בּוֹרֵא עַד אָנָּה | Borei Ad Anah (“Creator! How long”), a ḳinah after the Spanish Expulsion (ca. 16th c.)

Contributor(s):

Isaac Gantwerk Mayer (transcription & naqdanut), Gabriel Kretzmer Seed (translation), Isaac Leeser (translation) and Unknown Author(s)

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7 August 2016 under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) 4.0 International copyleft license

Categories:

Tishah b'Av

Tags:

קינות Ḳinnot, Mourning this Broken World, Ladino Translation, 16th century C.E., 54th century A.M., Acrostic signature

“Bore ‘Ad Anah” is a ḳinah recited in a number of Sephardic communities on Tishah b’Av (or in some cases on Shabbat Hazon, the Shabbat preceding Tishah b’Av), particularly in the Spanish-Portuguese, North African and Turkish traditions – the latter being the origin of the Ladino text reprinted here. The author is unknown, but his name is likely Binyamin based on the acrostic made up of the first letters of the verses. In the kinah, the Children of Israel are compared to a wandering dove caught in a trap by predators, crying out its father, God. The ḳinah was likely written as a poignant response to the Spanish Inquisition, appropriate to Tishah b’Av since the expulsion of the Jews from Spain occurred on the 9th of Av in the year 1492. The version presented here was likely censored, as many manuscripts have the fifth verse presented in the following manner directly calling out their Catholic oppressors, “יועצים עליה עצות היא אנושה זרים העובדים אלילים שלושה אם ובן ורוח כי אין להם בושה גדול ממכאובי.” “They counsel against her and she languishes, the strangers who worship three idols, father, son and spirit, for they have no shame and great is my suffering.”

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Source (Hebrew)	Translation (English)	Translation (Ladino)	Transliteration (Romanization)
בּוֹרֵא עַד אָנָּה יוֹנָתְךָ בִּמְצוּדָה תּוֹךְ פַּח הַמּוֹקֵשׁ עֲנִיָּה וּמְרוּדָה וּבְלִי בָנֶיהָ יוֹשֶׁבֶת גַּלְמוּדָה צוֹעֶקֶת אָבִי	Creator! How long shall thy dove remain in the toils of the fowler’s snare? She is afflicted and humbled, and lonely sitting, deprived of her children, she calleth to thee, O my father!	קריאדור אסטה קואנדו. טו פאלומבה אינקארסילאדה. אי אין לאסו אינלאסאדה, מיסקינה אי דיסדיגﬞאדה. אי סין סוס איזﬞוס. איסטה סוליטארייאה. איסקלאמאנדו סינייור׃	Kreador, asta kuando tu palomba enkarselada i en laso enlasada miskina i desdechada, i sin sus ijos. esta solitaria, esklamando, sinyor!
פִּזְמוֹן חוֹזֵר אָבִי אָבִי אָבִי אָבִי אָבִי אָבִי יוֹשֶׁבֶת גַּלְמוּדָה צוֹעֶקֶת אָבִי	Refrain: O my father, father, father! O my father, father, father! deprived of her children, she calleth to thee, O my father!	ריפﬞראן סינייור סינייור סינייור. סינייור סינייור סינייור. איסטה סוליטארייאה. איסקלאמאנדו סינייור.	Refran: Sinyor, sinyor, sinyor, Sinyor, sinyor, sinyor, esta solitaria, esklamando, sinyor!
נָעָה גַּם נָדָה מִקִּנָּהּ הַיּוֹנָה וּלְקֶרַח וְחֹרֶב יוֹם וָלַיְלָה חוֹנָה הִיא מִתְחַרֶדֶת מֵחֶרֶב הַיּוֹנָה מִשִּׁנֵּי לָבִיא	The dove driven from her nest now wandereth about, exposed day and night to frost and heat; she dreadeth the destroying sword, and the lioness’ teeth, Lord!	מיסקינה איסמובﬞידה. לה פאלומבה אונדי אנדה. אין יילאדה אי אין סיקורה. פוזאדה נוגﬞי אי דיאה. אי אילייאה איס מויי מידרוזה. די איספאדה לה אינגאנייוזה. אי די דייטיס די ליאון׃	Miskina i esmovida, la palomba onde anda en yelada i en sekura pozada noche i dia i eya es muy medroza de espada la enganyoza i de dientes de leon.
יָהּ עֵת עָזַבְתָּ אוֹתָהּ בְיַד טוֹרֵף אָכַל הַצַּוָּאר וּמָלַק הָעֹרֶף עָבְרוּ הַשָּׁנִים גַּם קַיִץ גַּם חֹרֶף אֶשָּׂא עֹל אוֹיְבִי	When thou didst surrender her into the hands of the spoiler he devoured her, as it were to the neck without mercy; many years have since then passed, yet summer and winter I bear the yoke of my enemy.	איי דייו די קי לה דישאסטי. אין פודיר די אריבﬞאטאדור. אי קומייולי איל סירבﬞיס. קאבﬞולי איל דירידור. פאסארון לוס אנייוס טאנביין בﬞיראנו טאנביין אינבﬞיירנו. סונפורטארי אה מי דולור׃	Ay, Dio! De ke la deshaste en poder de arevatador, i comiole el servis kavole el deredor? Pasaron los anyos tanbien verano, tanbien invierno sonportare a mi dolor.
מִי יִתֵּן אֵלֶיהָ אֵבֶר כַּנְּשָׁרִים לָעוּף בִּגְבָעוֹת וּלְדַלֵּג בֶּהָרִים לָבוֹא עִם דּוֹדָהּ אֶל תּוֹךְ הַחֲדָרִים אָז אֶשְׁכַּח עָצְבִּי	O who would give her wings like eagles, to fly on the hills, and to leap over mountains, to come to her beloved into the sacred chambers; then I could forget my grief.	איי דייו קין אלאס לי דייסי. קין בולאר פודייסי. פור לוס מונטיס קורייסי. פור לאס קואיסטאס סאלטאסי. פור בﬞיניר קון סו קירידו. אי דיינטרו אין איסקונדידו אולבﬞידאריאה מי דולור׃	Ay, Dio! Ken alas le diese ken bolar pudiese por los montes koriese por las kuestas saltase por venir kon su kerido i dientro en eskondido olvidaria mi dolor.
יוֹעֲצִים עָלֶיהָ עֵצוֹת הִיא אֲנוּשָׁה זָרִים אַכְזָרִים שָׂמוּהָ חֲלוּשָׁה בְּעֹל כָּבֵד בְּחֶרְפָּה וּבוּשָׁה גָדוֹל מַכְאוֹבִי	Cruel aliens take council against her, she is afflicted, because they have weakened her by a heavy yoke with scorn and shame, whereat my pain is great.	אקונסיזﬞאן סובﬞרי אילייאה קונסיזﬞו די אבוריסויון. איסטראנייוס לוס סירבﬞיינטיס. אידולוס קי טריס סון. קי נון אה אייוס בﬞירגואינסה. גראנדי אירה מי דולור. גראנדי אירה מי דולור׃	Akonsejan sovre eya konsejo de aboresyon estranyos los servientes idolos ke tres son ke nun es ayos virguenos grande^[1] Source here seems to read צראנדי which I believe to be a typo for the common word גראנדי meaning “great” and found in the parallel passage in the next verse era mi dolor, grande era mi dolor.
נַחֵם עַל לִבָּהּ אֵל שׁוֹכֵן בִּמְרוֹמִים דַּבֵּר נֶחָמָה עַל לֵב הָעֲגוּמִים קַבֵּץ נִדָּחִים פְּזוּרִים בָּעַמִּים וְגוֹאֵל תָּבִיא	Comfort her heart, O God who dwells in the heavens, speak comfort to the hearts of the downtrodden; gather those dispersed among the nations and a redeemer bring.	קונסולה סו קוראסון. פודירוזו סובﬞרי לוס אלטוס. אי אבﬞלה קונסולאסייון. סובﬞרי קוראסון די לוס אפﬞריטוס. אפאנייאה לוס אינפושאדוס. אינטרי פואיבﬞלוס דיזראמאדוס. אי טראאי איל ריגמידור׃	Konsola su korason poderoso sovre los altos i avla konsolasiyon sovre korason de los afritos apanya puevlos enposhados entre puevlos dezromados i trae el regmidor.^[2] Source here seems to read ריתמידור which I believe to be a typo for the common word ריגמידור meaning “redeemer”

