This is the second part of Nixan saman-i bithe (the first part is here), and, at the same time, my first installment as an official author of the blog. After discussion with Randy I decided to change some things. We minimalized grammatical explanations and gave more accurate glosses, similarly to what Randy did in his installment on Möllendorff.
And here is a couple of links:
Here you can find complete digital version of the manuscript, written by a Manchu called Dekdengge for Prof. Grebenshchikov in Vladivostok in 1913. Uploaded by Bucin (ambula baniha, Bucin agu!)
Here is full text in romanization with Japanese glosses.
For those who can read Russian, here is a Russian translation.
ama hendume, sini dergide emu ahvn bihe, tofohon sede heng lang
xan alin de abalame genefi beye dubehebi, bi gvnici genere be nakareo
sere
ama [father]
hendume [saying]
sini dergide [before you] sini [you] gen, dergi [above, over] dat-loc
emu ahvn [one elder brother]
bihe [there was]
tofohon sede [at the age of fifteen]
heng lang xan alin-de [at Heng Lang (Shan) Mountain]
abalame [hunting]
genefi [ (he) went and]
beye [body, vitality]
dubehebi [died, ended] perf. vb. + copula
bi [I]
gvnici [would (I) think]
genere-be [going] acc
nakareo [stopping?] interrogative suffix -o
sere [spoke]
Father said “We had had a son before you who after having come to the age of fifteen went to hunt at Heng Lang Shan Mountain and died. I think you’d better not go.”
jakade sergudai fiyanggo hendume niyalma jalan de, haha seme banjifi, ai bade yaburakv, enteheme boo be tuwakiyame bimbio bucere banjire gemu meimeni gajime jihe hesebun ci tucinderakv jakade
jakade [then]
sergudai fiyanggo [Sergudai the Younger] dictionary form: Fiyanggv
hendume [said]
niyalma jalan-de [in the human world]
haha [man]
seme [called] used to put emphasis on the previous word, as a topic marker, it can be compared to Japanese particle ‘wa’
banjifi [being born]
aiba-de [where]
yaburakv [won’t leave]
enteheme [eternally, always]
boo-be [house, home] acc
tuwakiyame bimbio [will guard] (emphatic) copula in interrogative form
bucere banjire [life and death]
gemu [all]
meimeni [each one]
gajime [bringing]
jihe [came]
hesebun-ci [from destiny, fate]
tucinderakv [come out from each other] reciprocative form of tucimbi (?)
serede [spoke]
Sergudai the Younger said “For a person being born to this world as a man, where can’t he go? Will he be watching his home forever? Death and life can not transcend the destiny that each individual brings with him.”
Yuwan wai arga akv alime gaifi, hendume aika abalame tuciki seci, ahalji bahalji sebe gamame gene, ume inenggi goidara jebkexeme yabu, hahilame mari mini tatabure gvnin be, si ume urgedere seme afabure be
yuwan wai [landowner]
arga akv [could do nothing about it], arga [idea, way], akv [not, lack]
alime [accepting]
gaifi [having taken]
hendume [said]
aika [if]
abalame [hunting]
tuciki seci [(you) want to leave] sembi as auxiliary verb in voluntative mood + in conditional form
ahalji bahalji sebe [Ahalji and Bahalji]* (proper names) plural suffix, acc
gamame [taking]
gene [go]
ume inenggi goidara [don’t endure the days] ume – imperative negative
jebkexeme yabu [act very cautiously]
hahilame [hurrying / in hurry]
mari [return]
mini [my]
tatabure [wrinkle] here the verb precedes its direct object, as part of an idiomatic expression
gvnin-be [thought, mind] acc
si [you]
ume urgedere [do not fail my expectations]
seme [speaking]
afabure be [entrust] acc
The landowner couldn’t do anything else but agree. He said “If you want to go hunting, then go, but take Ahalji and Bahalji with you. Don’t take much time. Be very cautious and come back quickly, because I am anxious. Don’t fail my expectations.”
*Ahalji and Bahalji – many Manchu given names were simply partial alterations of other names, there is also a noun “dahalji” which means “a manservant under a life contract” (see Wikipedia article)
sergudai fiyanggo je seme jabufi, uthai ahalji sebe hvlafi afabume hendume, muse cimari abalame tucimbi, niyalma morin enggemu jergi be teksile, coohai agvra beri niru jergi be belhe, cacari boo be, sejen de tebu, anculan giyahvn, kuri indahvn be saikan i ulebufi belhe, sere
Sergudai Fiyanggo [Sergudai the Younger]
ja [yes]
seme [saying]
jabufi [answered and]
uthai [then, immediately]
ahalji se-be** [Ahalji and the other servants] plural suffix, acc
hvlafi [having called]
afabume [ordering / as an order]
hendume [said]
muse [we] inclusive
cimari [tomorrow]
abalame [(for) hunt]
tucimbi [are leaving]
niyalma [men, people]
morin [horses]
enggemu [saddles]
jergi be [and other things]
teksile [arrange]
cooha-i agvra [weapon], cooha-i [army] gen, agvra [tools, instruments]
beri [bows]
niru [(large) arrows]
jergi be [and other things]
belhe [prepare]
cacari boo be [square tent with cloth sides] acc
sejen de [on a chariot, vehicle]
tebu [place]
anculan giyahvn [hawks and falcons] dictionary form: aculan
kuri indahvn be [striped / spotted dogs]
saikan i [properly]
ulebufi [feed and]
belhe [prepare]
sere [said]
Sergudai the Younger answered “Yes, my father!” and immediately called Ahalji and the other servants and ordered them “Tomorrow we are leaving for the hunt. Arrange the men, horses, saddles and other things. Prepare bows and arrows and other weapons. Put a tent on a chariot. Feed well and prepare our hawks and striped retrievers.”
