7. Sin-khu tī kiô ē-bīn hàiⁿ lâi hàiⁿ khì
Koân-koân tī i thâu-khak téng chhiū-oe tiong-kan, pô-tô-tôaⁿ ê hiu-hiu kap gok-gok ê siaⁿ kā i ùi bāng tiong kiò chhéⁿ. Pìⁿ bô-pō͘ ê phàu-chhiú kō͘ ô͘-loān-tōaⁿ kap i kò-piat. I thiàu khí-lâi, peh chiūⁿ bîn-bîn ê hōaⁿ-phiâⁿ, chông ji̍p chhiū-nâ.
Kui-kang i lóng teh kiâⁿ, tòe ji̍t-thâu kiâⁿ leh se̍h. Chit-ê chhiū-nâ ná-chhiūⁿ bô chīn-pōng; i chhōe bô khang-khiah, sīm-chì mā bô chhò-chhâ-lâng ê sió-lō͘. I m̄-chai ka-tī tòa tī chiah pha-hng ê só͘-chāi. Chit-chióng hoat-hiān ū tiám-á lî-kî.
Boeh-àm ê sî, i thiám ah, kha-té thiàⁿ, pak-tó͘ iau. Siūⁿ tio̍h bó͘-kiáⁿ, hō͘ i kè-sio̍k kiâⁿ lo̍h-khì. Lo̍h-bóe, i chhōe tio̍h chi̍t-tiâu lō͘, lō͘ ê hong-hiòng i chai sī chèng-khak ê. Lō͘ khoah koh ti̍t, ná-chhiūⁿ to͘-chhī ê ke-lō͘, m̄-koh ká-ná bô-lâng kiâⁿ kòe. Nn̄g pêng bô chhân-hn̂g, bô khiā-ke chhù. Mā bô hō͘ lâng chai-iáⁿ ū-lâng tòa ê káu-pūi-siaⁿ. O͘-àm ê chhiū-châng chiâⁿ-chò lō͘ siang-pêng ê chhiûⁿ, ti̍t-ti̍t thong kàu tē-pêng-sòaⁿ sio-tú, ná-chhiūⁿ tī thàu-sī khò-têng ōe ê tô͘. I ùi chhiū-nâ tiong ê chit-ê khang-khiah gia̍h-thâu khòaⁿ thiⁿ-téng, teh siám-sih ê sī ná hoe-hn̂g kòa ê tōa-lia̍p chheⁿ, khòaⁿ tio̍h chheⁿ-hūn koh kiat-ha̍p chò kî-koài ê chheⁿ-chō. I khak-sìn, in ê an-pâi ū bó͘-chióng kui-chek, he ū pì-bi̍t koh ok-to̍k ê ì-gī. Nn̄g-pêng ê chhiū-nâ chhiong-móa kok-chióng koài siaⁿ, kî-tiong -- chi̍t-kái, nn̄g-kái, koh-ū -- ū i thiaⁿ kah chheng-chheng chhó-chhó, m̄-chai siáⁿ-mih gí-giân ê sè-siaⁿ-ōe.
I ê ām-kún thiàⁿ, gia̍h chhiú bong, chiah chai chéng kah chin lī-hāi. I chai, hō͘ soh-á sok gêng-hoeh ê ūi ū chi̍t-khian o͘ hûn. I kám-kak ba̍k-chiu tiùⁿ, í-keng kheh bē loeh. I ê chi̍h chhùi-ta teh chéng, i kā chi̍h thó͘ chhut chhùi-khí gōa, kō͘ léng khong-khì lâi kàng-kē jia̍t-tō͘. Bô-lâng kiâⁿ kòe ê lō͘ téng ê chháu sī chiâⁿ hó ê tē-thán -- i bô koh kám-kak tio̍h kha ē-bīn ê lō͘ ah.
