A Letter to God /by Gregorio Lopez y Fuentes /Eng tran. Donald A. Yates
http://lstc-learning-shortstories.blogspot.com/2008/03/letter-to-god.html
Hō͘ Thiⁿ-kong ê Phe | 予天公 ê 批
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1. Peng-pha̍uh liáu, siáⁿ to bô lâu lo̍h-lâi
Chit-keng chhù sī kui-ê soaⁿ-kok ûi-it ê chhù, khiā tī kē-soaⁿ téng-bīn. Ùi chit-ê koân-tō͘, ē-tit khòaⁿ tio̍h khe, koh tī ûi thâu-seⁿ ê lân-kan piⁿ, ū kui-phiàn kàu-hun ê hoan-be̍h hn̂g, kòa chi̍t-tiám chi̍t-tiám ê io-chí tāu-á (kidney bean) hoe, he chóng-sī chin hó siu-sêng.
Thó͘-tē ûi-it su-iàu ê, tō sī chi̍t-chūn tōa-hō͘, a̍h sī siōng-bô mā sió lo̍h chi̍t-ē. Lencho chiâⁿ liáu-kái i ê chhân-hn̂g, kui chá-khí, i siáⁿ to bô chò, kan-ta ǹg tang-pak hiòng khòaⁿ thiⁿ.
"Taⁿ, lán chèng-keng tit-boeh ū kóa hō͘-chúi ah, cha-bó͘."
Hit-ê cha-bó͘, tng-teh khoán àm-tǹg, án-ne kā ìn: "Sī lah, Thiⁿ-kong chin hó-sim."
Tōa-hàn cha-po͘ gín-á lóng tī hn̂g nih chò-sit, khah sè-hàn ê tī chhù hū-kīn sńg, it-ti̍t kàu cha-bó͘-lâng kiò in: "Tńg-lâi chia̍h-pn̄g oh..."
Tng-teh chia̍h-pn̄g ê sî, tō ná-chhiūⁿ Lencho só͘ ī-chhek ê, tōa-lia̍p hō͘ khai-sí lo̍h. Tī tang-pak hiòng, ū khòaⁿ-e ná tōa-soaⁿ ê hûn teh óa lâi. Khong-khì chhiⁿ koh tiⁿ.
Hit-lâng khì ûi thâu-seⁿ ê só͘-chāi khòaⁿ-khòaⁿ leh, bô pa̍t-hāng, put-kò sī boeh kám-kak hō͘-chúi ak tī sin-khu ê sóng-khoài, tán i tńg-lâi ê sî, i hoah kóng: "he m̄-sī thiⁿ-téng lâi ê hō͘ tiám, he sī sin ê gîn-kak-á. Tōa ê sī chi̍t-kho͘, sè ê sī gō͘-kak..."
I kō͘ boán-chiok ê piáu-chêng khòaⁿ he kàu-hun hoan-be̍h kòa io-chí tāu-á hoe ê chhân-hn̂g, tī pe̍h phú-phú ê hō͘-lî tang-tiong. M̄-koh, hut-jiân-kan khí chi̍t-chūn tōa hong. Che koh-khah sêng sī sin gîn-kak-á. Cha-po͘ gín-á cháu chhut-khì tī hō͘ tiong, khì siu-chi̍p kiat-peng ê chin-chu.
"Taⁿ, tāi-chì piàn bái ah," hit-lâng hoah kóng, kám-kak bô bīn-chú. "Góa hi-bāng che kín kòe."
He bô chin kín kòe. Chiok-chiok chi̍t tiám-cheng, peng-pha̍uh lo̍h tī chhù, tī hoe-hn̂g, tī soaⁿ-piⁿ, tī hoan-be̍h hn̂g, tī kui-ê soaⁿ-kok. Chhân-tē chi̍t-phiàn pe̍h, be-su khàm iâm. Chhiū-ki lóng bô hio̍h. Hoan-be̍h oân-choân phò-hāi. Io-chí tāu ê hoe lak kah bô pòaⁿ lúi. Lencho ê lêng-hûn chhiong-móa pi-siong. Tán hong-hō͘ kòe ê sî, i khiā tī chhân-hn̂g tiong-ng, kā chiòng hāu-seⁿ kóng: "Tú-tio̍h chháu-meh che, chhun lo̍h-lâi ê mā pí che khah chē... peng-pha̍uh siáⁿ to bô lâu lo̍h-lâi: kin-nî lán chiong bô hoan-be̍h, mā bô tāu-á..."
