F. 貓頭鳥溪橋事件 - 1. 索仔箍 tī 伊 ê 頷頸

An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge /by Ambrose Bierce

https://loa-shared.s3.amazonaws.com/static/pdf/Bierce_Owl_Creek_Bridge.pdf

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Niau-thâu-chiáu Khe Kiô Sū-kiāⁿ | 貓頭鳥溪橋事件

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1. Soh-á kho͘ tī i ê ām-kún

(I)

Chi̍t-ê lâng khiā tī Alabama pak-pêng ê chi̍t-chō thih-ki-lō͘ kiô téng-koân, ná teh khòaⁿ 20 chhioh ē-bīn chhoah-lâu ê chúi. Chit-ê cha-po͘ siang-chhiú iap-āu, chhiú-ba̍k hō͘ soh-á pa̍k tio̍h. Chi̍t-khian soh-á ân-ân kho͘ tī i ê ām-kún. Soh-á kat tī i thâu-khak téng chi̍t-ki kiat-si̍t ê hoâiⁿ-chhâ, liōng-tn̂g ê soh-á sûi kàu i ê kha-thâu-u. Pho͘ tī thih-ki-lō͘ chám-bo̍k téng-bīn ê kúi-tè oa̍h-tāng ê pang, hō͘ i kap hêng-hêng-chiá ū kha-ta̍h ūi -- hêng-hêng-chiá sī nn̄g-ê Liân-pang kun-tūi ê chhiong-oân sū-peng, iû chi̍t-ê tiong-sū chí-hui, tī bîn-kan i khó-lêng bat chò-kòe hù-kéng-tiúⁿ. Tī kāng chi̍t-ê lîm-sî pêⁿ-tâi bô hn̄g ê só͘-chāi, ū chi̍t-ê chhēng chè-ho̍k, pōe chhèng ê kun-koaⁿ. I sī siōng-ùi. Kiô ê siang-thâu lóng khiā chi̍t-ê sàu-peng (哨兵), í só͘-ūi "chi-chhî" (support) ê chu-sè gia̍h pō͘-chhèng, iā tō sī, kā chhèng thêng-thêng khiā tī tò-pêng keng-thâu chêng, chhèng-ke (hammer) khòe tī thán-hoâiⁿ tī heng-chêng ê chhiú-kut -- che sī chi̍t-ê chèng-sek, bô chū-jiân ê chu-sè, ē kiông-pek sin-khu khiā-ti̍t. Chit nn̄g-lâng ê chek-jīm ká-ná m̄-sī chai-iáⁿ kiô tiong-ng hoat-seng ê tāi-chì; in kan-ta sī boeh hong-só siang-thâu ê kòe-kiô kha-ta̍h-pang.

Tī kî-tiong chi̍t-ê sàu-peng koh kòe hit-pêng, bô khòaⁿ-e lâng-iáⁿ; thih-ki-lō͘ ti̍t-ti̍t chi̍t-pah-bí chìn-ji̍p chhiū-nâ, jiân-āu oan kòe tō khòaⁿ bē-tio̍h ah. Tī koh-khah hn̄g hia, tiāⁿ-tio̍h mā ū siat chi̍t-ê sàu-só͘. Khe-lâu ê lēng-gōa chi̍t-hōaⁿ sī khui-khoah tē -- chi̍t-ê bîn-bîn-á ê soaⁿ-phiâⁿ, téng-bīn ū chhāi chhiū-kho͘ chò ê ûi-cha̍h, lâu ū pō͘-chhèng ê siā-kek-khang, koh ū chi̍t-ê làng-khiah, ùi hia chhun chhut koán-chè hit-ê kiô ê tōa-phàu ê phàu-kóng. Tī kiô kap iâⁿ-khu ê soaⁿ-phiâⁿ ê pòaⁿ tiong-ng ū koan-chiòng -- pâi chò chi̍t-lia̍t ê pō͘-peng-liân, kō͘ "oa̍t-peng hiu-sek" (parade rest) ê chu-sè, chhèng-pèⁿ khòe tī thô͘-kha, chhèng-kóng sió-khóa ǹg āu khòe tī chiàⁿ-pêng keng-thâu, siang-chhiú kau-chhap hōaⁿ tī chhèng-koaiⁿ. Chi̍t-ê tiong-ùi khiā tī tūi-ngó͘ ê chiàⁿ-pêng, kiàm chiam tú tī thô͘-kha, tò-chhiú khǹg tī chiàⁿ-chhiú téng. Tî-liáu tī kiô tiong-ng hit-ê sì-lâng sio-cho͘, bô-lâng tín-tāng. liân-tūi bīn ǹg kiô, gōng-gōng teh khòaⁿ, tāng to bô tāng. Bīn ǹg khe-hōaⁿ ê sàu-peng, bē-su sī chng-thāⁿ kiô-bīn ê tiau-siōng. Siōng-ùi siang-chhiú sio-siâm, tiām-tiām, teh koan-chhat pō͘-hā ê kang-chok, m̄-koh bô piáu-sī siáⁿ. Sí-sîn sī chi̍t-ê tiōng-iàu jîn-bu̍t, tī i soan-pò͘ lâi-kàu ê sî, tio̍h kō͘ chèng-sek ê chun-tiōng piáu-hiān lâi kā chiap-thāi, siat-sú kap i siōng se̍k-sāi ê lâng mā tio̍h án-ne. Àn-chiàu kun-tūi ê lé-gî kui-tēng, tiām-chēng koh khiā-thêng tō sī chun-kèng ê hêng-sek.

