Kiô-téng ê Lāu-lâng | 橋頂 ê 老人 [Gí-im | 語音]
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Chi̍t-ê kòa kǹg-kheng ba̍k-kiàⁿ, saⁿ-khò͘ kha̍h thô͘-hún ê lāu-lâng chē tī lō͘-piⁿ. Hāⁿ-kòe hô-bīn sī chi̍t-chō phû-kiô, chhia-á, truck /to.rák.ku/, kap lâm-lâm lú-lú hām gín-á lóng teh kòe-kiô. Lô-á thoa ê chhia, iû sū-peng tàu sak lián-á-kut, ùi kiô-téng ta̍uh-ta̍uh peh-kiā chiūⁿ hô-hōaⁿ. Truck kauh kòe thô͘-kha, ti̍t-ti̍t hiòng chêng khì, chng-kha-lâng mā liâu im kha-ba̍k ê thô͘-hún sin-khó͘ hiòng chêng kiâⁿ. M̄-koh, hit-ê lāu-lâng chē tī hia bô tín-tāng. I thiám kah bô hoat-tō͘ koh kiâⁿ hiòng chêng.
Góa ê jīm-bū sī kòe-lâi kiô chit-thâu thàm-cha, chhōe chhut te̍k-jîn í-keng kàu tó-ūi. Góa í-keng oân-sêng khang-khòe, taⁿ tńg-lâi kàu kiô-téng. Chit-sî í-keng bô kài chē chhia-á, chin chió pō͘-lián ê lâng, m̄-koh hit-ê lāu-lâng iáu-koh tī hia.
"Lí ùi tó-ūi lâi?" góa mn̄g i.
"Ùi San Carlos lâi," i kóng, bīn chhiò-chhiò.
Hia sī i ê kò͘-hiong, só͘-í kóng tio̍h he i tō hoaⁿ-hí, i tō bî-chhiò.
"Góa goân-pún teh khòaⁿ-kò͘ thâu-seⁿ-á," i kái-soeh kóng.
"Oh," góa kóng, bô kài liáu-kái i ê ì-sù.
"Sī lah," i kóng, "góa lâu lo̍h-lâi, lí chai lah hoⁿh, khòaⁿ-kò͘ thâu-seⁿ. Góa sī siōng-bóe lī-khui San Carlos ê lâng."
I khòaⁿ khí-lâi, bô sêng kò͘-iûⁿ ê lâng, mā bô sêng bo̍k-bîn, góa khòaⁿ i kō thô͘-hún ê o͘-saⁿ, i phú-sek eng-ia ê bīn, i ê kǹg-kheng ba̍k-kiàⁿ, kóng, "Siáⁿ-khoán ê thâu-seⁿ?"
"Kok-chióng ê thâu-seⁿ," i kóng, koh ná iô-thâu. "Góa put-tek-í lī-khui in."
Góa tng-teh koan-chhat chit-ê kiô, koan-chhat Ebro Delta chit-ê ná chhiūⁿ Afrika ê chng-kha, m̄-chai koh gōa-kú chiah ē khòaⁿ tio̍h te̍k-jîn, góa mā it-ti̍t teh thiaⁿ khòaⁿ ū siáⁿ siaⁿ-hiáng, àm-sī só͘-ūi chiap-chhiok ê sîn-pì sū-kiāⁿ, iá hit-ê lāu-lâng iáu koh chē tī hia.
"In sī siáⁿ-khoán ê thâu-seⁿ?" góa mn̄g.
"Lóng-chóng ū saⁿ-chióng thâu-seⁿ," i kái-soeh. "Ū nn̄g-chiah soaⁿ-iûⁿ, chi̍t-chiah niau, iáu-koh ū sì-tùi hún-chiáu."
"Lí put-tek-í lī-khui in?" góa mn̄g.
"Sī lah. In-ūi ū phàu-peng. Siōng-ùi kiò góa tio̍h cháu, in-ūi ū phàu-peng."
