The Spirit of Giving /by Maxine Chernoff
https://dokumen.tips/documents/the-spirit-of-giving-5882a15c0ad78.html
Sàng-lé ê Sim-ì | 送禮 ê 心意
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1. A-chí seⁿ-ji̍t, góa sàng yi Eskimo jit-chì
Goán a-chí siu-chi̍p goân-sí gē-su̍t, só͘-í yi seⁿ-ji̍t góa sàng yi chi̍t-ê Eskimo ji̍t-chì. Múi kò-goe̍h sī chi̍t-pak pán-ōe, iú-koan Eskimo lâng phah-la̍h, ûi hóe chē leh, a̍h kō͘ kheng peⁿ hái-pà phôe ê tô͘-iūⁿ. Pán-ōe ê ìn-soat ū hong-hù ê goân-sek. He tan-sûn-sèng ín lâng chàn-thàn. Chi̍t-nî liáu-āu, múi chi̍t-tiuⁿ lóng ē-sái tan-to̍k chng-kheng.
Góa hām goán a-chí chin chhin. Sui-bóng yi tòa San Francisko, goán ta̍k kò-goe̍h lóng ū kúi-ā kái ê kau-tâm. Kià chhut lé-bu̍t 3 lé-pài iáu bô chiap tio̍h yi ê siau-sit, góa koat-tēng boeh khà tiān-ōe hō͘ yi.
"Góa thó-ià he," yi kō͘ kín-tiuⁿ ê siaⁿ-im tī tiān-ōe nih kóng. "Góa chai, góa án-ne kā lí kóng chin chân-jím, m̄-koh góa tio̍h kóng si̍t-ōe. He pán-ōe ìn kah chin iù-tì, m̄-koh góa thó-ià bô khòaⁿ tio̍h ê lāi-iông. Só͘ lâu ê hoeh, só͘ lia̍h ê bah."
"Góa eng-kai tio̍h kià hō͘ lí Soaⁿ-tang pe̍h-á ê siòng-phìⁿ," góa án-ne kiàn-gī. "A̍h sī kan-ta chia̍h sí tī chháu-tē ê kim-koe-phang sí-thé ê pō͘-lo̍k ê siòng-phìⁿ. Seng-oa̍h tō sī án-ne, Martha."
"Góa chai lah," yi ìn. "Siáng sī jîn-lūi ha̍k-ka ah?"
Yi sī lah. Goán koh kóng kóa kî-thaⁿ ê tāi-chì, Andy, gín-á, he̍k-chú chiàn-cheng. Jiân-āu, yi kóng yi tio̍h khì yi ê chhái-sek po-lê kang-chok-sek. Góa ioh, yi tng-teh jia̍t boeh chè-chok chi̍t-chiah phang-chiáu.
"In khòaⁿ khí-lâi ká-ná thêng tī khong-tiong, m̄-koh in ê si̍t chin-chiàⁿ múi hun-cheng ia̍t 1110 pái."
"Chiâⁿ thiám neh," góa kóng.
"Tio̍h," yi ìn.
Tiān-ōe kóng liáu, góa tńg góa ê chheh-toh, siá chi̍t-tiuⁿ phe hō͘ yi. Góa mn̄g yi, chò chit-chióng tāng-kám-chêng ê lâng, kám-kak án-chóaⁿ. Góa hoâi-gî yi ka-tī tùi goân-sí gē-su̍t ê gián-kiù, he tōa pō͘-hūn kám m̄-sī hi-seng hām lâu-hoeh, sīm-chì lâu lâng hoeh lâi khak-pó lī-ek. Hit-tiuⁿ phe góa bô kià chhut-khì.
Kòe nn̄g kò-goe̍h, taⁿ góa teh khòaⁿ góa chiap tio̍h ê iû-piān tiám-hòe katálog, he sī Texas chhut-miâ lé-phín tiàm ê katálog. Kū-nî, góa goân-pún ē-sái bé chi̍t-tiuⁿ chē tē-it pang chài-kheh thài-khong-so ê phiò, a̍h Ruchard Nixon ê iû-ōe, kiò-chò "Chē Chûn Làng-káng, Thè-hiu Sòe-goa̍t." Góa kéng chi̍t-niá sim-lîm le̍k si-á-jiông ê e̍k-phâu. Góa bé kúi-ê iûⁿ-phê ê hîⁿ-am hō͘ Ted, i m̄-bat iōng kòe. Sū-si̍t-siōng, góa sàng i ê sî, i kóng, "Elaine, lí teh kún-chhiò sioh. Góa sī chi̍t-ê hoan-e̍k-ka neh!"
