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Romance del rey moro que perdió Valencia

A Brief Introduction

This poem is a romance, which is a poetic form that has been part of Spanish literature for centuries, originating in the oral tradition of medieval Iberia. It is characterized by lines of eight syllables (with caveats), and rima asonante in the even-numbered lines, meaning that the final vowel sound in every other line will be the same throughout the poem. For example, the rhyming sound in this poem is ‘a’. Romances were performed by minstrels and the oldest among them originate from this oral tradition, a form in which some still survive today. They arose in an era when language was more fluid than today, and many of these romances viejos are attested in different forms across different languages.

Romances were very popular in their time, and from the Renaissance onward they would be composed by various authors, including some of the most prominent figures in Spanish literature, such as Lope de Vega. These poems differ from true romances viejos, however, in that they are not the product of an oral tradition and are instead penned by a single author. Though it is sometimes difficult to differentiate, this poem is decidedly of the older class, with versions found in Catalonia, Madeira, and Algarve.

More specifically, the poem is also a romance morisco in that it follows a Muslim or Moorish protagonist. This type of romance is written by Christian author(s) about Muslim subjects, and they are known for being far more charitable in their depiction than a modern reader might expect. For more on why I find these poems important, see Convivencia, Romances Moriscos, and Religious Conflict Today.

The poem is one of the many romances that involve “el Buen Cid,” a Castilian knight immortalized in the 12th-century Spanish epic poem El Cantar de mio Cid. In the poem, he is reconquering the city of Valencia from Muslim control, a real historical event which occurred in 1094, though the rest of the events are literary embellishment. I find this poem most notable and enjoyable for the drama and suspense of its action, an element which I find makes it feel strangely modern for a medieval poem. I hope you enjoy!

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Romance del Rey Moro que Perdió Valencia

Anónimo
Traducido por Jasper Cunningham

Helo, helo, por dó viene
el moro por la calzada,
caballero a la jineta
encima una yegua baya;
borceguíes marroquíes
y espuela de oro calzada;
una adarga ante los pechos
y en su mano una azagaya.
Mirando estaba a Valencia,
cómo está tan bien cercada:
-¡Oh, Valencia, oh Valencia,
de mal fuego seas quemada!
Primero fuiste de moros
que de cristianos ganada.
Si la lanza no me miente,
a moros serás tornada;
aquel perro de aquel Cid
prenderélo por la barba,
su mujer, doña Jimena,
será de mí cautivada,
su hija, Urraca Hernando,
será mi enamorada,
después de yo harto de ella
la entregaré a mi compaña.
El buen Cid no está tan lejos,
que todo bien lo escuchaba.
-Venid vos acá, mi hija,
mi hija doña Urraca;
dejad las ropas continas
y vestid ropas de pascua.
Aquel moro hi-de-perro
detenémelo en palabras,
mientras yo ensillo a Babieca
y me ciño la mi espada.
La doncella, muy hermosa,
se paró a una ventana;
el moro, desque la vido,
de esta suerte le hablara:
-Alá te guarde, señora,
mi señora doña Urraca.
-Así haga a vos, señor,
buena sea vuestra llegada.
Siete años ha, rey, siete,
que soy vuestra enamorada.
-Otros tanto ha, señora,
que os tengo dentro en mi alma.
Ellos estando en aquesto
el buen Cid que asomaba.
-Adiós, adiós, mi señora,
la mi linda enamorada,
que del caballo Babieca
yo bien oigo la patada.
Do la yegua pone el pie,
Babieca pone la pata.
Allí hablara el caballo,
bien oiréis lo que hablaba:
-¡Reventar debía la madre
que a su hijo no esperaba!
Siete vueltas la rodea
alrededor de una jara;
la yegua, que era ligera,
muy adelante pasaba
hasta llegar cabe un río
adonde una barca estaba.
El moro, desque la vido,
con ella bien se holgaba,
grandes gritos da al barquero
que le allegase la barca;
el barquero es diligente,
túvosela aparejada,
embarcó muy presto en ella,
que no se detuvo nada.
Estando el moro embarcado,
el buen Cid que llegó al agua,
y por ver al moro en salvo,
de tristeza reventaba;
mas con la furia que tiene,
una lanza le arrojaba,
y dijo: -Recoged, mi yerno,
arrecogedme esa lanza,
que quizás tiempo vendrá
que os será bien demandada.

Notes
1: a la jineta is a specific style of riding characteristic of Moors or Africans
2: an azagaya is a specific type of African polearm
3: lit. clothes of Easter
4: supernatural elements are uncommon in romances but the speaking horse is a trope.
5: other versions of the text make it clear that the Moor's mare is the mother of Babieca
6: lit. son-in-law
Sources and Acknowledgements
This version of the text is from the Antología de poetas líricos castellanos (1890-1908, Marcelino Menéndez y Pelayo). The version of the text in the 10th volume of the Biblioteca de Autores Españoles compiled by Manuel and Adolfo Rivadeneyra (1846-1880) was also consulted to confirm closing quotation marks. Special thanks to Carmen Miller and Dr. Nicolás Asensio-Jiménez for clarifying details of the translation. Historical dictionaries used are the Diccionario de Autoridades by the Real Academia Española and the Tesoro de la Lengua Castellana o Española by Sebastián de Covarrubias.