Dead Men's Path /by Chinua Achebe
https://www.sabanciuniv.edu/HaberlerDuyurular/Documents/F_Courses_/2012/Dead_Mens_Path.pdf
Sí-lâng ê Lō͘ | 死人 ê 路
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1. Siàu-liân hāu-tiúⁿ ū chē-chē bí-miāu ê siūⁿ-hoat
Michael Obi ê hi-bōng pí i só͘ kî-thāi ê khah chá chin chē si̍t-hiān. 1949 nî it goe̍h, i chiap-jīm Ndume Tiong-iong Ha̍k-hāu ê hāu-tiúⁿ. Che sī chi̍t-keng bô chìn-pō͘ ê ha̍k-hāu, só͘-tì Thoân-kàu-hōe tong-kio̍k koat-tēng phài chi̍t-ê siàu-liân koh ū oa̍h-le̍k ê lâng khì keng-êng. Obi chhiong-móa jia̍t-chêng chiap-siū chit-ê jīm-bū. I ū chē-chē bí-miāu ê siūⁿ-hoat, che sī kā in si̍t-hiān ê chi̍t-ê hó ki-hōe. I tī tiong-téng ha̍k-hāu tit-tio̍h chin hó ê kàu-io̍k, koaⁿ-hong kì-lo̍k kì-chài i sī "koan-kiān kàu-su," hun-pia̍t chhut i hām kàu-khu kî-thaⁿ hāu-tiúⁿ ê bô-kāng. I ti̍t-lí-ti̍t-lō͘ phe-phêng hiah-ê khah nî-lāu, mā éng-éng kàu-io̍k khah chió ê lâng ê e̍h-kheh gán-kong.
"Lán ē-tàng hó-hó piáu-hiān, kám m̄-sī?" in thiaⁿ tio̍h chìn-seng ê hó siau-sit ê sî, i án-ne mn̄g i hit-ê siàu-liân bó͘.
"Lán ē chīn-la̍t phah-piàⁿ," yi kā ìn. "Lán chiong ū bí-lē ê hoe-hn̂g, ta̍k-hāng lóng ē hiān-tāi koh jû-khoài..." Tī nn̄g-tang ê hun-in seng-oa̍h tiong, yi oân-choân kám-jiám tio̍h i he tùi "hiān-tāi hong-hoat" ê jia̍t-chêng hām i tùi "kàu-su kài hiah-ê lāu koh kòe-sî, khah sek-ha̍p khì Onitsha chhī-tiûⁿ chò seng-lí ê lâng" ê khòaⁿ-khin. Yi khai-sí kám-kak ka-tī sī hō͘-lâng him-siān ê siàu-liân hāu-tiúⁿ niû, sī ha̍k-hāu ê lú-ông.
Kî-thaⁿ lāu-su ê thài-thài ē ba̍k-chhiah yi ê tē-ūi. Yi chiong ē ín-niá ta̍k-hāng tāi-chì ê sî-kiâⁿ... Jiân-āu, hut-jiân yi siūⁿ tio̍h, hoān-sè bô kî-thaⁿ ê thài-thài. Tī hi-bōng kap kiaⁿ-hiâⁿ tiong-kan iô-tāng, yi mn̄g yin ang, ná kō͘ put-an ê ba̍k-sîn khòaⁿ i.
"Lán ê tông-sū lóng siàu-liân, lóng iáu bōe kiat-hun," i kō͘ jia̍t-chêng án-ne kóng, he jia̍t-chêng bô kám-jiám kàu yi hia. "Án-ne mā sī chin hó," i koh kóng.
"Án-nóa kóng?"
"Án-nóa kóng? In ē kā sî-kan kap cheng-le̍k lóng kòng-hiàn hō͘ ha̍k-hāu."
Nancy kui-ê siau-hong khì. Ū chi̍t-ē-á, yi tùi ha̍k-hāu khí hoâi-gî; m̄-koh che kan-ta kúi hun-cheng niā-niā. Yi su-jîn ê sió-sió put-hēng bē-sái chó͘-tòng yi khòaⁿ yin ang ê hēng-hok chiân-kéng. Yi khòaⁿ tio̍h i kiu-kiu chē tī í-á. I ê keng-thâu ku-ku, khòaⁿ tio̍h chin hi-jio̍k. M̄-koh, ū sî-chūn, i hut-jiân po̍k-hoat ê thé-la̍t iū hō͘ lâng tio̍h-kiaⁿ. Put-jî-kò, tī i chit-chūn ê chu-sè, só͘-ū i ê thé-la̍t ká-ná lóng chhàng tī hit-siang thap-thap ê ba̍k-chiu, hō͘ in ū hui-hoân ê thàu-sī-le̍k. I kan-ta 26 hòe, m̄-koh khòaⁿ tio̍h ná 30 gōa. Chóng-kóng chi̍t-kù, i sǹg sī seⁿ-chò iân-tâu.
