! Alas!

Alhama de Granada was taken by the Spanish on 1482/02/28 (Granada War Wiki)


* Zacatín: "clothes market" from Spanish Arabic "saqqaṭtín", plural of saqqáṭ, from classical Arabic saqqāṭ, old clothes seller.
**Moorish trumpets, buisines
***Alfaquí: Muslim priest, wise man.

Here is the full romance:

ROMANCE DE LA PÉRDIDA DE ALHAMA (Spanish) Anonymous romance, 15th C. Paseábase el rey moro — por la ciudad de Granada desde la puerta de Elvira — hasta la de Vivarrambla. —¡Ay de mi Alhama!— Cartas le fueron venidas — que Alhama era ganada. Las cartas echó en el fuego — y al mensajero matara, —¡Ay de mi Alhama!— Descabalga de una mula, — y en un caballo cabalga; por el Zacatín arriba — subido se había al Alhambra. —¡Ay de mi Alhama!— Como en el Alhambra estuvo, — al mismo punto mandaba que se toquen sus trompetas, — sus añafiles de plata. —¡Ay de mi Alhama!— Y que las cajas de guerra — apriesa toquen al arma, porque lo oigan sus moros, — los de la vega y Granada. —¡Ay de mi Alhama!— Los moros que el son oyeron — que al sangriento Marte llama, uno a uno y dos a dos — juntado se ha gran batalla. —¡Ay de mi Alhama!— Allí fabló un moro viejo, — de esta manera fablara: —¿Para qué nos llamas, rey, — para qué es esta llamada? —¡Ay de mi Alhama!— —Habéis de saber, amigos, — una nueva desdichada: que cristianos de braveza — ya nos han ganado Alhama. —¡Ay de mi Alhama!— Allí fabló un alfaquí — de barba crecida y cana: —Bien se te emplea, buen rey, — buen rey, bien se te empleara. —¡Ay de mi Alhama!— Mataste los Bencerrajes, — que eran la flor de Granada, cogiste los tornadizos — de Córdoba la nombrada. —¡Ay de mi Alhama!— Por eso mereces, rey, — una pena muy doblada: que te pierdas tú y el reino, — y aquí se pierda Granada. —¡Ay de mi Alhama!—

ROMANCE OF THE LOSS OF ALHAMA The Moorish king was strolling through the city of Granada From the Elvira gate to the one of Bibarrambla Alas, my Alhama! He was brought letters – [telling] Alhama was taken. He threw the letters in the fire and killed the messenger Alas, my Alhama! He dismounts his mule – and on a horse he's riding; Up the Zacatín street he went up to the Alhambra. Alas, my Alhama! As soon as he was in the Alhambra, he straight away ordered His trumpets and his silver añafils to be sounded Alas, my Alhama! And his war drums at once to sound to arms So that his Moors hear it, the ones from the plain and Granada. Alas, my Alhama! The Moors who heard the sound that calls the bloodthirsty Mars, One by one and two by two, a great battle gathered. Alas, my Alhama! There spake* an old Moor, he spake thus, What doest thou call us for, king, what is this call for? Alas, my Alhama! You have to know, friends, an ill-fated news: Brave/ferocious Christians have already won Alhama from us. Alas, my Alhama! There spake an old alfaquí with a long, gray beard: It serves thee right, good king, good king, right it has served thee. Alas, my Alhama! Thou killedst the Bencerrajes who were the cream of Granada, Thou tookst the renegades from the renowned Córdoba/Cordova. Alas, my Alhama! For that thou deservest, king, a well doubled punishment: That thyself and the kingdom be lost– and now Granada be lost. Alas, my Alhama!

*I used "spake" because the Spanish uses "fabló", the 15th century form of nowadays "habló" when the initial "f" in most words might have been silent or pronounced as "h" but was not yet replaced in spelling by "h". Cf. "fijo" = "hijo" (son), "farina" = "harina" (flour), "fazer/facer" = "hacer" (to do/to make) etc.

original lyrics + a rhyming, embellished translation with many additional verses in English (there's a note at the bottom of the Spanish text saying "Here stops the original text. I wonder what the translator was smoking")

A small blurb about Alhama with photos and the text of the romance

two Spanish versions, a Portuguese one + 4 lines in Portuguese, a score.

An educational pdf document in Spanish about the historical and geographical background with many pictures.

Recording by Paco Ibáñez

Recording by Carmela (Carmen Requeta Dideo) in "Chants d'Espagne et d'Amérique Latine" Vinyl LP (Paco Ibáñez's version)

Recording by Joaquín Díaz

Lyrics + chords

Bolero flamenco by Fernando Barros Lirola.

Recording by HADIT ("Por las dos caras" -1987)

Modern versión performed in the 2010 Alhama "comarca" (~county) festival

Eduardo Paniagua La Conquista De Granada The Orchard Music

Concert by Axivil Aljamía that took place on 2013/06/13 in the patio of the Batha Museum in Fes (Morocco) during the 19th World Sacred Music Festival

You can find more recordings/renditions searching these YouTube pages Romance de la pérdida de Alhama, Ay de mi Alhama

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