If Not Higher /by I.L. Peretz /trans Ruth Wisse
https://joewolfson.files.wordpress.com/2014/10/i-l-peretz-if-not-higher.pdf
Siōng-bô Ū Hiah Koân | 上無有遐懸
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1. Rabbi chóng-sī siau-sit khì
Múi-kái pài-gō͘ thàu-chá, tī Chhàm-hóe Kî-tó ê sî, Nemirov rabbi* chóng-sī siau-sit khì. [* rabbi: Iû-thài Kàu ê hoat-su]
I bô khòaⁿ-e iáⁿ -- bô tī Iû-thài kàu-tn̂g, bô tī nn̄g-ê ha̍k-si̍p keng, mā bô tī kî-tó hōe. I tong-jiân mā bô tī chhù. I ê mn̂g khui-khui: jīm-hô lâng to ē-tàng chhut-ji̍p; bô-lâng ē thau-the̍h rabbi ê mi̍h-kiāⁿ. M̄-koh, lāi-té bô jīm-hô oa̍h-bu̍t-á.
Rabbi ū khó-lêng khì tó-ūi neh? I eng-kai tī tó-ūi ah? Tiāⁿ-tio̍h sī, tī thian-tn̂g lah. Tī Kèng-ùi Ji̍t (Days of Awe) chìn-chêng, rabbi ū chē-chē tāi-chì tio̍h chhú-lí. Iû-thài lâng, siū-tio̍h Sîn ê pì-iū, su-iàu seng-oa̍h, hô-pêng, khong-kiān, hām hó in-iân.
In boeh ài khiân-sêng hām siān-liông, m̄-koh lán ê chōe-gia̍t siuⁿ tōa, chhian-lí-gán Satan ùi chit-thâu kàu hit-thâu kàm-sī kui-ê tē-kiû. I pò-kò só͘ khòaⁿ-tio̍h ê it-chhè; i khián-chek, i thong-ti.
Nā m̄-sī rabbi, siáng ē-tàng pang-chō͘ lán! Che tō sī lâng-lâng ê siūⁿ-hoat.
M̄-koh ū chi̍t-pái, chi̍t-ê Litvak* lâi, i chhiò chhut-lâi. Lí chai Litvak lah. In bô teh siūⁿ sèng-chheh, kan-ta kā ka-tī that tīⁿ "Talmud" [Keng-chheh] hām lu̍t-hoat. Só͘-í, chit-ê Litvak kí "Gamara" keng-chheh lāi-bīn ê chi̍t-kù -- hō͘ li khòaⁿ bêng-bêng -- hia sī án-ne siá: sīm-chì lán Su-hū Moses it-seng tiong mā bô chhiūⁿ kàu thian-tông, kan-ta thêng-liû tī ē-bīn 2-chhioh-pòaⁿ hit-ê ūi. Khì hām Litvak sio-chèⁿ! Nā án-ne, rabbi khì tó-ūi ah? [* Litvak: chhut-sin tī Lithuvania ê Iû-thài lâng]
"He bô góa ê tāi-chì," Litvak keng-thâu giâ chi̍t-ē, án-ne kóng. M̄-koh, kui-ê sî-chūn -- Litvak án-chóaⁿ chò ah! -- i it-tit teh kè-bô͘ boeh chhōe chhut tap-àn.
Kāng hit-àm, tī àm-sî kî-tó liáu-āu, Litvak thau-thau chìn-ji̍p rabbi ê pâng-keng, liu-kàu rabbi ê bîn-chhn̂g kha, tī hia tán. I boeh kò͘ kui-mê, boeh hoat-hiān i sit-chong tī tó-ūi khì, Chhàm-hóe Kî-tó ê sî, i teh chhòng-siáⁿ. Nā sī pa̍t-lâng, khó-lêng í-keng teh tuh-ku koh khùn khì, m̄-koh Litvak chóng-sī bē gō͘-sū; i àm-liām kui-pún "Talmud" ê lāi-iông. Thiⁿ phú-kng ê sî, i thiaⁿ tio̍h chio-ho͘ khì kî-tó ê kiò-siaⁿ.
Rabbi í-keng chhéⁿ chin kú ah. Litvak í-keng thiaⁿ i kui tiám-cheng ê haiⁿ-siaⁿ.
Thiaⁿ kòe Nemirov rabbi haiⁿ ê lâng lóng chai, múi chi̍t-ê haiⁿ-siaⁿ pau-hâm tùi só͘-ū Israel /iz.rel/ lâng gōa-chē ê pi-siong, gōa-chē ê thòng-khó͘. Thiaⁿ tio̍h he, hō͘ lâng khó-lêng sim-chhùi. M̄-koh, Litvak sī thih chò ê; i thiaⁿ tio̍h, iáu-sī lâu tī goân-ūi. Rabbi -- hi-bāng i tn̂g hòe-siū -- tó tī bîn-chhn̂g, iá Litvak sī tī bîn-chhn̂g kha.
