The Dinner Party /by Mona Gardner
https://my.hrw.com/support/hos/hostpdf/host_text_103.pdf
Iàn-hōe | 宴會
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Chia sī Indo. Si̍t-bîn-koaⁿ ang-bó͘ tng-teh kí-pān chi̍t-ê tōa iàn-hōe. In hām lâng-kheh chē tī in tau khòng-khoah ê iàn-hōe thiaⁿ. Lâng-kheh ū kúi-ā-ūi lio̍k-kun kun-koaⁿ, chèng-hú sûi-oân (attaché), iáu ū in ê khan-chhiú, hām chi̍t-ê lâi hóng-būn ê Bí-kok phok-bu̍t ha̍k-ka. Iàn-hōe thiaⁿ ê tē-pán sī tāi-lí chio̍h, téng-bīn sī khai-hòng sek ê hoâiⁿ-kông, koh ū khui hiòng lō͘-tâi ê tōa-phìⁿ po-lê mn̂g.
Chi̍t-ê siàu-liân ko͘-niû hām chi̍t-ê siōng-hāu tiong-kan tián-khui kek-lia̍t ê thó-lūn, ko͘-niû jīn-ûi cha-bó͘ lâng í-keng thoat-lī chi̍t-ē khòaⁿ tio̍h niáu-chhí tō kiaⁿ kah thiàu chiūⁿ í-á téng ê sî-tāi, m̄-koh siōng-hāu m̄-sī án-ne siūⁿ.
"Kìⁿ-nā tú-tio̍h gûi-ki," siōng-hāu kóng, "cha-bó͘-lâng ê hoán-èng chóng-sī tōa-siaⁿ ki. Sui-bóng cha-po͘ lâng mā khó-lêng ū hit-khoán kám-kak, m̄-koh i pí cha-bó͘ ū ke chi̍t-tiám-á ê sîn-keng khòng-chè. Hit-tiám-á chiàⁿ-chiàⁿ sī siōng tiōng-iàu ê."
Bí-kok lâng bô chham-ka thó-lūn, m̄-koh i koan-chhat kî-thaⁿ ê lâng-kheh. Án-ne khòaⁿ tang-tiong, i hoat-hiān lú chú-lâng ê bīn chhut-hiān chi̍t-ê kî-koài ê piáu-chêng. Yi ê ba̍k-chiu ti̍t-ti̍t khòaⁿ thâu-chêng, kin-bah sió-khóa teh bán-tāng. Kō͘ chi̍t-ê sió chhiú-sè, yi ia̍t khiā tī āu-bīn ê pún-tē gín-á-hiaⁿ kòe-lâi, khin-siaⁿ tùi i kóng-ōe. Gín-á ê ba̍k-chiu tián tōa: i sûi kín-kín lī-khui pâng-keng.
Lâng-kheh tiong-kan, kan-ta hit-ê Bí-kok lâng chù-ì tio̍h che, its khòaⁿ tio̍h gín-á khì the̍h chi̍t-óaⁿ gû-leng khǹg tī lō͘-tâi mn̂g khui-khui ê gōa-kháu.
Bí-kok lâng hut-jiân kak-chhéⁿ. Chāi Indo, kō͘ óaⁿ té gû-leng kan-ta tāi-piáu chi̍t-hāng tāi-chì -- iōng lâi siâⁿ chôa. I ì-sek tio̍h, pâng-keng lāi it-tēng ū chi̍t-bóe ba̍k-kiàⁿ-chôa. I gia̍h-ba̍k khòaⁿ hoâiⁿ-kông -- siōng ū khó-lêng ê só͘-chāi -- m̄-koh bô khòaⁿ tio̍h. Pâng-keng ê saⁿ ê kak-lo̍h khang-khang, tē-sì ê kak-lo̍h ū ka-po̍k khiā tī hia tán boeh ho̍k-bū koh-lâi hit-lō͘ chhài. Kan-ta chhun chi̍t-ê só͘-chāi -- pn̄g-toh ē-bīn.
