C02 Niáu-chhí | 鳥鼠

The Mice /by Lydia Davis
https://biblioklept.org/2011/11/17/the-mice-lydia-davis/

Niáu-chhí | 鳥鼠 [Tâi-gí gí-im | 台語語音]
[舊版語音: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2iH7aQ2wB4]

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Niáu-chhí tòa-tī thian-pông* téng, m̄-koh bô lâi chàu-kha loān. Goán kám-kak hoaⁿ-hí, tān-sī m̄-chai sī-án-chóaⁿ in m̄-lâi chàu-kha, niáu-chhí lông-á tō khǹg tī hia, in-ūi in lóng ē khì chhù-piⁿ-á ê chàu-kha. Sui-jiân hoaⁿ-hí, m̄-koh goán mā kám-kak koài-koài, in-ūi niáu-chhí kán-ná sī teh hiâm goán chàu-kha ū tó-ūi m̄-tú-hó. Koh-khah bē-tàng liáu-kái ê sī, goán-tau pí chhù-piⁿ-á lóng khah loān. Chàu-kha sì-kè lóng ū si̍t-bu̍t ê sap-á: piáⁿ-sap-á lah tī chàu-tâi-téng, chhài-sap-á that-tī tû-á kha. Láu-sı̍t-kóng, tī chàu-kha ē-sái chia̍h-ê mı̍h-kiāⁿ ū-kàu chē, góa teh siūⁿ, niáu-chhí sī-m̄-sī khòaⁿ-kah ba̍k-hoe ah? [* Goân-bûn sī 'wall' (piah), it-poaⁿ lán-lâng chhù ê piah niáu-chhí bô-teh bih, só͘-í kā kái-chò "thian-pông."]

Chàu-kha nā chheng-khì, niáu-chhí tō chin oh ta̍k-àm lóng chhōe ū-thang chia̍h. In tō ài ū nāi-sim, ûn-á khêng chiah chia̍h ē pá thang tō͘ kòe-tang. Tān-sī, lâi-kàu goán chàu-kha, mı̍h-kiāⁿ chē kah in m̄-bat tú-kòe, soah m̄-chai boeh-án-chóaⁿ hó. In khó-lêng ū siūⁿ boeh chhì khòaⁿ-māi, tān-sī khòaⁿ-tio̍h ê kah phīⁿ-tioh ê ū hiah-chē, hō͘ in soah lóng gông-khì, chū-án-ne hoan-thâu tńg--khì, ūi-tio̍h bô-thang chhiau mı̍h-kiāⁿ, kám-kak pháiⁿ-sè piàn sè-jī.

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鳥鼠 tòa tī 天篷* 頂, m̄ 過無來灶跤亂. 阮感覺歡喜, 但是 m̄ 知是按怎 in m̄ 來灶跤, 鳥鼠籠仔就 khǹg tī hia, 因為 in lóng 會去厝邊仔 ê 灶跤. 雖然歡喜, m̄ 過阮 mā 感覺怪怪, 因為鳥鼠敢若是 teh 嫌阮灶跤有 tó 位 m̄ tú 好. Koh 較 bē-tàng 了解 ê 是, 阮兜比厝邊仔 lóng 較亂. 灶跤四界 lóng 有食物 ê 屑仔: 餅屑仔落 tī 灶台頂, 菜屑仔踢 tī 櫥仔跤. 老實講, tī 灶跤 ē-sái 食 ê 物件有夠 chē, 我 teh 想, 鳥鼠是 m̄ 是看 kah 目花 ah? [* 原文是 'wall' (壁), 一般咱人厝 ê 壁鳥鼠無 teh 覕, 所以 kā 改做 "天篷."] 

灶跤若清氣, 鳥鼠 tō 真 oh 逐暗 lóng chhōe 有通食. In tō 愛有耐心, ûn-á khêng chiah 食 ē 飽通度過冬. 但是, 來到阮灶跤, 物件 chē kah in m̄-bat tú 過, 煞 m̄ 知 boeh 按怎好. In 可能有想 boeh 試看覓, 但是看著 ê kah 鼻著 ê 有 hiah chē, hō͘ in 煞 lóng gông 去, 自 án-ne 翻頭轉去, 為著無通 chhiau 物件, 感覺歹勢變細膩.

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Mice live in our walls but do not trouble our kitchen. We are pleased but cannot understand why they do not come into our kitchen where we have traps set, as they come into the kitchens of our neighbors. Although we are pleased, we are also upset, because the mice behave as though there were something wrong with our kitchen. What makes this even more puzzling is that our house is much less tidy than the houses of our neighbors. There is more food lying about in our kitchen, more crumbs on the counters and filthy scraps of onion kicked against the base of the cabinets. In fact, there is so much loose food in the kitchen I can only think the mice themselves are defeated by it. 

In a tidy kitchen, it is a challenge for them to find enough food night after night to survive until spring. They patiently hunt and nibble hour after hour until they are satisfied. In our kitchen, however, they are faced with something so out of proportion to their experience that they cannot deal with it. They might venture out a few steps, but soon the overwhelming sights and smells drive them back into their holes, uncomfortable and embarrassed at not being able to scavenge as they should.

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