Magpie

In the following poem, set to the tune Celebrating the Sacred Dynasty, the magpie is a wise craftsman who builds a strong and secure house. However, the poem invokes a metaphor of the Duke of Zhou, and that must surely be from the Shījīng [詩經] I.2.12, which begins:

維鵲有巢，維鳩居之
saksaha-i feye be / dudu ejelembiThe nest of the magpie / is occupied by the turtledove

The commentary on this poem from the Manchu translation of the Shījīng reads:

saksaha feye arara faksi.	The magpie is the maker of the nest.
terei feye mujakū akdun beki.	Its nest is truly strong and secure.
dudu-i banin moco, feye arame bahanarakū.	The turtledove, by nature, is crude, and cannot build a nest.
ememungge saksaha-i belen-i araha feye de bimbi.	Some live in the nests ready-made by the magpies.

The use of the words faksi, akdun, beki in the poem below show a direct allusion to the commentary above. The ending lines of the Manchu poem ask a question that could be understood in two different ways, depending on whether faksi means “craftsman” or “craftiness”:

• Who is taught by this kind of wise craftsman?
• Who is taught by this kind of clever craftiness?

I think the ambiguity may be intentional, allowing the poet to simultaneously challenge the wisdom of working hard when one’s work will ultimately be taken over by another, and also to invite the listener to consider what kind of person would see this and take it as a model for their own dishonest behavior.

	saksaha [鵲雀],		Magpie
	Staatsbibliothek 11.59 (View Online)
	banitai,		By nature,
	banin gali,		precocious in disposition,
	jilgaci,		when it sings,
	jilgan sabi,		its song is an omen,
5	jeo gung duibulen,		it was a metaphor of the Duke of Zhou.
	feye arambi,		It makes a nest,
	uce fa,		doors and windows
	akdun beki,		strong and secure.
	tacibuhangge weci,		Who are the ones that are taught
10	enteke sure faksi.		by this kind of clever craftiness?

Translation Notes

weci, this is either “from whom” or the plural form of we, “who?” I think the latter makes more sense in this context.