Luck /by Mark Twain
http://www.classicshorts.com/stories/luck.html
Ūn-khì | 運氣
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1. Hián-jiân, i kan-ta sī khò kî-chek
He sī tī London ê chi̍t-ê iàn-hōe, sī kō͘ chit sè-tāi nn̄g/saⁿ ūi miâ-siaⁿ hián-hek ê Eng-kok kun-jîn kî-tiong chi̍t-lâng ê miâ-gī kí-pān ê. Ūi tio̍h bó͘-chióng liâm-mi chiah kóng ê lí-iû, góa tī chia m̄ thê-khí i ê chin-si̍t miâ-sèⁿ hām thâu-hâm, tō kiò i Arthur Scoresby Tiong-chiòng Koh-hā, V.C., K.C.B., tt (téng-téng), tt. Chhut-miâ ê miâ si̍t-chāi chiâⁿ bê-lâng! Hit-lâng ê bah-sin taⁿ chē tī hia, i ê miâ, góa í-keng thiaⁿ kòe kúi-nā chheng pái, he sī chū 30 nî chêng, i ê miâ hut-jiân ùi Crimea chiàn-tiûⁿ peh-chhiūⁿ thiⁿ, koh éng-oán siū tio̍h o-ló. Chiū góa lâi kóng, ím-si̍t tō sī khòaⁿ, khòaⁿ, koh khòaⁿ hit-ê pòaⁿ-sîn; kā lió, kā chîn, kā siòng: i ê piáu-chêng tiām-chēng, pó-siú, chong-giâm; kui-sin hián-chhut tan-sûn tiong-hō͘; tùi pún-sin úi-tāi oán-jiân bô ì-sek -- bô ì-sek kúi pah-lúi him-siān ê ba̍k-chiu lia̍h i khòaⁿ, bô ì-sek hiah-ê lâng ùi sim-lāi ek-chhut koh lâu hiòng i ê chhim-tîm, tah-sim, koh khiân-sêng ê chông-pài.
Tī góa tò-pêng hit-ê bo̍k-su sī góa ê lāu sio-bat -- taⁿ sī bo̍k-su, m̄-koh i ê chêng pòaⁿ sì-lâng sī seng-oa̍h tī kun-iâⁿ hām chiàn-tiûⁿ, bat tī Woolwich ê kun-sū ha̍k-hāu chò kàu-koaⁿ. Tī góa kóng-khí ê hit-sî, i hián-chhut am-iap koh koài-kî ê gán-sîn, àⁿ-sin lo̍h-lâi, su-té hā khin-siaⁿ tùi góa kóng -- chò chi̍t-ê chhiú-sè kí iàn-hōe tiong ê hit-ê eng-hiông:
"Su-té hā lâi kóng -- i choat-tùi sī chi̍t-ê gōng-tai."
Chit-ê lūn-tiám hō͘ góa tio̍h chi̍t-kiaⁿ. Ká-sú he chú-kak ōaⁿ-chò sī Napoleon, a̍h Scrates, a̍h Solomon, góa ê tio̍h-kiaⁿ khó-lêng mā bē khah tōa. Nn̄g-hāng tāi-chì góa chin chheng-chhó͘: Bo̍k-su sī chi̍t-ê giâm-keh tiong-si̍t ê lâng, i tùi lâng ū chin hó ê phòaⁿ-toàn. Só͘-í, góa chai-iáⁿ, bián hoâi-gî mā bô būn-tê, sè-kài tùi chit-ê lâng ê khòaⁿ-hoat ū chhò-gō͘. Chū án-ne, góa àn-sǹg boeh chhōe sek-ha̍p ê sî-ki, chhéng-kàu Bo̍k-su, i sī chóaⁿ-iūⁿ tan-to̍k hoat-hiān chit-ê pì-bi̍t.
Kúi-kang liáu-āu, ki-hoe lâi ah, ē-bīn tō sī Bo̍k-su kā góa kóng ê.
