The Reticence of Lady Anne /by H.H. Munro (SAKI)
https://americanliterature.com/author/hh-munro-saki/short-story/the-reticence-of-lady-anne
Anne Hj ê Tiām-chēng | Anne 夫人 ê 恬靜
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1. Hu-jîn khòaⁿ sī bô boeh phah-phòa tiām-chēng
Egbert lâi kàu kng-sòaⁿ àm-hun ê tōa kheh-thiaⁿ, sim-chêng ná-chhiūⁿ chi̍t-ê lâng bô khak-tēng boeh ji̍p-khì ê sī hún-chiáu lông a̍h chà-tôaⁿ kang-tiûⁿ, m̄-koh i í-keng chún-pī hó jīm-hô ê kiat-kio̍k. Tī chia̍h-tàu toh-á ê sio tak-chhùi iáu-bōe chèⁿ kah ū bêng-khak ê kiat-kó, būn-tê chāi tī Anne Hj* ū gōa-tōa ê sim-chiâⁿ boeh koh tak lo̍h-khì a̍h-sī boeh hòng-khì ah. Yi chē tī tê toh-á piⁿ kau-í ê chu-sè ngē-chiāⁿ; tī 12 goe̍h ē-po͘ ê àm-hun tang-tiong, Egbert ê gia̍p-phīⁿ ba̍k-kiàⁿ pēng bô si̍t-chit pang i khòaⁿ-chheng yi ê piáu-chêng. [*Hj = Hu-jîn]
Ūi tio̍h phah-phòa phû tī piáu-bīn ê peng, i kóng-khí iú-koan àm-hun chong-kàu teng-kng ê tāi-chì. I a̍h Anne Hj koàn-sì tī kôaⁿ-thiⁿ a̍h òaⁿ-chhiu ē-po͘ 4:30 kàu 6:00 tiong-kan kóng-khí chit-lō ōe; che sī in hun-in seng-oa̍h ê chi̍t pō͘-hūn. Chit-kù ōe khòaⁿ sī bô-lâng hoán-pok, Anne Hj mā bô.
Don Tarquinio /tar.ki.ní.o/ sì-kha chhun ti̍t-ti̍t tó tī Persia tē-thán téng, chiò tī hóe-kng ē, oân-choân bô iàu-ì Anne Hj khó-lêng sim-chêng bô hó. I ê hiat-thóng kap he tē-thán lóng sī sûn-chiàⁿ ê Persia, i he phòng-phòng ê ām-kún mo͘ í-keng chìn-ji̍p kong-hui ê tē-jī ê tang-thiⁿ. Hun-lé ê hit-ê lé-seng, chi̍t-ê ū Bûn-gē Ho̍k-heng (Renaissance) khì-chit ê siàu-liân-ke, kā i hō-chò Don Tarquinio. Nā hō͘ in ka-tī koat-tēng, Egbert hām Anne Hj tiāⁿ-tio̍h ē kā kiò-chò Phòng-mô͘ (Fluff), m̄-koh in bô kò͘-chip.
Egbert ūi ka-tī thîn kóa tê. In-ūi Anne Hj khòaⁿ sī bô boeh phah-phòa tiām-chēng ê khoán-sè, i kek bân-phôe koh chò chi̍t-kái chhì-thàm.
"Góa chia̍h-tàu só͘ kóng ê ōe, sûn-jiân sī ha̍k-su̍t-sèng ê," i án-ne kóng; "lí ká-ná kā he khòaⁿ-chò siuⁿ tāng ê kò-jîn ì-gī."
Anne Hj pó-chhî yi tiām-chēng ê hông-ūi chiòng-gāi. Hit-chiah âng-pak phú-chhiok (bullfinch) tī tiām-chēng tang-tiong lán-lán kho͘ chhut Iphigenie en Tauride koa-kio̍k ê khek-tiāu. Egbert chi̍t-ē thiaⁿ tō jīn chhut-lâi, in-ūi hit-chiah chiáu kan-ta ē-hiáu kho͘ chit-ê tiāu, mā sī in-ūi i ū chit-ê kang-hu in chiah bé chit-chiah chiáu. Sui-bóng Egbert hām Anne Hj nn̄g-lâng khah kah-ì Yeomen of the Guard ê khek-tiāu, in-ūi he sī in kah-ì ê koa-kio̍k. Tī gē-su̍t hong-bīn, in ê phín-bī sio-kāng. In kah-ì gē-su̍t tang-tiong ê láu-si̍t, bêng-pe̍k, pí-lūn kóng, chi̍t-pak tô͘, kō͘ phiau-tê ê tāi-hong hia̍p-chō͘, kóng-chhut ka-tī ê kò͘-sū.