"Lí kám bô ka-cho̍k?" góa mn̄g, khòaⁿ kiô hn̄g-hn̄g hit-pêng thâu, hia ū kúi-tâi chhia-á tng-teh kín-kín kiâⁿ lo̍h hô-hōaⁿ ê kiā.
"Bô," i kóng, "kan-ta góa tú-chiah kóng ê hiah-ê thâu-seⁿ-á. Niau, tong-jiân bē ū tāi-chì. Niau ē-hiáu chiàu-kò͘ ka-tī, m̄-koh góa m̄-chai kî-thaⁿ hiah-ê ē án-nóa."
"Lí ū siáⁿ chèng-tī chú-tiuⁿ?" góa mn̄g.
"Góa bô chhap chèng-tī," i kóng. "Góa í-keng 76 hòe. Góa taⁿ í-keng kiâⁿ 12 kilo, góa siūⁿ, góa taⁿ bô hoat-tō͘ koh kiâⁿ ah."
"Chia m̄-sī hioh-khùn ê hó só͘-chāi," góa kóng. "Lí nā ē-tàng koh kiâⁿ, Tī oat hiòng Tortosa ê lō͘ hia, ē ū truck."
"Góa boeh koh tán chi̍t-ē," i kóng, "kàu-sî góa chiah koh kiâⁿ. Truck boeh khì tó-ūi?"
"Óng Barcelona hit-hiòng," góa kā i kóng.
"Hit-hiòng góa bô se̍k-sāi ê lâng," i kóng, "m̄-koh, to-siā lí. Hō͘ lí chin ló͘-la̍t."
I bâng-bâng, siān-siān khòaⁿ góa, jiân-āu koh kóng, ká-ná sī boeh kā i ê hoân-ló kóng hō͘ pa̍t-lâng thiaⁿ, "Niau bô būn-tê, góa chin khak-tēng. M̄-bián ūi niau lâi hoân-ló. M̄-koh kî-thaⁿ hiah-ê. Taⁿ lí jīn-ûi kî-thaⁿ hiah-ê boeh án-nóa?"
"Ai-ah, in khó-lêng mā ē tō͘-kòe lân-koan lah."
"Lí án-ne siūⁿ sioh?"
"Ná m̄ án-ne siūⁿ," góa kóng, ná khòaⁿ hiòng hn̄g-hn̄g ê hô-hōaⁿ, hia í-keng bô chhia ah.
"M̄-koh, in-ūi ū phàu-peng, góa pī thong-ti tio̍h lī-khui, in tī tōa-phàu ē-bīn boeh án-nóa hó?"
"Lí kám ū kā hún-chiáu-lam ê mn̂g-chhòaⁿ phah-khui?" góa mn̄g.
"Ū lah."
"Nā án-ne, in ē ka-tī poe cháu."
"Sī lah, in ē poe cháu. M̄-koh kî-thaⁿ ê. Thōng-hó sī mài khì siūⁿ kî-thaⁿ ê." i kóng.
"Lí nā hioh-khùn hó-sè ah, góa boeh lâi khì ah." góa khǹg i. "Khiā khí-lâi, taⁿ chhì koh kiâⁿ."
"To-siā lí," i kóng, tō khiā khí-lâi, iô-iô hàiⁿ-hàiⁿ, jiân-āu soah tò-lap-chē tī thô͘-hún nih.
"Góa goân-pún teh khòaⁿ-kò͘ thâu-seⁿ," i gāng-gāng kóng, m̄-koh m̄-sī kóng hō͘ góa thiaⁿ. "Góa goân-pún teh khòaⁿ-kò͘ thâu-seⁿ."
Góa mā bô i ê hoat-tō͘. Hit-kang sī Koh-oa̍h Cheh, Facism hūn-chú tng-teh hiòng Ebro Hô lâi. He sī o͘-im thiⁿ, in ê hui-lêng-ki bô khí-poe. Hit-chiah niau, in-ūi niau lóng chai-iáⁿ án-nóa chiàu-kò͘ ka-tī chit-ê sū-si̍t, sī hit-ê lāu-lâng tit ē-tio̍h ê hó-ūn ê it-chhè.
