The second document in the series is another memorial by Umitai and Sarašan. It was written the day after the first one (on QL22.2.4/March 23, 1757) to report the death of the 7th Dalai Lama.
The syntax of some sentences is rather convoluted and I fear this shows in the translation. I generally try to stay quite close to the original because it makes for easier comparison with the Manchu text but I may have overdone it here. As usual, there is also a couple of sentences I found problematic and I welcome all comments and corrections.
aha umitai. sarašan gingguleme wesimburengge. dalai lama jangca halaha babe donjibume wesimbure jalin.
aha be. juwe biyai ice ilan i erde. budala de genefi. dalai lamai nimeku be tuwanaha de. dalai lama kemuni membe acafi nimere babe kejine gisurecehe. nimekulehengge udu ujen gelecuke oho bicibe. umai ne je wajire muru akū ofi. aha be. dalai lamai nimeku ujen oho babe donjibume wesimbuhe amala. ineku inenggi ulgiyan erinde g’ablon i gung bandida. jasak i taiji tseringwangjal. seyutsebten. jasak i lama nima jiyamtsan. darhan gelung galsang yondan se jifi alahangge.Your servants Umitai ad Sarašan respectfully memorialize. To inform that the Dalai Lama has passed away.
Early in the morning of the 3rd day of the 2nd month, when your servants went to the Potala to look at the Dalai Lama’s illness, he still met with us and we discussed his illness for a while. Although it had become frightfully serious, there was no sign that the end was near. After we memorialized about his illness having become serious, on the same day, at the hour of the pig, Count Bandida of the G’ablon [1], the Jasak Taiji Tseringwangjal, Seyutsebten, the Jasak lama Nima Jiyamtsan, the Darhan Gelung Galsang Yondan and others came and reported:dalai lamai beye jakan tukdam tehei jangca halahabi. damu meni tanggūt i kooli de. dalai lama ci aname. ambaka lamasa tehei jangca halaci. hanci eršehe emu juwe niyalma ci tulgiyen. yaya wede sabubuci ojorakū. aliyame tukdam sufi. ini cisui tuheke manggi. teni niyalma be dosimbumbi. giran be nomun i doroi icihiyaci. eiten de sain bime. hūbilgan tucirengge inu hūdun be dahame. bahaci. dalai lamai giran be tukdam sufi ini cisui tuheke manggi. be uhei hebešeme nomun i doroi icihiyaraci tulgiyen.
“The Dalai Lama has just passed away [2] and sits in tukdam [3]. According to our Tibetan custom, when the great lamas (starting with the Dalai Lama) pass away and sit [in tukdam], they should not be seen by anyone, except one or two of their close servants. After some time, when tukdam is released and [the body] sags, people are introduced. If the body is prepared according to the Holy Teachings (nomun), everything is fine and the incarnation [4] comes out rapidly. Because of this, we hope that, after the Dalai Lama’s body will have released tukdam and sagged of his own will, we will discuss things together and deal with [everything/the body] according to the Holy Teachings.
damu meni wargi dzang ni gubci amba ajige. geren lama. tanggūt urse de isitala. gemu manjusiri amba ejen i kesi. dalai lamai jilan de akdafi banjimbihe. meni geren i hūturi nekeliyen ofi. dalai lamai beye jangca halaha de. be gemu farfabufi alimbaharakū gelembi. te damu ejen i kesi teile de akdafi banjire be dahame. ubai eiten baita icihiyara de. be gemu ambasa de donjibume tacibure be baifi. dahame icihiyaki seme alambi.
Moreover, everyone in Tibet, from the lamas to the people, have been living and relying on the favor of the great emperor Manjusiri and the compassion of the Dalai Lama. Our happiness is a flimsy thing and the Dalai Lama has passed away, so all of us are scared and in disarray. Because we can live and rely only on the Emperor’s favor now, we ask that, in taking care of every matter here, the ambans inform and instruct us, and we will obey.”
aha be inu nomun i doro be sarkū. damu nenehe jalan i dalai lama jangca halaha de. gemu ceni alaha songkoi nomun i doroi icihiyambihe sehebe dahame. dalai lamai giran be. ceni alaha songkoi nomun i doroi icihiyabureci tulgiyen. aha be. g’ablon sei baru dalai lamai beye udu jangca halaha bicibe. gūnici goidarakū uthai hūbilgan tucinjimbi. suwe serengge. gemu enduringge ejen i ahasi. an i ucuri ejen uthai suwende ujen kesi isibume ambula gosimbihe. te dalai lama jangca halaha be donjifi. urunakū suwembe ele šar seme jilame. taifin jirgacun i banjibure kesi isibumbi sere anggala. uthai meni beye sehe seme. inu urunakū amba ejen i suwembe gosire gosingga gūnin de acabume. yaya baita de damu suwende tusa ojoro be bodome icihiyara dabala seme tohorombume gisurehebi.