Chi̍t-phit bô khiâ-sū ê chiàn-bé, bé-kū bô kat hó-sè, phiân ji̍p móa-móa sī chùi kah pe̍h chhang-chhang hū-jîn lâng ê chhù-tiâⁿ, piⁿ-á kan-ta chù-kì "Pháiⁿ Siau-sit," ín-khí in ê sim-lāi chi̍t-ê bêng-khak ê kái-soeh: bó͘-chióng kun-sū chai-lān. In ē-tit liáu-kái, he boeh piáu-ta̍t ê ì-sù, tō kā soeh-bêng hō͘ tì-lêng khah hân-bān ê pêng-iú.
Tiām-chēng kè-sio̍k. Chiàu óng-lē, Anne Hj ê bô hoaⁿ-hí, tī chhím-thâu 4 hun-cheng ê tiām-chēng liáu-āu, yi tō ē khui-chhùi, koh chē ōe. Egbert the̍h-khí gû-leng-koàn, tò kóa gû-leng tī Don Tarquinio ê pôaⁿ-á; in-ūi pôaⁿ-á í-keng tīⁿ kàu kîⁿ, kiat-kó sī pháiⁿ-khòaⁿ ê móa kòe kîⁿ. Don Tarquinio khòaⁿ kah kiaⁿ koh kî, m̄-koh tán Egbert hiàm i lim he tīⁿ chhut-lâi ê mi̍h ê sî, i ê hèng-chhù kui-ê hoa khì, tō tèⁿ gōng-gōng. Don Tarquinio tī seng-oa̍h tiong ū chē-chē kak-sek, m̄-koh kî-tiong bô tē-thán chin-khong chheng-kiat-ki chit-ê kak-sek.
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1. 夫人看是無欲拍破恬靜
Egbert 來到光線暗昏 ê 大客廳, 心情 ná 像一个人無確定欲入去 ê 是粉鳥籠 a̍h 炸彈工場, 毋過伊已經準備好任何 ê 結局. Tī 食晝桌仔 ê 相觸喙猶未諍甲有明確 ê 結果, 問題在 tī Anne Hj* 有偌大 ê sim-chiâⁿ 欲 koh 觸落去 a̍h 是欲放棄 ah. 她坐 tī 茶桌仔邊交椅 ê 姿勢硬掙; tī 12 月下晡 ê 暗昏當中, Egbert ê 挾鼻目鏡並無實質幫伊看清她 ê 表情. [*Hj = 夫人]
為著拍破浮 tī 表面 ê 冰, 伊講起有關暗昏宗教燈光 ê 代誌. 伊 a̍h Anne Hj 慣勢 tī 寒天 a̍h 晏秋下晡 4:30 到 6:00 中間講起 chit-lō 話; 這 sī in 婚姻生活 ê 一部份. 這句話看是無人反駁, Anne Hj mā 無.
Don Tarquinio /tar.ki.ní.o/ 四跤伸直直倒 tī Persia 地毯頂, 照 tī 火光下, 完全無要意 Anne Hj 可能心情無好. 伊 ê 血統 kap he 地毯 lóng 是純正 ê Persia, 伊 he 膨膨 ê 頷頸毛已經進入光輝 ê 第二个冬天. 婚禮 ê 彼个禮生, 一个有文藝復興 (Renaissance) 氣質 ê 少年家, kā 伊號做 Don Tarquinio. 若予 in 家己決定, Egbert 和 Anne Hj 定著會 kā 叫做膨毛 (Fluff), 毋過 in 無固執.
Egbert 為家己 thîn 寡茶. 因為 Anne Hj 看是無欲拍破恬靜 ê 款勢, 伊激蠻皮 koh 做一改試探.
"我食晝所講 ê 話, 純然是學術性 ê," 伊 án-ne 講; "你敢若 kā 彼看做 siuⁿ 重 ê 個人意義."