Bô-m̄-tio̍h, sui-jiân kan-khó͘, i ná kiâⁿ soah khùn khì, in-ūi taⁿ i khòaⁿ tio̍h pa̍t-ê kéng-tì -- hoān-sè i put-kò sī ùi pa̍t-ê chhò-loān chhéⁿ khí-lâi. I khiā tī ka-tī chhù-tiâⁿ ê mn̂g chêng. It-chhè kap i lī-khui ê sî kāng-khoán, tī chá-khí ê ji̍t-thâu ē, lóng kong-bêng koh bí-lē. I it-tēng sī kiâⁿ kui-mê ah. I sak khui mn̂g, kiâⁿ chiūⁿ khoan-khoah ê pe̍h lō͘ ê sî, i khòaⁿ tio̍h cha-bó͘-lâng saⁿ ê iô-tāng; in bó͘, chheng-sin, léng-chēng koh tiⁿ-bi̍t, ùi lō͘-tâi kiâⁿ lo̍h-lâi gêng-chiap i. Yi khiā tī khàm-á kha tán i, kòa chi̍t-ê kóng-bē-chhut hoaⁿ-hí ê chhiò-bīn, chu-thài iu-ngá, toan-chong, bô-tè thang pí. Ah, yi sī gōa-nī-á súi ah! I siang-chhiú peh khui, chông ǹg chêng. Tú boeh lám yi ê sî, i kám-kak ām-kún āu-piah hông tōa-la̍t kòng chi̍t-ē; chi̍t-tō chha̍k-ba̍k ê pe̍h-kng chhiō tī i ê chiu-ûi, koh ū chi̍t-ê ná tōa-phàu teh hiáng ê siaⁿ -- koh lâi, it-chhè lóng o͘-àm koh tiām-chēng.
Peyton Farquhar sí khì ah; i ê sin-khu, ām-kún àu-tn̄g, tī Niau-thâu-chiáu Khe kiô ê chhâ-kho͘ ē-bīn khin-khin hàiⁿ lâi hàiⁿ khì.
[Soah]
--
7. 身軀 tī 橋下面幌來幌去
懸懸 tī 伊頭殼頂樹椏中間, pô-tô 彈 ê hiu-hiu kap gok-gok ê 聲 kā 伊 ùi 夢中叫醒. Pìⁿ 無步 ê 砲手 kō͘ 胡亂彈 kap 伊告別. 伊跳起來, peh 上 bîn-bîn ê 岸坪, 傱入樹林.
規工伊 lóng teh 行, 綴日頭行 leh 踅. 這个樹林 ná 像無盡磅; 伊揣無空隙, 甚至 mā 無剉柴人 ê 小路. 伊毋知 ka-tī 蹛 tī chiah 拋荒 ê 所在. 這種發現有點仔離奇.
欲暗 ê 時, 伊忝 ah, 跤底疼, 腹肚枵. 想著某囝, 予伊繼續行落去. 落尾, 伊揣著一條路, 路 ê 方向伊知是正確 ê. 路闊 koh 直, ná 像都市 ê 街路, m̄-koh ká-ná 無人行過. 兩爿無田園, 無徛家厝. Mā 無予人知影有人蹛 ê 狗吠聲. 烏暗 ê 樹叢成做路雙爿 ê 牆, 直直通到地平線相拄, ná 像 tī 透視課程畫 ê 圖. 伊 ùi 樹林中 ê 這个空隙攑頭看天頂, teh 閃爍 ê 是 ná 花園掛 ê 大粒星, 看著生份 koh 結合做奇怪 ê 星座. 伊確信, in ê 安排有某種規則, 彼有祕密 koh 惡毒 ê 意義. 兩爿 ê 樹林充滿各種怪聲, 其中 -- 一改, 兩改, koh 有 -- 有伊聽 kah 清清楚楚, 毋知啥 mih 語言 ê 細聲話.
伊 ê 頷頸疼, 攑手摸, 才知腫 kah 真厲害. 伊知, 予索仔束凝血 ê 位有一圈烏痕. 伊感覺目睭脹, 已經瞌袂 loeh. 伊 ê 舌喙焦 teh 腫, 伊 kā 舌吐出喙齒外, kō͘ 冷空氣來降低熱度. 無人行過 ê 路頂 ê 草是誠好 ê 地毯 -- 伊無 koh 感覺著跤下面 ê 路 ah.