"Lí teh siūⁿ siáⁿ, Mike?" Nancy kòe chi̍t-khùn, o̍h yi teh khòaⁿ ê hū-lú cha̍p-chì án-ne kā mn̄g.
"Góa teh siūⁿ, lán chóng-sǹg ū chi̍t-ê chin hó ê ki-hōe, thang tián-sī hō͘ lâng khòaⁿ, ha̍k-hāu tio̍h án-nóa keng-êng."
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Ndume Ha̍k-hāu tī kok hong-bīn lóng chin lo̍k-ngó͘. Obi Ss kā kui-ê sèⁿ-miā khǹg tī khang-khòe, in bó͘ mā sī án-ne. I ū nn̄g-ê bo̍k-piau: kian-chhî koân piau-chún ê kàu-ha̍k, hām hāu-hn̂g ài sī chi̍t-ê súi-súi ê só͘-chāi. In-ūi hō͘-kùi kàu-ūi, Nancy ê bāng-tiong hoe-hn̂g chhiong-móa oa̍h-le̍k, hoe khui kah súi tang-tang. Bí-lē ê phû-iông hoe hām n̂g-ki-á hoe lî-pa, iā âng iā n̂g, piau-chì tio̍h cheng-sim chiàu-kò͘ ê hāu-hn̂g kap hū-kīn siā-khu hoe-chháu ê tōa chha-pia̍t.
Chi̍t-kang boeh-àm ê sî, Obi tng-teh him-sióng i ê sêng-kó, i kiaⁿ chi̍t-tiô khòaⁿ tio̍h chi̍t-ê chng nih ê lāu cha-bó͘-lâng khōng-khiang khōng-khiang kiâⁿ kòe hāu-hn̂g, ta̍h kòe bān-siū-kiok ê hoe-kó͘ hām lî-pa. Kàu hia chi̍t-ē khòaⁿ, i hoat-hiān ū chi̍t-tiâu chha-put-to bô teh iōng ê sió-lō͘ ê hûn-jiah, ùi chng nih lâi, keng-kòe hāu-hn̂g, it-ti̍t kàu tùi-bīn ê é-chhiū-nâ.
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1. 少年校長濟濟美妙 ê 想法
Michael Obi ê 希望比伊所期待 ê 較早真濟實現. 1949 年一月, 伊接任 Ndume 中央學校 ê 校長. 這是一間無進步 ê 學校, 所致傳教會當局決定派一个少年 koh 有活力 ê 人去經營. Obi 充滿熱情接受這个任務. 伊有濟濟美妙 ê 想法, 這是 kā in 實現 ê 一个好機會. 伊 tī 中等學校得著真好 ê 教育, 官方記錄記載伊是 "關鍵教師," 分別出伊和教區其他校長 ê 無仝. 伊直理直路批評 hiah-ê 較年老, mā 往往教育較少 ê 人 ê 狹 kheh 眼光.
"咱會當好好表現, 敢毋是?" in 聽著晉升 ê 好消息 ê 時, 伊 án-ne 問伊彼个少年某.
"咱會盡力拍拚," 她 kā 應. "咱將有美麗 ê 花園, 逐項攏會現代 koh 愉快..." Tī 兩冬 ê 婚姻生活中, 她完全感染著伊 he 對 "現代方法" ê 熱情和伊對 "教師界 hiah-ê 老 koh 過時, 較適合去 Onitsha 市場做生理 ê 人" ê 看輕. 她開始感覺家己是予人欣羨 ê 少年校長娘, 是學校 ê 女王.
其他老師 ê 太太會目赤她 ê 地位. 她將會引領逐項代誌 ê 時行... 然後, 忽然她想著, 凡勢無其他 ê 太太. Tī 希望 kap 驚惶中間搖動, 她問姻翁, ná kō͘ 不安 ê 目神看伊.
"咱 ê 同事攏少年, 攏猶未結婚," 伊 kō͘ 熱情 án-ne 講, 彼熱情無感染到她遐. "Án-ne mā 是真好," 伊 koh 講.
"按怎講?"
"按怎講? In 會 kā 時間 kap 精力攏貢獻予學校."