** Ahalji se [Ahalji and other servants] – the plural suffix can be put after a proper name to describe one man and a group of people connected with him, in this case it’s ‘Ahalji and other servants’, but e.g. ‘Yuwan wai sa’ could be translated as “Yuwan wai and his family’
Jakade ahalji bahalji se je seme uthai hahilame belheme genehe,
jakade [then]
ahalji bahalji se [Ahalji and Bahalji] plur. suff.
je [yes]
seme [said]
uthai [and then, immediately]
hahilame [hurrying]
belheme [to make preparations]
genehe [went]
Ahalji and Bahalji answered “Yes, sir!” And they hurried to make the preparations.
jai inenggi sergudai fiyanggo ama eme de fakcara doroi hengkilefi uthai sure morin de yalufi ahalji sebe dahalabufi anculan giyahvn be alime, kuri indahvn be kutuleme, geren ahasi se jebele dashvwan beri niru unume, juleri amala faidan meyen banjibume, sejen morin dahanduhai yaburengge, umesi kumungge wenjeshvn, tokso sakda asigan urse gemu uce tucime tuwara akvngge akv, gemu angga cibsime maktame saixambi,
jai inenggi [the following day]
Sergudai Fiyanggo [Sergudai the Younger]
ama eme de [before (his) parents]
fakcara [leaving]
doro-i [as is customary]
hengkilefi [kowtowed]
uthai [and then]
sure morin de [on white horse] sure – misspelling of suru [white]
yalufi [sat and]
ahalji sebe [Ahalji and the other servants] acc
dahalabufi [ordered to follow] caus. of dahalambi [to follow]
aculan giyahvn be [hawks and falcons] acc
almime [took on the hands] can be spelled alime
kuri indahvn be [retrievers] acc
kutuleme [lead]
geren [all]
aha-si se [servant, slave] double plural suffix, can be spelled agasi
jebele [quiver]
dashvwan [bow case]
beri niru [bows and arrow]
unume [carrying on (their) back]
juleri amala [in front and behind]
faidan [procession]
meyen [team, group, troops]
banjibume [formed, aligned]
sejen [chariot]
morin [horse]
dahanduhai [one after another, in succession]
yaburengge [all went] comitative form
umesi [very]
kumungge [noisy, festive] from kumun [music]
wenjeshvn [abundant, popular] dict. form: wenjehun
tokso [village] here in genetive function, thought without the genetive marker -i
sakda [old]
asigan [young] can be spelled asihan
urse [people]
gemu [all]
uce [door]
tucime [came out (to)]
tuwara [watch]
akvngge akv [at the top of their voices], akvngge [that which is not], akv [not, lack]
gemu angga the same meaning as above, gemu [all], angga [mouth]
cibsime [lamenting]
maktame [extoiling]
saixambi [praised (them)]
The following day Sergudai the Younger, as is customary, kowtowed before his parents. Then he sat on his white horse and ordered Ahalji and the other servants to follow him. They took the hawks and the falcons on their hands and led the retrievers. All the servants carried quivers and bow cases on their backs and they formed a procession in front and behind. Abundant chariots and horses processed one after another noisily, and all the villagers, both young and old, came out before their doors to watch and praise them at the top of their voices.
Next part >>
Thanks for the links!
One question: what do you mean by “umesi bairengge”?
Well… It seems I’ve made a calque from Polish, it was meant to mean ‘thank you very much’, but I didn’t check that expression before. Now I see it’s never used like this. It’s changed.
And what do you think about the translation? Do you have any corrections or suggestions?
I see. I thought it was a typo of “umesi baitangga” (=very useful).
Your translation is very good.
I personally prefer literal translation, though sometimes it can be very awkard. I think that’s completely a matter of style.
Anyway, my translation of the first two paragraphs would be:
Father said, “You had an elder brother before you. At the age of 15, he went hunting in Henglang Mountain and lost his life there. I think you’d better not go.”
Sergudai Fiyanggo said, “For a person being born to this world as a man, where can’t he go? Will he be watching his home forever? Death and life can not transcend the destiny that each individual brings with him.”
I had some problems just with these two sentences:
“bi gvnici genere be nakareo sere” and “bucere banjire gemu meimeni gajime jihe hesebun ci tucinderakv jakade”, and I actually helped myself with the Russian translation, but your version seems better. Could I put it in the instalment?
By the way, do you know where Henglang Mountain is?
I feel very honoured. Yes, you can put any part in your translation as you like.
I have no idea where this Henglang Mountain is. In any case, I don’t think it is in Manchuria, whether it’s a real mountain’s name or a fictitious one.
I don’t care what scholars say. Despite the strong presence of Manchu elements, I believe this folk tale is about Han Chinese for several reasons.
Of course I do agree the story was created by Manchu and/or other Tungusic people.
There is a 珩琅山 in Wu Hu, Anhui Province (Ch.安徽芜湖), and it used to be called 行廊山. However, I don’t think it is the same mountain as the one in the story.
Most likely, it is a made-up mountain.