Anne Hj 保持她恬靜 ê 防衛障礙. 彼隻紅腹殕雀 (bullfinch) tī 恬靜當中懶懶 kho͘ 出 Iphigenie en Tauride 歌劇 ê 曲調. Egbert 一下聽 tō 認出來, 因為彼隻鳥干焦會曉 kho͘ 這个調, mā 是因為伊有這个功夫 in 才買這隻鳥. 雖罔 Egbert 和 Anne Hj 兩人較佮意 Yeomen of the Guard ê 曲調, 因為彼是 in 佮意 ê 歌劇. Tī 藝術方面, in ê 品味相仝. In 佮意藝術當中 ê 老實, 明白, 比論講, 一幅圖, kō͘ 標題 ê 大方協助, 講出家己 ê 故事.
一匹無騎士 ê 戰馬, 馬具無 kat 好勢, 蹁入滿滿是醉甲白蔥蔥婦人 lâng ê 厝埕, 邊仔干焦註記 "歹消息," 引起 in ê 心內一个明確 ê 解說: 某種軍事災難. In 會得了解, he 欲表達 ê 意思, tō kā 說明予智能較頇顢 ê 朋友.
恬靜繼續. 照往例, Anne Hj ê 無歡喜, tī 寢頭 4 分鐘 ê 恬靜了後, 她 tō 會開喙, koh 濟話. Egbert 提起牛奶罐, 倒寡牛奶 tī Don Tarquinio ê 盤仔; 因為盤仔已經滇到墘, 結果是歹看 ê 滿過墘. Don Tarquinio 看甲驚 koh 奇, 毋過等 Egbert hiàm 伊啉 he 滇出來 ê mi̍h ê 時, 伊 ê 興趣規个 hoa 去, tō tèⁿ 戇戇. Don Tarquinio tī 生活中有濟濟角色, 毋過其中無地毯真空清潔機這个角色.
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1.
Egbert came into the large, dimly lit drawing-room with the air of a man who is not certain whether he is entering a dovecote or a bomb factory, and is prepared for either eventuality. The little domestic quarrel over the luncheon-table had not been fought to a definite finish, and the question was how far Lady Anne was in a mood to renew or forgo hostilities. Her pose in the arm-chair by the tea-table was rather elaborately rigid; in the gloom of a December afternoon Egbert's pince-nez did not materially help him to discern the expression of her face.
By way of breaking whatever ice might be floating on the surface he made a remark about a dim religious light. He or Lady Anne were accustomed to make that remark between 4.30 and 6 on winter and late autumn evenings; it was a part of their married life. There was no recognised rejoinder to it, and Lady Anne made none.
Don Tarquinio lay astretch on the Persian rug, basking in the firelight with superb indifference to the possible ill-humour of Lady Anne. His pedigree was as flawlessly Persian as the rug, and his ruff was coming into the glory of its second winter. The page-boy, who had Renaissance tendencies, had christened him Don Tarquinio. Left to themselves, Egbert and Lady Anne would unfailingly have called him Fluff, but they were not obstinate.
Egbert poured himself out some tea. As the silence gave no sign of breaking on Lady Anne's initiative, he braced himself for another Yermak effort.
"My remark at lunch had a purely academic application," he announced; "you seem to put an unnecessarily personal significance into it."
Lady Anne maintained her defensive barrier of silence. The bullfinch lazily filled in the interval with an air from Iphigenie en Tauride. Egbert recognised it immediately, because it was the only air the bullfinch whistled, and he had come to them with the reputation for whistling it. Both Egbert and Lady Anne would have preferred something from The Yeomen of the Guard, which was their favourite opera. In matters artistic they had a similarity of taste. They leaned towards the honest and explicit in art, a picture, for instance, that told its own story, with generous assistance from its title. A riderless warhorse with harness in obvious disarray, staggering into a courtyard full of pale swooning women, and marginally noted "Bad News", suggested to their minds a distinct interpretation of some military catastrophe. They could see what it was meant to convey, and explain it to friends of duller intelligence.
The silence continued. As a rule Lady Anne's displeasure became articulate and markedly voluble after four minutes of introductory muteness. Egbert seized the milkjug and poured some of its contents into Don Tarquinio's saucer; as the saucer was already full to the brim an unsightly overflow was the result. Don Tarquinio looked on with a surprised interest that evanesced into elaborate unconsciousness when he was appealed to by Egbert to come and drink up some of the spilt matter. Don Tarquinio was prepared to play many roles in life, but a vacuum carpet-cleaner was not one of them.
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