Chit-ê tit-boeh hông tiàu-sí ê lâng liōng-iok saⁿ-cha̍p-gō͘ hòe. I sī chi̍t-ê pêng-bîn, nā kō͘ i ê si̍p-koàn lâi phòaⁿ-toàn, i sī chi̍t-ê chèng-choh ê lâng. I ê ngó͘-koan hó-khòaⁿ -- phīⁿ thêng koh ti̍t, chhùi ha̍p-ân, hia̍h-thâu khoah, tn̂g koh o͘ ê thâu-chang loa̍h ǹg āu, kàu hīⁿ-khang āu, it-ti̍t kàu i ha̍h-su ê tn̂g lé-ho̍k ê ām-niá. I ū téng-tûn-chhiu, ē-hâi-chhiu chiam-chiam, m̄-koh pìn-piⁿ bô chhiu; i ê ba̍k-chiu tōa-lúi, chhim-phú-sek, piáu-chêng chhin-chhiat, hō͘ lâng siūⁿ-bē-kàu chit-chióng piáu-chêng ē chhut-hiān tī ām-kún kho͘ môa-soh ê lâng. Hián-jiân, che m̄-sī chi̍t-ê chho͘-sio̍k ê chhì-kheh. Làu-chhē ê kun-hoat kui-tēng tùi chin chē khoán lâng ê ká-hêng, á sin-sū mā bô lē-gōa.

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1. 索仔箍 tī 伊 ê 頷頸

(I)

一个人徛 tī Alabama 北爿 ê 一座鐵支路橋頂懸, ná teh 看 20 尺下面掣流 ê 水. 這个查埔雙手 iap 後, 手目予索仔縛著. 一圈索仔絚絚箍 tī 伊 ê 頷頸. 索仔結 tī 伊頭殼頂一支結實 ê 橫柴, 冗長 ê 索仔垂到伊 ê 跤頭趺. 鋪 tī 鐵支路 chám 木頂面 ê 幾塊活動 ê 枋, 予伊 kap 行刑者有跤踏位 -- 行刑者是兩个聯邦軍隊 ê 充員士兵, 由一个中士指揮, tī 民間伊可能 bat 做過副警長. Tī 仝一个臨時平台無遠 ê 所在, 有一个穿制服, 佩銃 ê 軍官. 伊是上尉. 橋 ê 雙頭 lóng 徛一个 sàu-peng (哨兵), 以所謂 "支持" (support) ê 姿勢攑步銃, 也 tō 是, kā 銃騰騰徛 tī 倒爿肩頭前, 銃雞 (hammer) khòe tī 坦橫 tī 胸前 ê 手骨 -- 這是一个正式, 無自然 ê 姿勢, 會強迫身軀徛直. 這兩人 ê 責任 ká-ná 毋是知影橋中央發生 ê 代誌; in 干焦是欲封鎖雙頭 ê 過橋跤踏枋.