Tāi-iok 40 nî chêng, góa tī Woolwich ê kun-hāu tam-jīm kàu-koaⁿ. Siàu-liân Scoresby chiap-siū chho͘-kip khó-chhì ê sî, góa ū chham-ú kî-tiong ê chi̍t-ê pō͘-hūn. Góa tông-chêng kah kám-kak khó-liân; in-ūi kāng-pan ê kî-thaⁿ tông-ha̍k hôe-tap lóng chin hó, chin súi-khùi, iá i neh -- sī án-chóaⁿ, thiⁿ ah, i siáⁿ to bē-hiáu, ē-sái án-ne kóng. I ê lâng hián-jiân sī siān-liông, tah-sim, khó-ài, tan-sûn; só͘-tì, si̍t-chāi ū-kàu kan-khó͘, khòaⁿ i ná-chhiūⁿ tiau-siōng án-ne pêng-chēng khiā tī hia, kóng-chhut kin-pún sī gû-gōng koh bû-ti ê kî-chek tap-àn. Góa ūi i sán-seng tông-chêng sim. Góa tùi ka-tī kóng, koh-chài chiap-siū khó-giām ê sî, i tiāⁿ-tio̍h bē thong-kòe; só͘-í góa chò chi̍t-ê bô hāi ê siān-sū, chīn-liōng hō͘ i mài poa̍h-tó kah siuⁿ chia̍h-la̍t. Góa khiú i kàu piⁿ-á, hoat-hiān i sió-khóa chai-iáⁿ Caesar ê le̍k-sú; iū-koh in-ūi i tùi kî-thaⁿ tāi-chì lóng m̄-chai, góa tō khai-kang, ná-chhiūⁿ tùi chûn-téng ê lô͘-lē án-ne, kō͘ góa chai ē iōng-tio̍h ê, chi̍t hē-lia̍t iú-koan Caesar ê tê-khò͘, kā i hùn-liān. Lí nā khéng siong-sìn góa, i tī khó-chhì hit-kang i koân-hun thong-kòe! I ê thong-kòe, sûn-jiân sī in-ūi hit-ê piáu-bīn ê "pó͘-si̍p," koh tit-tio̍h o-ló, iá hiah-ê ke i chai chheng-pōe ê kî-thaⁿ lâng, soah hông tô-thài. Kō͘ chit-chióng koài-kî ê ì-gōa hó-ūn -- pah-nî lāi bô nn̄g-pái ê ì-gōa -- i bô tú tio̍h e̍h-e̍h ê hùn-liān hoān-ûi í-gōa ê būn-tê.
Che chin-chiàⁿ hō͘ lâng oh siong-sìn. Hmh, chi̍t-lō͘ góa lóng khiā tī i sin-piⁿ, kō͘ chi̍t-chióng lāu-bú tùi pái-kha kiáⁿ ê sim-chêng; iá i chóng-sī ē-tit chín-kiù ka-tī -- hián-jiân, kan-ta khò kî-chek.
Tong-jiân, chòe-āu ē po̍k-lō͘ koh thâi-sí i ê mi̍h-kiāⁿ sī sò͘-ha̍k. Góa koat-sim chīn-liōng hō͘ i khah hó-sí; só͘-í góa kā i hùn-liān koh pó͘-si̍p, koh kā i pó͘-si̍p koh hùn-liān, kan-ta kō͘ khó-chhì-koaⁿ siōng khó-lêng chhut ê hē-lia̍t būn-tê, koh-lâi tō sàng i chiūⁿ miā-ūn ê tō-lō͘. Hmh, sian-siⁿ, kiat-kó lí siūⁿ khòaⁿ-māi: hō͘ góa tōa-tōa tio̍h-kiaⁿ, i tit-tio̍h tē-it miâ! In-ūi he, i koh tit-tio̍h chòe-koân pho̍k-á siaⁿ ê o-ló.
Hó-khùn bô? Góa ū chi̍t lé-pài khùn bē-khì. Góa ê liông-sim ji̍t-iā chiat-bôa góa. Góa só͘ chò ê, sûn-jiân sī siān-sū, chí-sī boeh hō͘ chit-ê khó-liân ê siàu-liân-ke mài poa̍h-tó kah siuⁿ chia̍h-la̍t -- góa chiông-lâi m̄-bat bîn-bāng ē hoat-seng chit-khoán hàm-kó͘ ê kiat-kó. Góa kám-kak ná-chhiūⁿ Frankenstein chhòng-chō chiá hiah chōe-kò koh pi-ai. I sī chi̍t-ê chhâ-thâu lâng, hō͘ góa sak-chhiūⁿ kim sih-sih ê thê-seng kap tiōng-tāi chek-jīm ê tō-lō͘, kan-ta chi̍t-hāng tāi-chì ē hoat-seng: i pún-lâng hām i ê chek-jīm, sûi-sî to khó-lêng ē tâng-chê húi-bia̍t.