無毋著, 雖然艱苦, 伊 ná 行煞睏去, 因為今伊看著別个景致 -- 凡勢伊不過是 ùi 別个錯亂醒起來. 伊徛 tī ka-tī 厝埕 ê 門前. 一切 kap 伊離開 ê 時仝款, tī 早起 ê 日頭下, lóng 光明 koh 美麗. 伊一定是行規暝 ah. 伊捒開門, 行上寬闊 ê 白路 ê 時, 伊看著查某人衫 ê 搖動; in 某, 清新, 冷靜 koh 甜蜜, ùi 露台行落來迎接伊. 她徛 tī 坎仔跤等伊, 掛一个講袂出歡喜 ê 笑面, 姿態優雅, 端莊, 無塊通比. Ah, 她是 gōa-nī-á 媠 ah! 伊雙手 peh 開, 傱 ǹg 前. 拄欲攬她 ê 時, 伊感覺頷頸後壁 hông 大力摃一下; 一道鑿目 ê 白光炤 tī 伊 ê 周圍, koh 有一个 ná 大砲 teh 響 ê 聲 -- koh 來, 一切 lóng 烏暗 koh 恬靜.
Peyton Farquhar 死去 ah; 伊 ê 身軀, 頷頸拗斷, tī 貓頭鳥溪橋 ê 柴箍下面輕輕幌來幌去.
[煞]
--
7.
A whiz and rattle of grapeshot among the branches high above his head roused him from his dream. The baffled cannoneer had fired him a random farewell. He sprang to his feet, rushed up the sloping bank, and plunged into the forest.
All that day he traveled, laying his course by the rounding sun. The forest seemed interminable; nowhere did he discover a break in it, not even a woodman's road. He had not known that he lived in so wild a region. There was something uncanny in the revelation.
By nightfall he was fatigued, footsore, famishing. The thought of his wife and children urged him on. At last he found a road which led him in what he knew to be the right direction. It was as wide and straight as a city street, yet it seemed untraveled. No fields bordered it, no dwelling anywhere. Not so much as the barking of a dog suggested human habitation. The black bodies of the trees formed a straight wall on both sides, terminating on the horizon in a point, like a diagram in a lesson in perspective. Overhead, as he looked up through this rift in the wood, shone great garden stars looking unfamiliar and grouped in strange constellations. He was sure they were arranged in some order which had a secret and malign significance. The wood on either side was full of singular noises, among which--once, twice, and again--he distinctly heard whispers in an unknown tongue.
His neck was in pain and lifting his hand to it found it horribly swollen. He knew that it had a circle of black where the rope had bruised it. His eyes felt congested; he could no longer close them. His tongue was swollen with thirst; he relieved its fever by thrusting it forward from between his teeth into the cold air. How softly the turf had carpeted the untraveled avenue--he could no longer feel the roadway beneath his feet!
Doubtless, despite his suffering, he had fallen asleep while walking, for now he sees another scene--perhaps he has merely recovered from a delirium. He stands at the gate of his own home. All is as he left it, and all bright and beautiful in the morning sunshine. He must have traveled the entire night. As he pushes open the gate and passes up the wide white walk, he sees a flutter of female garments; his wife, looking fresh and cool and sweet, steps down from the veranda to meet him. At the bottom of the steps she stands waiting, with a smile of ineffable joy, an attitude of matchless grace and dignity. Ah, how beautiful she is! He springs forward with extended arms. As he is about to clasp her he feels a stunning blow upon the back of the neck; a blinding white light blazes all about him with a sound like the shock of a cannon--then all is darkness and silence!
Peyton Farquhar was dead; his body, with a broken neck, swung gently from side to side beneath the timbers of the Owl Creek bridge.
--
No comments:
Post a Comment