Jiân-āu, Litvak thiaⁿ tio̍h chhù lāi ê bîn-chhn̂g khai-sí kīⁿ-kōaⁿ kiò; i thiaⁿ tio̍h lâng thiàu-lo̍h bîn-chhn̂g; nauh kúi-kù Iû-thài ōe, tò chúi tī chéng-kah, siàng mn̂g. Ta̍k-ê lóng lī-khui khì ah. Taⁿ, iū-koh an-chēng, o͘-àm; chi̍t-sut-á goe̍h-niû kng thàu-kòe pah-hio̍h thang chiò ji̍p-lâi.
(Sū-āu, Litvak sêng-jīn, tán i hoat-hiān i tan-to̍k hām rabbi tī hia ê sî, hō͘ i chin tōa ê kiaⁿ-hiâⁿ. I ê phôe-hu giâ ke-bó-phôe, pìn-piⁿ ê mô͘-kin ná chiam teh chha̍k. Sió-sū lah: Tī Chhàm-hóe Kî-tó ê sî-kan hām rabbi tan-to̍k chò-hóe! M̄-koh, Litvak chin kò͘-chip. Só͘-í i boeh tiò-hî, tō lâu tī goân-ūi.)
Chòe-āu, rabbi -- chiok i tn̂g hòe-siū! -- khí-chhn̂g ah. Thâu-seng, i chò Iû-thài lâng eng-kai chò ê tāi-chì. Jiân-āu i kiâⁿ kàu saⁿ-tû, the̍h chhut chi̍t-khún chng-kha lâng chhēng ê saⁿ-khò͘: môa-pò͘ tn̂g-khò͘, tn̂g-hia, tōa-i, chiⁿ-bō, chi̍t-tiâu tn̂g koh khoah, tèng tâng teng ê phôe-tòa. Rabbi kā saⁿ-khò͘ chhēng hó-sè. I ê tōa-i saⁿ-á-tē, thó͘ chhut chi̍t-chat lông-bîn ê chho͘ soh-á chat.
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1. Rabbi 總是消失去
每改拜五透早, tī 懺悔祈禱 ê 時, Nemirov rabbi* 總是消失去. [* rabbi: 猶太教 ê 法師]
伊無看 e 影 -- 無 tī 猶太教堂, 無 tī 兩个學習間, mā 無 tī 祈禱會. 伊當然 mā 無 tī 厝. 伊 ê 門開開: 任何人 to 會當出入; 無人會偷提 rabbi ê 物件. 毋過, 內底無任何活物仔.
Rabbi 有可能去佗位 neh? 伊應該 tī 佗位 ah? 定著是, tī 天堂 lah. Tī 敬畏日 (Days of Awe) 進前, rabbi 有濟濟代誌著處理. 猶太人, 受著神 ê 庇佑, 需要生活, 和平, 康健, 和好因緣.
In 欲愛虔誠和善良, 毋過咱 ê 罪孽 siuⁿ 大, 千里眼 Satan ùi 這頭到彼頭監視規个地球. 伊報告所看著 ê 一切; 伊譴責, 伊通知.
若毋是 rabbi, siáng 會當幫助咱! 這 tō 是人人 ê 想法.
毋過有一擺, 一个 Litvak* 來, 伊笑出來. 你知 Litvak lah. In 無 teh 想聖冊, 干焦 kā 家己窒滇 "Talmud" [經冊] 和律法. 所以, 這个 Litvak 指 "Gamara" 經冊內面 ê 一句 -- 予你看明明 -- hia 是 án-ne 寫: 甚至咱師父 Moses 一生中 mā 無上到天堂, 干焦停留 tī 下面 2 尺半彼个位. 去和 Litvak 相諍! 若 án-ne, rabbi 去佗位 ah? [* Litvak: 出身 tī Lithuvania ê 猶太人]
"彼無我 ê 代誌," Litvak 肩頭夯一下, án-ne 講. 毋過, 規个時陣 -- Litvak 按怎做 ah! -- 伊一直 teh 計謀欲揣出答案.
仝彼暗, tī 暗時祈禱了後, Litvak 偷偷進入 rabbi ê 房間, 溜到 rabbi ê 眠床跤, tī hia 等. 伊欲顧規暝, 欲發伊現失蹤 tī 佗位去, 懺悔祈禱 ê 時, 伊 teh 創啥. 若是別人, 可能已經 teh tuh-ku koh 睏去, 毋過 Litvak 總是袂誤事; 伊暗念規本 "Talmud" ê 內容. 天殕光 ê 時, 伊聽著招呼去祈禱 ê 叫聲.
