The Death of a Government Clerk /by Anton Chekhov, 1883 /Eng tran Constance Garnett
https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Death_of_a_Government_Clerk
Chi̍t-ê Kong-bū-oân ê Sí-bông | 一个公務員 ê 死亡
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1. I phah chi̍t-ê kha-chhiùⁿ
Bí-hó ê àm-sî, chi̍t-ê kiò Ivan Dmitritch Tchervyakov ê kong-bū-oân chē tī í-á ūi tē-jī pâi, kō͘ tiàu-kiàⁿ choan-sim teh khòaⁿ Corneville Cheng-siaⁿ (Cloches de Corneville) koa-kio̍k. I khòaⁿ kah sîn-sîn, kám-kak bû-pí ê hēng-hok. M̄-koh, hut-jiân kan... Tī kò͘-sū lāi-bīn, lán chhiâng-chāi tú-tio̍h chit-chióng "M̄-koh, hut-jiân kan." Kóng-kó͘ ê lâng bô m̄-tio̍h: Seng-oa̍h tiong ū chē-chē liāu bē-kàu ê só͘-chāi! M̄-koh, hut-jiân kan, i ê bīn chiù-chiù, bô khòaⁿ-e ba̍k-chiu, bô teh chhoán-khùi... i kā tiàu-kiàⁿ ùi bak-chiu the̍h khui, àⁿ io, ... "Kha.chhiúⁿ!!" i phah chi̍t-ê kha-chhiùⁿ, che lí khòaⁿ ē-chhut. M̄-koán siáⁿ-lâng, tī tó-ūi phah kha-chhiùⁿ, lán lóng m̄-thang kā chek-pī. Chò-sit-lâng ē phah kha-chhiùⁿ, kéng-chhat tāi-jîn mā ē phah kha-chhiùⁿ, ū-sî sīm-chì kok-hōe gī-oân mā ē. Só͘-ū ê lâng lóng ē phah kha-chhiùⁿ. Tchervyakov chi̍t-sut-á to bô kám-kak khùn-jiáu, i kō͘ chhiú-kin-á kā bīn chhit-chhit leh, ná chi̍t-ê ū lé-māu ê lâng án-ne, sì-kho͘-ûi-á khòaⁿ chi̍t-ē, khòaⁿ i ê kha-chhiùⁿ kám ū kiáu-jiáu tio̍h jīm-hô lâng. Án-ne liáu-āu, i kui-ê bē chū-chāi. I khòaⁿ tio̍h chē tē-it pâi i thâu-chêng hit-ê lāu sin-sū, hó-lé-á kō͘ chhiú-thò teh chhit i ê thuh-thâu hām ām-kún, chhùi nih koh ná teh se̍h-se̍h liām. Tchervyakov jīn chhut hit-ê lāu sin-sū sī Brizzhalov, sī ho̍k-bū tī Ūn-su Pō͘ ê bûn-chit chiong-kun.
"Góa khì phùn tio̍h i," Tchervyakov án-ne siūⁿ, "i m̄-sī goán pō͘-mn̂g ê chú-koán, m̄-koh iáu sī ū-kàu pháiⁿ-sè. Góa tio̍h kā hōe sit-lé."
Tchervyakov ta-sàu chi̍t-ē, àⁿ-sin hiòng chêng, khin-siaⁿ tī chiong-kun ê hīⁿ piⁿ kóng-ōe.
"Chiok pháiⁿ-sè, Koh-hā, góa bô sió-sim khì phùn tio̍h lí..."
"Bô iàu-kín, bô iàu-kín."
"Khòaⁿ tī Sîn ê bīn-chú, chhiáⁿ lí goân-liōng góa, góa... góa m̄-sī thiau kò͘-ì ê."
"Oh, pài-thok, lí chē hō͘ hó! Góa teh khòaⁿ-hì!"
Tchervyakov pháiⁿ-sè kah, kan-ta sī gōng-chhiò, gia̍h ba̍k-chiu khòaⁿ bú-tâi. I ba̍k-chiu tèng tī bú-tâi, m̄-koh bô koh kám-kak hēng-hok. I khai-sí hō͘ put-an lâi khùn-jiáu. Tī tiong-kan hioh-khùn ê sî, i kiâⁿ hiòng Brizzhalov, kiâⁿ kàu i ê sin-piⁿ, khek-ho̍k ka-tī ê po̍h bīn-phôe, nauh kóng:
"Góa khì phùn tio̍h lí, Koh-hā, chhiáⁿ goân-liōng góa... lí chai lah... góa m̄-sī thiau kò͘-ì..."