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1. 顯然, 伊干焦是靠奇蹟
彼是 tī London ê 一个宴會, 是 kō͘ 這世代兩三位名聲顯赫 ê 英國軍人其中一人 ê 名義舉辦 ê. 為著某種 liâm-mi 才講 ê 理由, 我 tī chia 毋提起伊 ê 真實名姓和頭銜, tō 叫伊 Arthur Scoresby 中將閣下, V.C., K.C.B., tt (等等), tt. 出名 ê 名實在誠迷人! 彼人 ê 肉身今坐 tī hia, 伊 ê 名, 我已經聽過幾若千擺, 彼是自 30 年前, 伊 ê 名忽然 ùi Crimea 戰場 peh 上天, koh 永遠受著 o-ló. 就我來講, 飲食 tō 是看, 看, koh 看彼个半神; kā 瞭, kā chîn, kā 相: 伊 ê 表情恬靜, 保守, 莊嚴; 規身顯出單純忠厚; 對本身偉大宛然無意識 -- 無意識幾百蕊欣羨 ê 目睭掠伊看, 無意識 hiah-ê 人 ùi 心內溢出 koh 流向伊 ê 深沉, 搭心, koh 虔誠 ê 崇拜.
Tī 我倒爿彼个牧師是我 ê 老相捌 -- 今是牧師, 毋過伊 ê 前半世人是生活 tī 軍營和戰場, bat tī Woolwich ê 軍事學校做教官. Tī 我講起 ê 彼時, 伊顯出掩揜 koh 怪奇 ê 眼神, àⁿ 身落來, 私底下輕聲對我講 -- 做一个手勢指宴會中 ê 彼个英雄:
"私底下來講 -- 伊絕對是一个戇呆."
這个論點予我著一驚. 假使 he 主角換做是 Napoleon, a̍h Scrates, a̍h Solomon, 我 ê 著驚可能 mā 袂較大. 兩項代誌我真清楚: 牧師是一个嚴格忠實 ê 人, 伊對人有真好 ê 判斷. 所以, 我知影, 免懷疑 mā 無問題, 世界對這个人 ê 看法有錯誤. 自 án-ne, 我按算欲揣適合 ê 時機, 請教牧師, 伊是怎樣單獨發現這个祕密.
幾工了後, 機會來 ah, 下面 tō 是牧師 kā 我講 ê.
大約 40 年前, 我 tī Woolwich ê 軍校擔任教官. 少年 Scoresby 接受初級考試 ê 時, 我有參與其中 ê 一个部份. 我同情甲感覺可憐; 因為仝班 ê 其他同學回答 lóng 真好, 真媠氣, iá 伊 neh -- 是按怎, 天 ah, 伊啥 to 袂曉, 會使 án-ne 講. 伊 ê 人顯然是善良, 搭心, 可愛, 單純; 所致, 實在有夠艱苦, 看伊 ná 像雕像 án-ne 平靜徛 tī hia, 講出根本是愚戇 koh 無知 ê 奇蹟答案. 我為伊產生同情心. 我對家己講, 閣再接受考驗 ê 時, 伊定著袂通過; 所以我做一个無害 ê 善事, 盡量予伊莫跋倒甲 siuⁿ 食力. 我搝伊到邊仔, 發現伊小可知影 Caesar ê 歷史; 又閣因為伊對其他代誌 lóng 毋知, 我 tō 開工, ná 像對船頂 ê 奴隸 án-ne, kō͘ 我知會用著 ê, 一系列有關 Caesar ê 題庫, kā 伊訓練. 你若肯相信我, 伊 tī 考試彼工伊懸分通過! 伊 ê 通過, 純然是因為彼个表面 ê "補習," koh 得著 o-ló, iá hiah-ê 加伊知千倍 ê 其他人, 煞 hông 淘汰. Kō͘ 這種怪奇 ê 意外好運 -- 百年內無兩擺 ê 意外 -- 伊無拄著狹狹 ê 訓練範圍以外 ê 問題.
這真正予人僫相信. Hmh, 一路我 lóng 徛 tī 伊身邊, kō͘ 一種老母對跛跤囝 ê 心情; iá 伊總是會得拯救家己 -- 顯然, 干焦靠奇蹟.
當然, 最後會暴露 koh 刣死伊 ê 物件是數學. 我決心盡量予伊較好死; 所以我 kā 伊訓練 koh 補習, koh kā 伊補習 koh 訓練, 干焦 kō͘ 考試官上可能出 ê 系列問題, 閣來 tō 送伊上命運 ê 道路. Hmh, 先生, 結果你想看覓: 予我大大著驚, 伊得著第一名! 因為 he, 伊 koh 得著最懸噗仔聲 ê o-ló.