Hit-àm sī pi-siong ê àm-mê: "Lán it-chhè ê phah-piàⁿ, lóng pe̍h liáu-kang!"
"Bô lâng ē-tàng kā lán pang-chān!"
M̄-koh, tī soaⁿ-kok ê chit-keng to̍k chhù lāi-bīn, múi chi̍t-lâng ê sim-koaⁿ té, ū chi̍t-ê ûi-it ê hi-bāng: Thiⁿ-kong ê pang-chān.
"Sui-bóng, khòaⁿ khí-lâi sī oân-choân ê sún-sit, lán m̄-thang hiah sit-chì. Kì hō͘ tiâu, bô lâng ē iau sí!"
"Lâng-lâng lóng án-ne kóng: bô lâng ē iau sí..."
Kui-mê, Lencho kan-ta teh siūⁿ i hit-ki tî-thâu: Thiⁿ-kong ē pang-chān, i-chiáu i chū-lâi tit-tio̍h ê kà-sī, Thiⁿ-kong ū ba̍k-chiu, siáⁿ to khòaⁿ ē-tio̍h, sīm-chì khòaⁿ tio̍h lán chhim-chhim ê liông-sim.
Lencho m̄-kiaⁿ chia̍h-khó͘, tī hn̂g nih i chò kah ná gû, m̄-koh i mā ē-hiáu siá-jī. Kàu lé-pài hit-kang, thiⁿ tú kng, i soeh-ho̍k ka-tī, siong-sìn ū sîn ē pó-pì, i tō khai-sí siá chi̍t-tiuⁿ phe, boeh chhin-sin chah khì siâⁿ lāi, kià iû-piān.
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1. 冰雹了, 啥 to 無留落來
這間厝是規个山谷唯一 ê 厝, 徛 tī 低山頂面. Ùi 這个懸度, 會得看著溪, koh tī 圍頭牲 ê 欄杆邊, 有規遍夠分 ê 番麥園, 掛一點一點 ê 腰子豆仔 (kidney bean) 花, 彼總是真好收成.
土地唯一需要 ê, tō 是一陣大雨, a̍h 是上無 mā 小落一下. Lencho 誠了解伊 ê 田園, 規早起, 伊啥 to 無做, 干焦 ǹg 東北向看天.
"今, 咱正經得欲有寡雨水 ah, 查某."
彼个查某, tng-teh 款暗頓, án-ne kā 應: "是 lah, 天公真好心."
大漢查埔囡仔 lóng tī 園 nih 做穡, 較細漢 ê tī 厝附近耍, 一直到查某人叫 in: "轉來食飯 oh..."
Tng-teh 食飯 ê 時, tō ná 像 Lencho 所預測 ê, 大粒雨開始落. Tī 東北向, 有看 e ná 大山 ê 雲 teh 倚 lâi. 空氣鮮 koh 甜.
彼人去圍頭牲 ê 所在看看 leh, 無別項, 不過是欲感覺雨水沃 tī 身軀 ê 爽快, 等伊轉來 ê 時, 伊喝講: "彼毋是天頂來 ê 雨點, 彼是新 ê 銀角仔. 大 ê 是一箍, 細 ê 是五角..."
伊 kō͘ 滿足 ê 表情看 he 夠分番麥掛腰子豆仔花 ê 田園, tī 白殕殕 ê 雨簾當中. 毋過, 忽然間起一陣大風. 這閣較成是新銀角仔. 查埔囡仔走出去 tī 雨中, 去收集結冰 ê 真珠.
"今, 代誌變䆀 ah," 彼人喝講, 感覺無面子. "我希望這緊過."