Translation of verses 1-5 by Isaac Leeser, 1837; Gabriel Kretzmer-Seed (verse 6). Transcription of the Ladino by Isaac Gantwerk Mayer from Seder Arba Tanijot, p. 111.

Source(s)

seder arba tanijot p. 111

Notes[+]

Notes
1	Source here seems to read צראנדי which I believe to be a typo for the common word גראנדי meaning “great” and found in the parallel passage in the next verse
2	Source here seems to read ריתמידור which I believe to be a typo for the common word ריגמידור meaning “redeemer”

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“בּוֹרֵא עַד אָנָּה | Borei Ad Anah (“Creator! How long”), a ḳinah after the Spanish Expulsion (ca. 16th c.)” is shared through the Open Siddur Project with a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International copyleft license.

Isaac Gantwerk Mayer (transcription & naqdanut)

From a family of musicians, Isaac Gantwerk Mayer believes that creative art is one of the most powerful ways to get in touch with the divine. He composes music and poetry in Hebrew and English. (He also translates and authors his own original works.) Isaac runs a Jewish music transcription service, which will transcribe and set any Jewish music in any language, recorded or written. Contact his service on Facebook or via his music blog.

Gabriel Kretzmer Seed (translation)

Rabbi Gabe Kretzmer Seed has served as a Jewish chaplain in the New York City Department of Correction since 2018 where he provides religious services, classes and spiritual support primarily for Jewish incarcerated individuals along with providing general spiritual care for the incarcerated and staff of all faiths and none. He was recently named one of the New York Jewish Week 36 Under 36, a list of individuals making a difference in the New York Jewish Community for his work in the jails during the pandemic. Gabe received semikhah from Yeshivat Chovevei Torah in 2017, and is a graduate of Columbia University where he majored in United States History. He also received BA and MA degrees from the Jewish Theological Seminary – JTS where he focused on Talmud and Midrash, and Jewish education. He is the co-founder of the Zemirot Database, an editable online database for zemirot, liturgy, and other Jewish songs. Gabe is an avid Baal tefillah and Baal qriyah, and leads davening regularly in both his home community of Riverdale, NY, and has served as the High Holiday Ḥazzan Sheni at Congregation Tiferet Israel in Austin, TX since 2014. He also loves studying Jewish liturgy, especially comparing siddurim of different nusḥaot and minhagim.

Isaac Leeser (translation)

Isaac Leeser (December 12, 1806 – February 1, 1868) was an American, Ashkenazi Jewish lay minister of religion, author, translator, editor, and publisher; pioneer of the Jewish pulpit in the United States, and founder of the Jewish press of America. He produced the first Jewish translation of the Bible into English, as well as editions of the liturgy. He is considered one of the most important American Jewish personalities of nineteenth century America.

Unknown Author(s)

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ויהי נעם אדני אלהינו עלינו ומעשה ידינו כוננה עלינו ומעשה ידינו כוננהו "May the pleasantness of אדֹני our elo’ah be upon us; may our handiwork be established for us — our handiwork, may it be established." –Psalms 90:17