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"Torri Cumbo"
The Ballad of the Bride o Mosta
The legend
has been handed down by tradition in ballad form, of which there are two
versions. The story recounts how a Maltese maiden from Mosta was carried
away into slavery on her wedding day. The Ballad has a historical basis,
for it has been established that the Turks (Moors) did, in fact, raid and
sack the village of Mosta in 1526, taking almost 400 prisoners, ‘including
a bride, together with the guests all dressed up for the wedding’.
The traditional version of the ballad is given by Annibale Preca in
his Malta Cananea, published posthumously in 1904. It was first printed in
1895 by Prof. Luigi Bonelli, of Naples, who took the text of the song from
Preca. Preca himself got the words from a manuscript given to him by his
friend Fr. Paul Chetcuti of Mosta, to whom the were dictated by an old
aunt.
Its
structure conforms to the type of song on the theme of the Rescued Maiden,
which the members of the family, together with the beloved one, are
designated. The latter is placed in opposition to the family members so
that he is the only one who tackles the task the others decline to do, i.e.
ransoming the bride
from
slavery. After her mother and aunt refuse to pay her ransom. The bridegroom
is prepared to make every sacrifice to free her. The song illustrates the
motif found in the myth of Alcestis in Greek mythology, that the ties of
love are stronger than those of consanguinity.
The more modern version of the ballad in the printed form is
obviously based on Muscat Azzopardi’s novel L-Gbarusa tal-Mosta (1879,
re-printed in 1909 and 1927) It tells how, in or about 1526, there was a
palace in Mosta known as the Torri Cumbo, owned by Julius Cumbo, one of the
four jurats of the Mdina town council (Universita) Cumbo had an only
daughter, Marianna, an exceedingly beautiful girl who was betrothed to
Toni, a scion of the Manduca family. They were making last-minute
preparations for the wedding feast when the Barbary corsairs landed and
with the connivance of Muley, a one-time slave of the Cumbo household,
entered the palace, carried off Marianna and sailed away on a xebec to
Tripoli.
Toni went to
the city disguised as a wool merchant and with the help of Assena, daughter
of the Sultan of Tripoli; he succeeded in freeing Marianna.He brought her
back to Malta on a Venetian vessel, but the sufferings she had to endure
during her captivity had greatly weakened poor Marianna, to the extent that
shortly after her return she died, mourned by the whole island. Toni
Manduca left Malta on the Order’s galleys to go and fight the Turks and he
died bravely in battle.
The text of the traditional version is of the utmost importance as
an example of folk composition. It has been considerably augmented by
various stanza heard or published since its first publication by Bonelli in
1895. The full text may be reconstructed as follows:
Lines 1-12 The Barbary corsairs carry the
bride away during the wedding feast,
Lines 13-36 The bride’s anguish during the
voyage to the cities on Barbary Coast,
Lines 37-68 The
bride is presented to the pasha who decided to keep her in his harem. In
various ways she refused to accept
her life as a slave,
Lines 69-80 The
bride is rescued and ransomed by the groom.
The Bride
of Mosta
Poor Maid
of Mosta!
Sad things
awaited her on that Monday morn!
The Turks
came and carried her away
When she
least expected them.
When those
cursed Turks came
The cock
began to crow,
The
guests weere ready downstairs,
And the
groom in the upper room.
‘Go, my
master, go,
Here, take
these 900 (scudi)
And if
they’re not enough
I’ll bring
you an ass’s load (of money).’
The Turks
came and took her,
They
carried her away on a vessel;
The made
her look towards the sea
And turn
her back upon her village.
They took
her away with them,
And turned
her face towards the East,
They made her change her Maltese clothes
And they
wound a turban round her head.
They took
her away with them
And made her sit at the poop;
They made
her change her Maltese clothes
And wear
instead the Turkish jacket.
‘O mistress mine, sit down,
Here’s the
table, sit down and eat.’
She said,
‘I don’t want any food
Once I’ve
fallen a slave of Jews.’
‘Sit down,
my mistress, sit down
There’s
the bed, sleep and rest.’
She told
him, “I don’t want to sleep
Once I’ve fallen into the hands of the dogs.’
Poor maid
of Mosta!
Sad things
awaited heer on that Monday morn!
Her heart
was beating fast,
All that
night she spent in anguish.
They took
heer away with them,
And gave
her as a gift to the pasha;
Everyone
welcomed her,
Young and
old attended to her needs.
‘Take this
veil, arrange your hair,
Take the
key, eat and drink.’
‘I will
not eat any food
Before I
return to my Mosta.’
My hair I will not comb
Before I
return to Mosta my village;
My dear
mother will comb my flowing hair
And my
aunt Kozza will plait it’.
O bride,
don’t be downheaarted,
We shall
make you queen of Jerba.’
‘What
avails it that I be made queen
Once I’ve
fallen in the hands of the Berbers?’
O bride, don’t be downhearted,
We shall
make you queen of the cities.’
‘Whaat
avails it that I be made queen
Once I’ve
fallen in the hands of the dogs?’
‘Grieve
not, not, o mistress mine,
Put on
these fine clothes, adorn yourself’.
‘Put on
fine dresses! Shame on you,
All my
life I shall remain a slave.’
‘My child,
put on these clothes
There’s
the chest, dress up, adorn yourself.’
‘How can I
drss? Woe is me,
I am now a
slave for evermore!’
Sleep, my
child, sleep.
There’s
the bed, lie down and rest.’
‘How can I
rest? Woe is me,
I’ve
fallen in th;e hands of the dogs!
‘Go and
tell my dear mother
That the
price of my ransom is 700 (scudi).’
Better 700
in the chest,
Than my
daughter ransomed.’
‘Go and
tell my auntie Kozza
That the
price of my ransom is 700.’
‘Better
700 in the chest
Thaan my
sister’s daughter ransomed.’
‘Go and
tell my beloved
That the
price of my ransom is 700.’
“I’ll sell
even my field
To see my
beloved ransomed.’
……………………………………………………………………………..
"Torri Cumbo"
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