Faithful Birds
by Frank Watson
Quail goes rush rush,
Magpie goes brush brush.
This man’s a lush,
Yet I’m his brother?

Quail goes rush rush,
Magpie goes brush brush.
This woman’s a mush,
Yet I’m her husband?


The poem describes how faithful the quails and magpies are with their mates, the sound imitating how they fly after one another in pairs. In contrast, the narrator is lamenting the faithlessness of his younger brother and of his wife.

Original Chinese

Traditional
Simplified
Pronunciation
鶉之奔奔
鹑之奔奔
chún zhī bēn bēn



鶉之奔奔，
鹑之奔奔，
chún zhī bēn bēn ，
鵲之畺畺。
鹊之畺畺。
què zhī jiāng jiāng 。
人之無良，
人之无良，
rén zhī wú liáng ，
我以為兄？
我以为兄？
wǒ yǐ wéi xiōng ？
鵲之畺畺，
鹊之畺畺，
què zhī jiāng jiāng ，
鶉之奔奔。
鹑之奔奔。
chún zhī bēn bēn 。
人之無良，
人之无良，
rén zhī wú liáng ，
我以為君？
我以为君？
wǒ yǐ wéi jūn ？


Translation Notes


鶉之奔奔
Quail ’s Rush Rush


鶉之奔奔，
Quail ’s rush rush,
鵲之畺畺。
Magpie ’s border border.
人之無良，
Person ’s no good,
我以為兄？
I therefore am elder-brother?
[Therefore am = to think, to consider, to be under the impression]
鵲之畺畺，
Magpie ’s boundary boundary,
鶉之奔奔。
Quail ’s rush rush.
人之無良，
Person ’s no good,
我以為君？
I therefore am lord?




All writings and translations are Copyright © by Frank Watson, also writing as "Blue Flute" (2011-2014).
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