好睏無? 我有一禮拜睏袂去. 我 ê 良心日夜折磨我. 我所做 ê, 純然是善事, 只是欲予這个可憐 ê 少年家莫跋倒甲 siuⁿ 食力 -- 我從來毋捌眠夢會發生這款譀古 ê 結果. 我感覺 ná 像 Frankenstein 創造者 hiah 罪過 koh 悲哀. 伊是一个柴頭人, 予我捒上金 sih-sih ê 提升 kap 重大責任 ê 道路, 干焦一項代誌會發生: 伊本人和伊 ê 責任, 隨時 to 可能會同齊毀滅.
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1.
It was at a banquet in London in honor of one of the two or three conspicuously illustrious English military names of this generation. For reasons which will presently appear, I will withhold his real name and titles, and call him Lieutenant General Lord Arthur Scoresby, V.C., K.C.B., etc., etc., etc. What a fascination there is in a renowned name! There sat the man, in actual flesh, whom I had heard of so many thousands of times since that day, thirty years before, when his name shot suddenly to the zenith from a Crimean battlefield, to remain forever celebrated. It was food and drink to me to look, and look, and look at that demigod; scanning, searching, noting: the quietness, the reserve, the noble gravity of his countenance; the simple honesty that expressed itself all over him; the sweet unconsciousness of his greatness—unconsciousness of the hundreds of admiring eyes fastened upon him, unconsciousness of the deep, loving, sincere worship welling out of the breasts of those people and flowing toward him.
The clergyman at my left was an old acquaintance of mine—clergyman now, but had spent the first half of his life in the camp and field, and as an instructor in the military school at Woolwich. Just at the moment I have been talking about, a veiled and singular light glimmered in his eyes, and he leaned down and muttered confidentially to me—indicating the hero of the banquet with a gesture:
"Privately—he's an absolute fool."
This verdict was a great surprise to me. If its subject had been Napoleon, or Socrates, or Solomon, my astonishment could not have been greater. Two things I was well aware of: that the Reverend was a man of strict veracity, and that his judgement of men was good. Therefore I knew, beyond doubt or question, that the world was mistaken about this hero: he was a fool. So I meant to find out, at a convenient moment, how the Reverend, all solitary and alone, had discovered the secret.
Some days later the opportunity came, and this is what the Reverend told me.
About forty years ago I was an instructor in the military academy at Woolwich. I was present in one of the sections when young Scoresby underwent his preliminary examination. I was touched to the quick with pity; for the rest of the class answered up brightly and handsomely, while he—why, dear me, he didn't know anything, so to speak. He was evidently good, and sweet, and lovable, and guileless; and so it was exceedingly painful to see him stand there, as serene as a graven image, and deliver himself of answers which were veritably miraculous for stupidity and ignorance. All the compassion in me was aroused in his behalf. I said to myself, when he comes to be examined again, he will be flung over, of course; so it will be simply a harmless act of charity to ease his fall as much as I can. I took him aside, and found that he knew a little of Cæsar's history; and as he didn't know anything else, I went to work and drilled him like a galley slave on a certain line of stock questions concerning Cæsar which I knew would be used. If you'll believe me, he went through with flying colors on examination day! He went through on that purely superficial "cram," and got compliments too, while others, who knew a thousand times more than he, got plucked. By some strangely lucky accident—an accident not likely to happen twice in a century—he was asked no question outside of the narrow limits of his drill.
It was stupefying. Well, all through his course I stood by him, with something of the sentiment which a mother feels for a crippled child; and he always saved himself—just by miracle, apparently.
Now of course the thing that would expose him and kill him at last was mathematics. I resolved to make his death as easy as I could; so I drilled him and crammed him, and crammed him and drilled him, just on the line of questions which the examiners would be most likely to use, and then launching him on his fate. Well, sir, try to conceive of the result: to my consternation, he took the first prize! And with it he got a perfect ovation in the way of compliments.
Sleep? There was no more sleep for me for a week. My conscience tortured me day and night. What I had done I had done purely through charity, and only to ease the poor youth's fall—I never had dreamed of any such preposterous result as the thing that had happened. I felt as guilty and miserable as the creator of Frankenstein. Here was a woodenhead whom I had put in the way of glittering promotions and prodigious responsibilities, and but one thing could happen: he and his responsibilities would all go to ruin together at the first opportunity.
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