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一个掛鋼框目鏡, 衫褲 kha̍h 塗粉 ê 老人坐 tī 路邊. 迒過河面是一座浮橋, 車仔, truck /to.rák.ku/, kap 男男女女和囡仔攏 teh 過橋. 騾仔拖 ê 車, 由士兵鬥捒輪仔骨, ùi 橋頂沓沓 peh 崎上河岸. Truck 軋過塗跤, 直直向前去, 庄跤人 mā liâu 淹跤目 ê 塗粉辛苦向前行. 毋過, 彼个老人坐 tī 遐無振動. 伊忝甲無法度 koh 行向前.
我 ê 任務是過來橋這頭探查, 揣出敵人已經到佗位. 我已經完成工課, 今轉來到橋頂. 這時已經無蓋濟車仔, 真少步輦 ê 人, 毋過彼个老人猶閣 tī 遐.
"你 ùi 佗位來?" 我問伊.
"Ùi San Carlos 來," 伊講, 面笑笑.
遐是伊 ê 故鄉, 所以講著 he 伊 tō 歡喜, 伊 tō 微笑.
"我原本 teh 看顧頭牲仔," 伊解說講.
"Oh," 我講, 無蓋了解伊 ê 意思.
"是 lah," 伊講, "我留落來, 你知 lah hoⁿh, 看顧頭牲. 我是上尾離開 San Carlos ê 人."
伊看起來, 無成顧羊 ê 人, mā 無成牧民, 我看伊滒塗粉 ê 烏衫, 伊殕色坱埃 ê 面, 伊 ê 鋼框目鏡, 講, "啥款 ê 頭牲?"
"各種 ê 頭牲," 伊講, koh ná 搖頭. "我不得已離開 in."
我 tng-teh 觀察這个橋, 觀察 Ebro Delta 這个 ná 像 Afrika ê 庄跤, 毋知 koh 偌久才會看著敵人, 我 mā 一直 teh 聽看有啥聲響, 暗示所謂接觸 ê 神祕事件, iá 彼个老人猶閣坐 tī 遐.
"In 是啥款 ê 頭牲?" 我問.
"攏總有三種頭牲," 伊解說. "有兩隻山羊, 一隻貓, 猶閣有四對粉鳥."
"你不得已離開 in?" 我問.
"是 lah. 因為有砲兵. 上尉叫我著走, 因為有砲兵."
"你敢無家族?" 我問, 看橋遠遠彼爿頭, 遐有幾台車仔 tng-teh 緊緊行落河岸 ê 崎.
"無," 伊講, "干焦我拄才講 ê hiah-ê 頭牲仔. 貓, 當然袂有代誌. 貓會曉照顧家己, 毋過我毋知其他 hiah-ê 會按怎."
"你有啥政治主張?" 我問.
"我無 chhap 政治," 伊講. "我已經 76 歲. 我今已經行 12 kilo, 我想, 我今無法度 koh 行 ah."
"遮毋是歇睏 ê 好所在," 我講. "你若會當 koh 行, Tī 斡向 Tortosa ê 路遐, 會有 truck."
"我欲 koh 等一下," 伊講, "到時我才 koh 行. Truck 欲去佗位?"
"往 Barcelona 彼向," 我 kā 伊講.
"彼向我無熟似 ê 人," 伊講, "毋過, 多謝你. 予你真勞力."
伊茫茫, 僐僐看我, 然後 koh 講, ká-ná 是欲 kā 伊 ê 煩惱講予別人聽, "貓無問題, 我真確定. 毋免為貓來煩惱. 毋過其他 hiah-ê. 今你認為其他 hiah-ê 欲按怎?"
"Ai-ah, in 可能 mā 會渡過難關 lah."
"你 án-ne 想 sioh?"
"那毋 án-ne 想," 我講, ná 看向遠遠 ê 河岸, 遐已經無車 ah.
"毋過, 因為有砲兵, 我被通知著離開, in tī 大砲下面欲按怎好?"
"你敢有 kā 粉鳥籠 ê 門閂拍開?" 我問.
"有 lah."
"若 án-ne, in 會家己飛走."