We, your servants, do not know what the Holy Teachings’ way is but when the previous Dalai Lamas passed away, everything was dealt with as they reported in accordance with the Holy Teachings’ way. For this reason, we made them treat the Dalai Lamai’s body according to what they had reported about the Holy Teachings’ way. Moreover, we appeased them by saying: “Although the Dalai Lama passed away, it won’t be long before his incarnation comes out. You, you are all the servants (aha) of the Holy Emperor. Consequently, the Emperor has always shown you great favor and much love. Having heard that the Dalai Lama has now passed away, he will certainly show you even more compassion and bestow his appeasing favor. Not only that, but, in accordance with the loving thought of the Great Lord towards you, we too will, in every matter, act by considering only what is beneficial to you.”
hujufi gūnici. aha be daci mentuhun hūlhi bime. geli asuru baita dulembuhekū. te ere gese amba baita de teisulebufi. ejen i tacibure hese be baifi yabuci. ba umesi goro. emu erinde inu isinjime muterakū ofi. arga akū damu ejen i goroki be bilume gosire gosingga gūnin de acabume. ubai eiten baita be kemuni dalai lama bisire songkoi ceni banin be dahame gūnin be tohorombume g’ablon sebe gaifi giyan be baime. muterei teile facihiyašame icihiyaraci tulgiyen. aika gūnin baharakū ulhirakū baita bici. encu tacibure hese be baifi gingguleme dahame yabuki.
Considering the matter respectfully, [we understand that] we are stupid by nature and do not have enough experience. Being now faced with such an important affair, if we ask for an instructional edict of the Emperor and (only then) act, the place is very far and the edict will not be able to arrive in time. Because of that, not knowing what to do, but acting in accordance with the loving and gentle thought of the Emperor towards those afar, we won’t stand idle and will deal with every matter here in the best way we can, reacting to events [5] as if the Dalai Lama was there, putting minds at ease, receiving the G’ablon, and seeking what is right. Not only that, but if there is something we don’t understand, we will ask for another instructional edict and act accordingly.
jai ere emu juwe inenggi sidende. ubai niyalmai arbun muru gūnin mujilen be inu tuwame tucibume muterakū be dahame. ereci aha be gūnin werešeme narhūšame kimcime tuwafi. aika wesimbuci acara ba bici. encu donjibume wesimbuki. te aha meni hūlhidame gūninaha babe gingguleme wesimbuhe. kemuni bairengge. ejen kesi isibume tacibure hese wasimbufi. gingguleme dahame yabuki. erei jalin g’ablon i gung bandida sei wesimbure tanggūt hergen i bithe be suwaliyame gingguleme ibebume donjibume wesimbuhe:
abkai wehiyehe i orin juweci aniya juwe biyai ice duin.Also, because over the last couple of days, we have not been able to learn about the situation and thoughts of the people here, from now on we will carefully inspect and observe. If there is something worthy of being memorialized, we will memorialize to inform. For now, we have respectfully memorialized our confused thoughts. We still ask that the Emperor bestows his favor and sends an instructional edict, and we will act accordingly. For this reason, we respectfully memorialized and joined a document in Tibetan written by Count Bandida of the G’ablon and others.
Abkai wehiyehe, 22nd year, 2nd month, 4th day [March 23, 1757]
The Qianlong emperor reacted to this important news with the following words:
* ai baita bi suwe damu cib seme umai baita akū adali bisu. bi ubaci janggiya kūtuktu be uthai unggimbi. gūwa babe hese wasimbuha.* What’s the matter? Just stay calm as if nothing had happened. [6] I will send the Janggiya hutuktu [7] from here. The rest has been dealt with through an edict.
The memorial ends with an addendum, giving the content of the Tibetan document mentioned above:
° g’ablon i gung bandida se. aha meni baru. te dalai lama jangca halahabi. janggiya kūtuktu serengge. dalai lamai ambakan šabi be dahame. dalai lamai hūbilgan hūdun tucinjire jalin. imbe fucihi de jalbaribume baikini seme jasire tanggūt hergen i bithe emke be. bairengge. ambasai baci ulame janggiya kūtuktu de isibureo seme alafi benjihebi. uttu ofi. aha be alime gaifi ulame janggiya kūtuktu de isibureo seme coohai nashūn i baita be icihiyara bade benebuhebi:
* saha.° Count Bandida of the G’ablon and others have reported and sent to us, your servants, a letter in Tibetan whose content is: “The Dalai Lama has now passed away. Because the Janggiya Hutuktu is a prominent disciple of the Dalai Lama, let him be asked to pray the Buddha, asking for the Dalai Lama’s incarnation to be found quickly.” The asked: “Will you please deliver this from the ambans’ place to the Janggiya Hutuktu?”. We, your servants, have accepted and have sent it to the Grand Council, asking for it to be transmitted to the Janggiya Hutuktu.
* Seen.
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[1] The council of ministers, or one of the ministers.
[2] Mong. jangca ghalaqui. According to Kowalewski’s Mongolian dictionary, p. 2241-2242: “renaître/prendre naissance”.
[3] Tib. Thugs dam / Mong. tuktam.
[4] Mong. qubilghan. Kowalewski (p. 893): “transformation, métamorphose ; incarnation”.
[5] I tentatively take ceni banin be dahame as meaning “following their [=all matters’] appearance/nature” > “taking events as they come”.
[6] Wang, “The Qing Court’s Tibet Connection: Lcang skya Rol pa’i rdo rje and the Qianlong Emperor“, p. 138, translates the first part of Qianlong’s endorsement as: “This matter is different from others.” I don’t think this translation is correct.
[7] Changkya Rölpé Dorjé (1717-1786). See the article mentioned above for more details about him.