I tē-it ê chhóng-pōng sī thiàu-khui koh kéng-kò pa̍t-lâng, m̄-koh i chai-iáⁿ, chit-chióng jiáu-tāng ē heh-kiáⁿ ba̍k-kiàⁿ-chôa, ín-khí kong-kek. I kín khui-chhùi kóng-ōe, kháu-khì kéng-chhéⁿ, ín-khí ta̍k-lâng ê chù-ì.
"Góa siūⁿ boeh chai-iáⁿ, chit-tè toh ê lâng ū siáⁿ-mih khòng-chè-le̍k. Góa boeh sǹg kàu 300 -- tāi-khài 5 hun-cheng -- lín ta̍k-lâng lóng m̄-thang tín-tāng. Tín-tāng ê lâng, tio̍h hoa̍t 50 rupee. Chún-pī hó-sè!"
I teh sǹg ê sî, hit 20-ê lâng lóng chē kah ná chio̍h-thâu ang-á. Tī i sǹg kàu "... nn̄g-pah peh-cha̍p..." ê sî, ùi i ê ba̍k-kak, i khòaⁿ tio̍h hit-bóe ba̍k-kiàⁿ-chôa chhut-hiān, sô hiòng hit-óaⁿ gû-leng khì. Tán i thiàu khì kā iông-tâi ê mn̂g an-choân koaiⁿ hó ê sî, chiam-kiò ê siaⁿ hiáng khí.
"Lí kóng-liáu bô m̄-tio̍h, siōng-hāu!" chú-lâng kám-thàn kóng. "Chit-ê lâng tú-tú hiòng lán tián-sī chi̍t-ê cha-po͘ lâng ê oân-bí khòng-chè-le̍k."
"Sió tán chi̍t-ē," Bí-kok lâng kóng, oa̍t-thâu hiòng lú chú-lâng. "Wynnes Tt, lí ná ē chai hit-bóe ba̍k-kiàⁿ-chôa tī pâng-keng nih?"
Hit-ê cha-bó͘ lâng ê bīn khin-khin bî-chhiò, ná án-ne kā ìn: "In-ūi i sô kòe góa ê kha-pôaⁿ."
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遮是 Indo. 殖民官翁某 tng-teh 舉辦一个大宴會. In 和人客坐 tī in 兜曠闊 ê 宴會廳. 人客有幾若位陸軍軍官, 政府隨員 (attaché), 猶有 in ê 牽手, 和一个來訪問 ê 美國博物學家. 宴會廳 ê 地板是大理石, 頂面是開放式 ê 橫栱, koh 有開向露台 ê 大片玻璃門.
一个少年姑娘和一个上校中間展開激烈 ê 討論, 姑娘認為查某人已經脫離一下看著鳥鼠 tō 驚甲跳上椅仔頂 ê 時代, 毋過上校毋是 án-ne 想.
"見若拄著危機," 上校講, "查某人 ê 反應總是大聲吱. 雖罔查埔人 mā 可能有彼款感覺, 毋過伊比查某有加一點仔 ê 神經控制. 彼點仔正正是上重要 ê."
美國人無參加討論, 毋過伊觀察其他 ê 人客. Án-ne 看當中, 伊發現女主人 ê 面出現一个奇怪 ê 表情. 她 ê 目睭直直看頭前, 筋肉小可 teh 挽動. Kō͘ 一个小手勢, 她擛徛 tī 後面 ê 本地囡仔兄過來, 輕聲對伊講話. 囡仔 ê 目睭展大: 伊隨緊緊離開房間.
人客中間, 干焦彼个美國人注意著這, its 看著囡仔去提一碗牛奶囥 tī 露台門開開 ê 外口.