"是 lah, in 會飛走. 毋過其他 ê. Thōng 好是莫去想其他 ê." 伊講.
"你若歇睏好勢 ah, 我欲來去 ah." 我勸伊. "徛起來, 今試 koh 行."
"多謝你," 伊講, tō 徛起來, 搖搖幌幌, 然後煞倒塌坐 tī 塗粉 nih.
"我原本 teh 看顧頭牲," 伊愣愣講, 毋過毋是講予我聽. "我原本 teh 看顧頭牲."
我 mā 無伊 ê 法度. 彼工是閣活節, Facism 份子 tng-teh 向 Ebro 河來. 彼是烏陰天, in ê 飛行機無起飛. 彼隻貓, 因為貓攏知影按怎照顧家己這个事實, 是彼个老人得會著 ê 好運 ê 一切.
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An old man with steel rimmed spectacles and very dusty clothes sat by the side of the road. There was a pontoon bridge across the river and carts, trucks, and men, women and children were crossing it. The mule-drawn carts staggered up the steep bank from the bridge with soldiers helping push against the spokes of the wheels. and the peasants plodded along in the ankle deep dust. But the old man sat there without moving. He was too tired to go any farther.
It was my business to cross the bridge, explore the bridgehead beyond and find out to what point the enemy had advanced. I did this and returned over the bridge. There were not so many carts now and very few people on foot, but the old man was still there.
"Where do you come from?" I asked him.
"From San Carlos," he said, and smiled.
That was his native town and so it gave him pleasure to mention it and he smiled.
"I was taking care of animals," he explained.
"Oh," I said, not quite understanding.
"Yes," he said, "I stayed, you see, taking care of animals. I was the last one to leave the town of San Carlos."
He did not look like a shepherd nor a herdsman and I looked at his black dusty clothes and his gray dusty face and his steel rimmed spectacles and said, "What animals were they?"
"Various animals," he said, and shook his head. "I had to leave them."
I was watching the bridge and the African looking country of the Ebro Delta and wondering how long now it would be before we would see the enemy, and listening all the while for the first noises that would signal that ever mysterious event called contact, and the old man still sat there.
"What animals were they?" I asked.
"There were three animals altogether," he explained. "There were two goats and a cat and then there were four pairs of pigeons."
"And you had to leave them?" I asked.
"Yes. Because of the artillery. The captain told me to go because of the artillery."
"And you have no family?" I asked, watching the far end of the bridge where a few last carts were hurrying down the slope of the bank.
"No," he said, "only the animals I stated. The cat, of course, will be all right. A cat can look out for itself, but I cannot think what will become of the others."
"What politics have you?" I asked.
"I am without politics," he said. "I am seventy-six years old. I have come twelve kilometers now and I think now I can go no further."
"This is not a good place to stop," I said. "If you can make it, there are trucks up the road where it forks for Tortosa."
"I will wait a while," he said, "and then I will go. Where do the trucks go?"
"Towards Barcelona," I told him.
"I know no one in that direction," he said, "but thank you very much. Thank you again very much."
He looked at me very blankly and tiredly, and then said, having to share his worry with someone, "The cat will be all right, I am sure. There is no need to be unquiet about the cat. But the others. Now what do you think about the others?"
"Why they'll probably come through it all right."
"You think so?"
"Why not," I said, watching the far bank where now there were no carts.
"But what will they do under the artillery when I was told to leave because of the artillery?"
"Did you leave the dove cage unlocked?" I asked.
"Yes."
"Then they'll fly."
"Yes, certainly they'll fly. But the others. It's better not to think about the others," he said.
"If you are rested I would go," I urged. "Get up and try to walk now."
"Thank you," he said and got to his feet, swayed from side to side and then sat down backwards in the dust.
"I was taking care of animals," he said dully, but no longer to me. "I was only taking care of animals."
There was nothing to do about him. It was Easter Sunday and the Fascists were advancing toward the Ebro. It was a gray overcast day with a low ceiling so their planes were not up. That and the fact that cats know how to look after themselves was all the good luck that old man would ever have.
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