Rabbi 已經醒真久 ah. Litvak 已經聽伊規點鐘 ê 哼聲.
聽過 Nemirov rabbi 哼 ê 人 lóng 知, 每一个哼聲包含對所有 Israel /iz.rel/ 人偌濟 ê 悲傷, 偌濟 ê 痛苦. 聽著 he, 予人可能心碎. 毋過, Litvak 是鐵做 ê; 伊聽著, 猶是留 tī 原位. Rabbi -- 希望伊長歲壽 -- 倒 tī 眠床, iá Litvak 是 tī 眠床跤.
然後, Litvak 聽著厝內 ê 眠床開始 kīⁿ-kōaⁿ 叫; 伊聽著人跳落眠床; 喃幾句猶太話, 倒水 tī 指甲, siàng 門. 逐个 lóng 離開去 ah. 今, 又閣安靜, 烏暗; 一屑仔月娘光透過百葉窗照入來.
(事後, Litvak 承認, 等伊發現伊單獨和 rabbi tī hia ê 時, 予伊真大 ê 驚惶. 伊 ê 皮膚夯雞母皮, 鬢邊 ê 毛根 ná 針 teh 鑿. 小事 lah: Tī 懺悔祈禱 ê 時間和 rabbi 單獨做伙! 毋過, Litvak 真固執. 所以伊欲釣魚, tō 留 tī 原位.)
最後, rabbi -- 祝伊長歲壽! -- 起床 ah. 頭先, 伊做猶太人應該做 ê 代誌. 然後伊行到衫櫥, 提出一捆庄跤人穿 ê 衫褲: 麻布長褲, 長靴, 大衣, 氈帽, 一條長 koh 闊, 釘銅釘 ê 皮帶. Rabbi kā 衫褲穿好勢. 伊 ê 大衣衫仔袋, 吐出一節農民 ê 粗索仔節.
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1.
Early every Friday morning, at the time of the Penitential Prayers, the rabbi of Nemirov would vanish.
He was nowhere to be seen - neither in the synagogue nor in the two study houses nor at a minyan. And he was certainly not at home. His door stood open: whoever wished could go in and out; no one would steal from the rabbi. But not a living creature was within.
Where could the rabbi be? Where should he be? In heaven, no doubt. A rabbi has plenty of business to take care of just before the Days of Awe. Jews, God bless them, need livelihood, peace, health, and good matches.
They want to be pious and good, but our sins are so great, and Satan of the thousand eyes watches the whole earth from one end to the other. What he sees, he reports; he denounces, informs.
Who can help us if not the rabbi! That’s what the people thought.
But once a Litvak came, and he laughed. You know the Litvaks. They think little of the holy books but stuff themselves with Talmud and law. So this Litvak points to a passage in the Gamara - it sticks in your eyes - where it is written that even Moses our Teacher did not ascend to heaven during his lifetime but remained suspended two and a half feet below. Go argue with a Litvak! So where can the rabbi be?
"That’s not my business," said the Litvak, shrugging. Yet all the while - what a Litvak can do! - he is scheming to find out.
That same night, right after the evening prayers, the Litvak steals into the rabbi’s room, slides under the rabbi’s bed, and waits. He’ll watch all night and discover where the rabbi vanishes and what he does during the Penitential Prayers. Someone else might have gotten drowsy and fallen asleep, but a Litvak is never at a loss; he recites a whole tractate of the Talmud by heart. At dawn he hears the call to prayers.
The rabbi has already been awake for a long time. The Litvak has heard him groaning for a whole hour.
Whoever has heard the rabbi of Nemirov groan knows how much sorrow for all Israel, how much suffering, lies in each groan. A man’s heart might break, hearing it. But a Litvak is made of iron; he listens and remains where he is. The rabbi - long life to him! - lies on the bed, and the Litvak under the bed.
Then the Litvak hears the beds in the house begin to creak; he hears people jumping out of their beds; mumbling a few Jewish words, pouring water on their fingernails, banging doors. Everyone has left. It is again quiet and dark; a bit of light from the moon shines through the shutters.
(Afterward, the Litvak admitted that when he found himself alone with the rabbi a great fear took hold of him. Goose pimples spread across his skin, and the roots of his sidelocks pricked him like needles. A trifle: to be alone with the rabbi at the time of the Penitential Prayers! But a Litvak is stubborn. So he fish in water and remained where he was.)
Finally the rabbi - long life to him! - arises. First, he does what befits a Jew. Then he goes to the clothes closet and takes out a bundle of peasant clothes: linen trousers, high boots, a coat, a big felt hat, and a long, wide leather belt studded with brass nails. The rabbi gets dressed. From his coat pocket dangles the end of a heavy peasant rope.
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