美國人忽然覺醒. 在 Indo, kō͘ 碗貯牛奶干焦代表一項代誌 -- 用來唌蛇. 伊意識著, 房間內一定有一尾目鏡蛇. 伊攑目看橫栱 -- 上有可能 ê 所在 -- 毋過無看著. 房間 ê 三个角落空空, 第四个角落有家僕徛 tī 遐等欲服務閣來彼路菜. 干焦賰一个所在 -- 飯桌下面.
伊第一个衝碰是跳開 koh 警告別人, 毋過伊知影, 這種擾動會嚇驚目鏡蛇, 引起攻擊. 伊緊開喙講話, 口氣警醒, 引起逐人 ê 注意.
"我想欲知影, 這塊桌 ê 人有啥物控制力. 我欲算到 300 -- 大概 5 分鐘 -- 恁逐人攏毋通振動. 振動 ê 人, 著罰 50 rupee. 準備好勢!"
伊 teh 算 ê 時, 彼 20 个人攏坐甲 ná 石頭尪仔. Tī 伊算到 "... 兩百八十..." ê 時, ùi 伊 ê 目角, 伊看著彼尾目鏡蛇出現, 趖向彼碗牛奶去. 等伊跳去 kā 陽台 ê 門安全關好 ê 時, 尖叫 ê 聲響起.
"你講了無毋著, 上校!" 主人感嘆講. "這个人拄拄向咱展示一个查埔人 ê 完美控制力."
"小等一下," 美國人講, 越頭向女主人. "Wynnes Tt, 你那會知彼尾目鏡蛇 tī 房間 nih?"
彼个查某人 ê 面輕輕微笑, ná án-ne kā 應: "因為伊趖過我 ê 跤盤."
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The country is India. A colonial official and his wife are giving a large dinner party. They are seated with their guests—army officers and government attachés and their wives, and a visiting American naturalist—in their spacious dining room, which has a bare marble floor, open rafters and wide glass doors opening onto a veranda.*
A spirited discussion springs up between a young girl who insists that women have outgrown the jumping-on-a-chair-at-the-sight-of-a-mouse era and a colonel who says that they haven’t.
“A woman’s unfailing reaction in any crisis,” the colonel says, “is to scream. And while a man may feel like it, he has that ounce more of nerve control than a woman has. And that last ounce is what counts.”
The American does not join in the argument but watches the other guests. As he looks, he sees a strange expression come over the face of the hostess. She is staring straight ahead, her muscles contracting slightly. With a slight gesture she summons the native boy standing behind her chair and whispers to him. The boy’s eyes widen: he quickly leaves the room.
Of the guests, none except the American notices this or sees the boy place a bowl of milk on the veranda just outside the open doors.
The American comes to with a start. In India, milk in a bowl means only one thing—bait for a snake. He realizes there must be a cobra in the room. He looks up at the rafters—the likeliest place—but they are bare. Three corners of the room are empty, and in the fourth the servants are waiting to serve the next course. There is only one place left—under the table.
His first impulse is to jump back and warn the others, but he knows the commotion would frighten the cobra into striking. He speaks quickly, the tone of his voice so arresting that it sobers everyone.
“I want to know just what control everyone at this table has. I will count to three hundred—that’s five minutes—and not one of you is to move a muscle. Those who move will forfeit fifty rupees. Ready!”
The twenty people sit like stone images while he counts. He is saying “. . . two hundred and eighty. . .” when, out of the corner of his eye, he sees the cobra emerge and make for the bowl of milk. Screams ring out as he jumps to slam the veranda doors safely shut.
“You were right, Colonel!” the host exclaims. “A man has just shown us an example of perfect control.”
“Just a minute,” the American says, turning to his hostess. “Mrs. Wynnes, how did you know that cobra was in the room?”
A faint smile lights up the woman’s face as she replies: “Because it was crawling across my foot.”
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//
“The Dinner Party” by Mona Gardner from The Saturday Review of Literature, vol. 25, no. 5, January 31, 1941. Copyright © 1941 by General Media Communications, Inc. Reprinted by permission of The Saturday Review.
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