"Oh, án-ne hó ah lah... Góa í-keng kā pàng bē-kì-tit ah, taⁿ lí koh lâi thê-khí!" chiong-kun án-ne kóng, ná tín-tāng i he bô nāi-hoân ê ē-chhùi-tûn.
"I sī bē-kì-tit ah, m̄-koh i ê ba̍k-chiu ū iau-mô͘ ê kng," Tchervyako án-ne siūⁿ, ná kō͘ giâu-gî ê ba̍k-sek khòaⁿ chiong-kun. "I bô-ài koh kóng-khí. Góa tio̍h kā i kái-soeh... góa chin-chiàⁿ m̄-sī kò͘-ì... he sī chū-jiân ê kui-lu̍t, bián-tit i kiò-sī góa thiau-kang tùi i phùn chhùi-nōa. Taⁿ, i bô án-ne siūⁿ ah, m̄-koh í-āu i chiong ē án-ne siūⁿ!"
Tńg chhù liáu-āu, Tchervyakov kā in bó͘ kóng-khí chit-chân sit-lé ê tāi-chì. Hō͘ i gông-ngia̍h ê sī, in bó͘ kā chit-ê sū-kiāⁿ khòaⁿ kah chin chhìn-chhái; yi seng sī khí-kiaⁿ, m̄-koh tán yi chai-iáⁿ Brizzhalov kap i bô kāng pō͘-mn̂g, yi tō an-sim ah.
"M̄-koh, siōng-hó lí tio̍h kā i hōe sit-lé," yi kóng, "nā bô, i ē siūⁿ-kóng lí m̄-chai siā-kau lé-sò͘."
"Tō sī án-ne meh! Góa ū kā i hōe sit-lé, m̄-koh i ê hoán-èng sió-khóa koài-koài... I bô kóng siáⁿ si̍t-ōe. Bô sî-kan thang hó-hó kau-tâm."
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1. 伊拍一个咳啾
美好 ê 暗時, 一个叫 Ivan Dmitritch Tchervyakov ê 公務員坐 tī 椅仔位第二排, kō͘ 召鏡專心 teh 看 Corneville 鐘聲 (Cloches de Corneville) 歌劇. 伊看甲神神, 感覺無比 ê 幸福. 毋過, 忽然間... Tī 故事內面, 咱常在拄著這種 "毋過, 忽然間." 講古 ê 人無毋著: 生活中有濟濟料袂到 ê 所在! 毋過, 忽然間, 伊 ê 面 chiù-chiù, 無看 e 目睭, 無 teh 喘氣... 伊 kā 召鏡 ùi 目睭提開, àⁿ 腰, ... "Kha.chhiúⁿ!!" 伊拍一个咳啾, 這你看會出. 毋管啥人, tī 佗位拍咳啾, 咱 lóng 毋通 kā 責備. 做穡人會拍咳啾, 警察大人 mā 會拍咳啾, 有時甚至國會議員 mā 會. 所有 ê 人 lóng 會拍咳啾. Tchervyakov 一屑仔 to 無感覺困擾, 伊 kō͘ 手巾仔 kā 面拭拭 leh, ná 一个有禮貌 ê 人 án-ne, 四箍圍仔看一下, 看伊 ê 咳啾敢有攪擾著任何人. Án-ne 了後, 伊規个袂自在. 伊看著坐第一排伊頭前彼个老紳士, 好禮仔 kō͘ 手套 teh 拭伊 ê 禿頭和頷頸, 喙 nih koh ná teh 踅踅念. Tchervyakov 認出彼个老紳士是 Brizzhalov, 是服務 tī 運輸部 ê 文職將軍.
"我去噴著伊," Tchervyakov án-ne 想, "伊毋是阮部門 ê 主管, 毋過猶是有夠歹勢. 我著 kā hōe 失禮."
Tchervyakov 焦嗽一下, àⁿ 身向前, 輕聲 tī 將軍 ê 耳邊講話.
"足歹勢, 閣下, 我無小心去噴著你..."
"無要緊, 無要緊."
"看 tī 神 ê 面子, 請你原諒我, 我... 我毋是刁故意 ê."
"Oh, 拜託, 你坐予好! 我 teh 看戲!"
