Translated Texts: La bivda de Rabi Shelomo Ashkenazi i Sultan Ahmed I

Translation of Albert Levy’s poem recounting how a Jewish widow saves the life of Sultan Ahmed I. Translation by Ashley Bobman.

La bivda de Rabi Shelomo Ashkenazi i Sultan Ahmed I
 
Ahmed primo fue rey koronado,
kuando era solo de 14 anyos aydado;
fue el mas djoveno sovrano,
de el Impirio Otomano.

Segun el uzo ke estonses avia,
kuando un monarka reynava en Turkia;
a todos sus ermanos el matava,
i de toda duvda ansi eskapava….

Ahmed primo, un ermano tenia,
ke matado siguramente seria;
Mustafa, flako de mantaledad,
idiota, dezde su chika edad.

Ahmed, tuvo por su ermano piadad,
i estonses le dio la libertad;
siendo los bovos eran ajidiados
i kon ojo de piadad mirados.

Sultan Ahmed I, era djusto i piadozo, deziava ke su puevlo biviera en repozo
aunke chiko i sin muncha eksperiensa,
uzava takto i tambien intelijenta.

Alos djudios, de korason el amava,
komo su padre, i el los konsiderava,
siendo vea ke eyos eran paziguozos,
intelijentes, aktivos i laboriozos.

Ala bivda de Shelomo Ashkenazi el regretado, la tratava komo un ermano divuado; siendo eya era bastante edukada,
una mujer noble i muy aklarada.

Poko tiempo despues de aver enrienado,
la virguela el avia kontraktado;
Sultan Ahmed I sufria en kama,
i repozo no topava su alma.

Doktores Otomanos, lo kuidavan,
i remedio para la hazinora no topavan;
todos los kuidos, eran en vano,
en perikolo estava el soverano.

El rey, estava en la agonia,
el mal se agravava kada dia;
doktores abeles trayian del estraniero,
para salvar a Ahmed primero.

La bivda de Shelomo Ashkenazi muy savida, kijendo salvar al rey la vida;
desedio kuidarlo, darle tratamientos,
en akeyos graves momentos.

Dicho i echo, eya kuido al soverano,
en pokos dias, lo rendio salvo i sano;
lo salvo dela terivle hazinora,
ke krievan ke no avian ninguna kura.

Grasias al presorozo tratamiento dado,
el rey fue enteramente salvado;
i de akel punto, el mas amava,
ala mujer, ke la vida le ganava.

El akordo ala bivda grande paga,
una soma bastante larga;
pero, eya refuzo alora el dinero,
en diziendo al Sultan Ahmed primero:

– te salvi la vida, me siento uroza,
esta es me paga, la mas presiyoza;
sos djoveno, piadozo, i djusta,
i salavarte fue mi solo gusto.

Ezmovido por las palavras sinseras,
ke eran frankas i verdaderas;
el sultan le espandio la mano,
komo un pasionado ermano:

– toda me vida te sere rekonosiente,
a tus demandas no kedare indiferente;
en me palasio toparas avrigo,
komo un verdadero i fiel amigo.

La bivda saludo al rey kon vinerasion,
tuviendo en memoria, su deklarasion;
se fue alegre i muy sonriante,
de aver ganado al rey enteramente.

Alberto Levi

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Translation: The widow of Rabbi Solomon Ashkenazi and Sultan Ahmed I

Ahmed the first was crowned king
when he was only 14 years of age;
he was the youngest sovereign
of the Ottoman Empire.

According to the tradition at that time,
when a monarch reigned in Turkey;
he slayed all his brothers,
and all the doubt thus had ended…

Ahmed the first had a brother
who would surely have been killed;
Mustafa, a mentally weak
idiot since a young age.

Ahmed pitied his brother,
and thus gave him freedom;
since the mentally-slow were pitied
and looked at with eyes of compassion.

Sultan Ahmed I was just and compassionate,
he desired that his people live in tranquility,
even though they are few and without much experience, using tact and also intelligence.

He loved the Jews with his heart
and he was considered like their father
since seeing that they were peaceful,
intelligent, active, and hardworking.

The widow of the late Solomon Ashkenazi,
the Sultan treated her as a devoted brother would, since she was quite educated,
a noble and very enlightened woman.

After he had reigned for little time,
he had contracted small pox;
Sultan Ahmed I suffered in bed
and his soul had not found rest.

Ottoman doctors cared for him
and did not find a remedy for his sickness;
all the treatments were in vain
the sovereign was in danger.

The king was in agony
the pain aggrivated him each day;
able doctors were brought from abroad
in order to save Ahmed the first.

The very savvy widow of Solomon Ashkenazi, wanting to save the king’s life,
decided to care for him, to give him treatments in his gravest moments.

Said and done, she cared for the sovereign,
in few days, she rendered him safe and sound;
she saved him from the terrible sickness,
that they believed had no cure.

Thanks to the urgent treatment she gave,
the king was entirely saved
and from this point, he loved more
the woman that won him his life.

He gave the widow great pay,
a quite large sum,
but she thus refused the money
in saying to Sultan Ahmed the first:

– I saved your life, I feel happy,
this is my pay, the most precious
you are young, compassionate and just
and to save you was my sole pleasure.

Moved by her sincere words,
that were frank and true,
the Sultan extended his hand,
as a passionate brother:

–all my life I will be grateful to you,
I will not remain indifferent to your demands; you will find shelter in my palace,
like a true and faithful friend.

The widow greeted the king with veneration,
having his declaration in memory;
she was happy and smiling greatly
for she had won the king entirely.

Albert Levy