Nancy 規个消風去. 有一下仔, 她對學校起懷疑; 毋過這干焦幾分鐘 niā-niā. 她私人 ê 小小不幸袂使阻擋她看姻翁 ê 幸福前景. 她看著伊勼勼坐 tī 椅仔. 伊 ê 肩頭痀痀, 看著真虛弱. 毋過, 有時陣, 伊忽然爆發 ê 體力又予人著驚. 不而過, tī 伊這陣 ê 姿勢, 所有伊 ê 體力敢若攏藏 tī 彼雙塌塌 ê 目睭, 予 in 有非凡 ê 透視力. 伊干焦 26 歲, 毋過看著 ná 30 外. 總講一句, 伊算是生做緣投.
"你 teh 想啥, Mike?" Nancy 過一睏, 學她 teh 看 ê 婦女雜誌 án-ne kā 問.
"我 teh 想, 咱總算有一个真好 ê 機會, 通展示予人看, 學校著按怎經營."
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Ndume 學校 tī 各方面攏真落伍. Obi Ss kā 規个性命囥 tī 工課, in 某 mā 是 án-ne. 伊有兩个目標: 堅持懸標準 ê 教學, 和校園愛是一个媠媠 ê 所在. 因為雨季到位, Nancy ê 夢中花園充滿活力, 花開甲媠噹噹. 美麗 ê 芙蓉花和黃梔仔花籬笆, 也紅也黃, 標誌著精心照顧 ê 校園 kap 附近社區花草 ê 大差別.
一工欲暗 ê 時, Obi tng-teh 欣賞伊 ê 成果, 伊驚一趒看著一个庄 nih ê 老查某人 khōng-khiang khōng-khiang 行過校園, 踏過萬壽菊 ê 花股和籬笆. 到遐一下看, 伊發現有一條差不多無 teh 用 ê 小路 ê 痕跡, ùi 庄 nih 來, 經過校園, 一直到對面 ê 矮樹林.
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1.
Michael Obi's hopes were fulfilled much earlier than he had expected. He was appointed headmaster of Ndume Central School in January 1949. It had always been an unprogressive school, so the Mission authorities decided to send a young and energetic man to run it. Obi accepted this responsibility with enthusiasm. He had many wonderful ideas and this was an opportunity to put them into practice. He had had sound secondary school education which designated him a "pivotal teacher" in the official records and set him apart from the other headmasters in the mission field. He was outspoken in his condemnation of the narrow views of these older and often less-educated ones.
"We shall make a good job of it, shan't we?" he asked his young wife when they first heard the joyful news of his promotion.
"We shall do our best," she replied. "We shall have such beautiful gardens and everything will be just modern and delightful . . . " In their two years of married life she had become completely infected by his passion for "modern methods" and his denigration of "these old and superannuated people in the teaching field who would be better employed as traders in the Onitsha market." She began to see herself already as the admired wife of the young headmaster, the queen of the school.
The wives of the other teachers would envy her position. She would set the fashion in everything . . . Then, suddenly, it occurred to her that there might not be other wives. Wavering between hope and fear, she asked her husband, looking anxiously at him.
"All our colleagues are young and unmarried," he said with enthusiasm which for once she did not share. "Which is a good thing," he continued.
"Why?"
"Why? They will give all their time and energy to the school."
Nancy was downcast. For a few minutes she became skeptical about the new school; but it was only for a few minutes. Her little personal misfortune could not blind her to her husband's happy prospects. She looked at him as he sat folded up in a chair. He was stoop-shouldered and looked frail. But he sometimes surprised people with sudden bursts of physical energy. In his present posture, however, all his bodily strength seemed to have retired behind his deep-set eyes, giving them an extraordinary power of penetration. He was only twenty-six, but looked thirty or more. On the whole, he was not unhandsome.
"A penny for your thoughts, Mike," said Nancy after a while, imitating the woman's magazine she read.
"I was thinking what a grand opportunity we've got at last to show these people how a school should be run."
*
Ndume School was backward in every sense of the word. Mr. Obi put his whole life into the work, and his wife hers too. He had two aims. A high standard of teaching was insisted upon, and the school compound was to be turned into a place of beauty. Nancy's dream-gardens came to life with the coming of the rains, and blossomed. Beautiful hibiscus and allamanda hedges in brilliant red and yellow marked out the carefully tended school compound from the rank neighborhood bushes.
One evening as Obi was admiring his work he was scandalized to see an old woman from the village hobble right across the compound, through a marigold flower-bed and the hedges. On going up there he found faint signs of an almost disused path from the village across the school compound to the bush on the other side.
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