彼無真緊過. 足足一點鐘, 冰雹落 tī 厝, tī 花園, tī 山邊, tī 番麥園, tī 規个山谷. 田地一遍白, 袂輸崁鹽. 樹枝 lóng 無葉. 番麥完全破害. 腰子豆 ê 花 lak kah 無半蕊. Lencho ê 靈魂充滿悲傷. 等風雨過 ê 時, 伊徛 tī 田園中央, kā 眾後生講: "拄著草蜢災, 賰 lo̍h-lâi ê mā 比這較濟... 冰雹啥 to 無留 lo̍h-lâi: 今年咱將無番麥, mā 無豆仔..."
彼暗是悲傷 ê 暗暝: "咱一切 ê 拍拚, lóng 白了工!"
"無人會當 kā 咱幫贊!"
毋過, tī 山谷 ê 這間獨厝內面, 每一人 ê 心肝底, 有一个唯一 ê 希望: 天公 ê 幫贊.
"雖罔, 看 khí-lâi 是完全 ê 損失, 咱毋通 hiah 失志. 記予牢, 無人會枵死!"
"人人 lóng án-ne 講: 無人會枵死..."
規暝, Lencho 干焦 teh 想伊彼支鋤頭: 天公會幫贊, 依照伊自來得 tio̍h ê 教示, 天公有目睭, 啥 to 看會著, 甚至看著咱深深 ê 良心.
Lencho 毋驚食苦, tī 園 nih 伊做 kah ná 牛, 毋過伊 mā 會曉寫字. 到禮拜彼工, 天拄光, 伊說服家己, 相信有神會保庇, 伊 tō 開始寫一張批, 欲親身扎去城內, 寄郵便.
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1.
The house – the only one in the entire valley – sat on the crest of a low hill. From this height one could see the river and, next to the corral, the field of ripe corn dotted with the kidney bean flowers that always promised a good harvest.
The only thing the earth needed was a rainfall, or at least a shower. Throughout the morning Lencho – who knew his fields intimately – had done nothing else but scan the sky toward the northeast.
“Now we’re really going to get some water, woman.”
The woman, who was preparing supper, replied: “Yes, God willing.”
The oldest boys were working in the field, while the smaller ones were playing near the house, until the woman called to them all: “Come for dinner…”
It was during the meal that, just as Lencho had predicted, big drips of rain began to fall. In the northeast huge mountains of clouds could be seen approaching. The air was fresh and sweet.
The man went out to look for something in the corral for no other reason than to allow himself the pleasure of feeling the rain on his body, and when he returned he exclaimed: “those aren’t raindrops falling from the sky, they’re new coins. The big drops are ten-centavo pieces and the little ones are fives…”
With a satisfied expression he regarded the field of ripe corn with its kidney bean flowers, draped in a curtain of rain. But suddenly a strong wind began to fall. These truly did resemble new silver coins. The boys, exposing themselves to the rain, ran out to collect the frozen pearls.
“It’s really getting bad now,” exclaimed the man, mortified. “I hope it passes quickly.”
It did not pass quickly. For an hour the hail rained on the house, the garden, the hillside, the cornfield, on the whole valley. The field was white, as if covered with salt. Not a leaf remained on the trees. The corn was totally destroyed. The flowers were gone from the kidney bean plants. Lencho’s soul was filled with sadness. When the storm had passed, he stood in the middle of the field and said to his sons: “A plague of locusts would have left more than this… the hail has left nothing: this year we will have no corn or beans…”
That night was a sorrowful one: “All our work, for nothing!”
“There’s no one who can help us!”
But in the hearts of all who lived in that solitary house in the middle of the valley, there was a single hope: help from God.
“Don’t be so upset, even though this seems like a total loss. Remember, no one dies of hunger!”
“That’s what they say: no one dies of hunger….”
All through the night, Lencho thought only of his one hoe: the help of God, whose eyes, as he had been instructed, see everything, even what is deep in one’s conscience.
Lencho was an ox of a man, working like an animal in the fields, but still he knew how to write. The following Sunday, at day break, after having convinced himself that there is a protecting spirit, he bgan to write a letter which he himself would carry to town and place in the mail.
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