Tchervyakov 歹勢甲, 干焦是戇笑, 攑目睭看舞台. 伊目睭釘 tī 舞台, 毋過無 koh 感覺幸福. 伊開始予不安來困擾. Tī 中間歇睏 ê 時, 伊行向 Brizzhalov, 行到伊 ê 身邊, 克服家己 ê 薄面皮, 喃講:
"我去噴著你, 閣下, 請原諒我... 你知 lah... 我毋是刁故意..."
"Oh, án-ne 好 ah lah... 我 kā 放袂記得 ah, 今你閣來提起!" 將軍 án-ne 講, ná 振動伊 he 無耐煩 ê 下喙唇.
"伊是袂記得 ah, 毋過伊 ê 目睭有妖魔 ê 光," Tchervyako án-ne 想, ná kō͘ 憢疑 ê 目色看將軍. "伊無愛 koh 講起. 我著 kā 伊解說... 我真正毋是故意... 彼是自然 ê 規律, 免得伊叫是我刁工對伊噴喙瀾. 今, 伊無 án-ne 想 ah, 毋過以後伊將會 án-ne 想!"
轉厝了後, Tchervyakov kā in 某講起這層失禮 ê 代誌. 予伊 gông-ngia̍h ê 是, in 某 kā 這个事件看甲真凊彩; 她先是起驚, 毋過等她知影 Brizzhalov kap 伊無仝部門, 她 tō 安心 ah.
"毋過, 上好你著 kā 伊 hōe 失禮," 她講, "若無, 伊會想講你毋知社交禮數."
"Tō 是 án-ne meh! 我有 kā 伊 hōe 失禮, 毋過伊 ê 反應小可怪怪... 伊無講啥實話. 無時間通好好交談."
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1.
ONE fine evening, a no less fine government clerk called Ivan Dmitritch Tchervyakov was sitting in the second row of the stalls, gazing through an opera glass at the Cloches de Corneville. He gazed and felt at the acme of bliss. But suddenly. . . . In stories one so often meets with this "But suddenly." The authors are right: life is so full of surprises! But suddenly his face puckered up, his eyes disappeared, his breathing was arrested . . . he took the opera glass from his eyes, bent over and . . . "Aptchee!!" he sneezed as you perceive. It is not reprehensible for anyone to sneeze anywhere. Peasants sneeze and so do police superintendents, and sometimes even privy councillors. All men sneeze. Tchervyakov was not in the least confused, he wiped his face with his handkerchief, and like a polite man, looked round to see whether he had disturbed any one by his sneezing. But then he was overcome with confusion. He saw that an old gentleman sitting in front of him in the first row of the stalls was carefully wiping his bald head and his neck with his glove and muttering something to himself. In the old gentleman, Tchervyakov recognised Brizzhalov, a civilian general serving in the Department of Transport.
"I have spattered him," thought Tchervyakov, "he is not the head of my department, but still it is awkward. I must apologise."
Tchervyakov gave a cough, bent his whole person forward, and whispered in the general's ear.
"Pardon, your Excellency, I spattered you accidentally. . . ."
"Never mind, never mind."
"For goodness sake excuse me, I . . . I did not mean to."
"Oh, please, sit down! let me listen!"
Tchervyakov was embarrassed, he smiled stupidly and fell to gazing at the stage. He gazed at it but was no longer feeling bliss. He began to be troubled by uneasiness. In the interval, he went up to Brizzhalov, walked beside him, and overcoming his shyness, muttered:
"I spattered you, your Excellency, forgive me . . . you see . . . I didn't do it to . . . ."
"Oh, that's enough . . . I'd forgotten it, and you keep on about it!" said the general, moving his lower lip impatiently.
"He has forgotten, but there is a fiendish light in his eye," thought Tchervyakov, looking suspiciously at the general. "And he doesn't want to talk. I ought to explain to him . . . that I really didn't intend . . . that it is the law of nature or else he will think I meant to spit on him. He doesn't think so now, but he will think so later!"
On getting home, Tchervyakov told his wife of his breach of good manners. It struck him that his wife took too frivolous a view of the incident; she was a little frightened, but when she learned that Brizzhalov was in a different department, she was reassured.
"Still, you had better go and apologise," she said, "or he will think you don't know how to behave in public."
"That's just it! I did apologise, but he took it somehow queerly . . . he didn't say a word of sense. There wasn't time to talk properly."
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