Tī 其中一个哨兵 koh 過彼爿, 無看 e 人影; 鐵支路直直一百米進入樹林, 然後彎過 tō 看袂著 ah. Tī koh 較遠 hia, 定著 mā 有設一个哨所. 溪流 ê 另外一岸是開闊地 -- 一个 bîn-bîn-á ê 山坪, 頂面有 chhāi 樹箍做 ê 圍閘, 留有步銃 ê 射擊空, koh 有一个 làng 隙, ùi hia 伸出管制彼个橋 ê 大砲 ê 砲管. Tī 橋 kap 營區 ê 山坪 ê 半中央有觀眾 -- 排做一列 ê 步兵連, kō͘ "閱兵休息" (parade rest) ê 姿勢, 銃柄 khòe tī 塗跤, 銃管小可 ǹg 後 khòe tī 正爿肩頭, 雙手交 chhap 扞 tī 銃桿. 一个中尉徛 tī 隊伍 ê 正爿, 劍尖拄 tī 塗跤, 倒手囥 tī 正手頂. 除了 tī 橋中央彼个四人小組, 無人振動. 連隊面 ǹg 橋, 戇戇 teh 看, 動 to 無動. 面 ǹg 溪岸 ê 哨兵, 袂輸是 chng-thāⁿ 橋面 ê 雕像. 上尉雙手 sio-siâm, 恬恬, teh 觀察部下 ê 工作, m̄-koh 無表示啥. 死神是一个重要人物, tī 伊宣布來到 ê 時, 著 kō͘ 正式 ê 尊重表現來 kā 接待, 設使 kap 伊上熟似 ê 人 mā 著 án-ne. 按照軍隊 ê 禮儀規定, 恬靜 koh 徛騰 tō 是尊敬 ê 形式.

這个得欲 hông 吊死 ê 人量約三十五歲. 伊是一个平民, 若 kō͘ 伊 ê 習慣來判斷, 伊是一个種作 ê 人. 伊 ê 五官好看 -- 鼻騰 koh 直, 喙合絚, 額頭闊, 長 koh 烏 ê 頭鬃捋 ǹg 後, 到耳空後, 一直到伊合軀 ê 長禮服 ê 頷領. 伊有頂唇鬚, 下頦鬚尖尖, m̄-koh 鬢邊無鬚; 伊 ê 目睭大蕊, 深殕色, 表情親切, 予人想袂到這種表情會出現 tī 頷頸箍麻索 ê 人. 顯然, 這毋是一个粗俗 ê 刺客. Làu-chhē ê 軍法規定對真濟款人 ê 絞刑, á 紳士 mā 無例外.

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1

I.

A man stood upon a railroad bridge in northern Alabama, looking down into the swift water twenty feet below. The man's hands were behind his back, the wrists bound with a cord. A rope closely encircled his neck. It was attached to a stout cross-timber above his head and the slack fell to the level of his knees. Some loose boards laid upon the sleepers supporting the metals of the railway supplied a footing for him and his executioners--two private soldiers of the Federal army, directed by a sergeant who in civil life may have been a deputy sheriff. At a short remove upon the same temporary platform was an officer in the uniform of his rank, armed. He was a captain. A sentinel at each end of the bridge stood with his rifle in the position known as "support," that is to say, vertical in front of the left shoulder, the hammer resting on the forearm thrown straight across the chest--a formal and unnatural position, enforcing an erect carriage of the body. It did not appear to be the duty of these two men to know what was occurring at the center of the bridge; they merely blockaded the two ends of the foot planking that traversed it. 

Beyond one of the sentinels nobody was in sight; the railroad ran straight away into a forest for a hundred yards, then, curving, was lost to view. Doubtless there was an outpost farther along. The other bank of the stream was open ground--a gentle acclivity topped with a stockade of vertical tree trunks, loopholed for rifles, with a single embrasure through which protruded the muzzle of a brass cannon commanding the bridge. Midway of the slope between the bridge and fort were the spectators--a single company of infantry in line, at "parade rest," the butts of the rifles on the ground, the barrels inclining slightly backward against the right shoulder, the hands crossed upon the stock. A lieutenant stood at the right of the line, the point of his sword upon the ground, his left hand resting upon his right. Excepting the group of four at the center of the bridge, not a man moved. The company faced the bridge, staring stonily, motionless. The sentinels, facing the banks of the stream, might have been statues to adorn the bridge. The captain stood with folded arms, silent, observing the work of his subordinates, but making no sign. Death is a dignitary who when he comes announced is to be received with formal manifestations of respect, even by those most familiar with him. In the code of military etiquette silence and fixity are forms of deference.

The man who was engaged in being hanged was apparently about thirty-five years of age. He was a civilian, if one might judge from his habit, which was that of a planter. His features were good--a straight nose, firm mouth, broad forehead, from which his long, dark hair was combed straight back, falling behind his ears to the collar of his well-fitting frock coat. He wore a mustache and pointed beard, but no whiskers; his eyes were large and dark gray, and had a kindly expression which one would hardly have expected in one whose neck was in the hemp. Evidently this was no vulgar assassin. The liberal military code makes provision for hanging many kinds of persons, and gentlemen are not excluded.

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