"Hoān-sè lí sī ài chi̍t-ê sok-ka hóng-chè ê Resetta Chio̍h sioh?" góa mn̄g. Liáu-āu, goán ê koan-hē khai-sí lo̍h-kiā. Ū-sî goán kìⁿ-bīn chia̍h Italia mī hām lim Chianti âng-chiú, m̄-koh goán ê tùi-ōe chin gāi-gio̍h.
Sī lah, kin-nî ê Kitok-seⁿ góa koat-tēng koh-khah sio-sim kéng lé-bu̍t. Martha iáu bô goân-liōng góa, sui-jiân yi ê phang-chiáu chin sêng-kong. Tī chi̍t-ê sió-hêng gē-su̍t tián-lám, yi kā bē $126.50. Góa him-sióng yi ê tōa-táⁿ. Ke chhut-lâi ê 50 sén hoān-sè ē heh-cháu kò͘-kheh, m̄-koh Martha m̄-khéng kiám-kè.
Siú-sian, góa khó-lī lé-kǹg, he ná-chhiūⁿ pe̍h sio̍k-pháng hiah an-choân. Jiân-āu, góa khà tiān-ōe hō͘ chi̍t-ê pêng-iú, mn̄g yi bé siáⁿ hō͘ in sió-mōe. "Sek-lāi chhián-thoa. Goán sio-mōe kah-ì sek-lāi chhián-thoa. Kin-nî Kitok-seⁿ, góa hō͘ yi chi̍t-siang ū MM jī-hoe ê chhián-thoa. Góa tī chi̍t-keng sè-keng chong-sek gē-su̍t tiàm chhōe tio̍h."
"MM sī yi miâ ê thâu-jī sioh?"
"Marilyn Monroe, sī yi ê thâu-jī lah. Góa siūⁿ, goán sió-mōe chhēng Marilyn Monroe ê chhián-thóa ē sim-hoe khui."
Goán pêng-iú bô pang-chō͘. Matha ē kóng góa bô tông-chêng-sim. "Hit-ê khó-liân ê cha-bó͘ sí tī bîn-chhn̂g. Ū-lâng sīm-chì kóng yi sī hông thâi-sí. Chhēng yi boeh sí chìn-chêng ê chhian-thoa, he sī gōa-nī pi-siong ah!"
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1. 阿姊生日, 我送她 Eskimo 日誌
阮阿姊收集原始藝術, 所以她生日我送她一个 Eskimo 日誌. 每個月是一幅版畫, 有關 Eskimo 人拍獵, 圍火坐 leh, a̍h kō͘ 框繃海豹皮 ê 圖樣. 版畫 ê 印刷有豐富 ê 原色. He 單純性引人讚嘆. 一年了後, 每一張 lóng 會使單獨裝框.
我和阮阿姊真親. 雖罔她蹛 San Francisko, 阮逐個月 lóng 有幾若改 ê 交談. 寄出禮物 3 禮拜猶無接著她 ê 消息, 我決定欲敲電話 hō͘ 她.
"我討厭彼," 她 kō͘ 緊張 ê 聲音 tī 電話 nih 講. "我知, 我 án-ne kā 你講真殘忍, 毋過我著講實話. He 版畫印 kah 真幼致, 毋過我討厭無看著 ê 內容. 所流 ê 血, 所裂 ê 肉."
"我應該著寄 hō͘ 你山東白仔 ê 相片," 我 án-ne 建議. "A̍h 是干焦食死 tī 草地 ê 金瓜蜂死體 ê 部落 ê 相片. 生活 tō 是 án-ne, Martha."
"我知 lah," 她應. "Siáng 是人類學家 ah?"
她是 lah. 阮 koh 講寡其他 ê 代誌, Andy, 囡仔, 核子戰爭. 然後, 她講她著去她 ê 彩色玻璃工作室. 我臆, 她 tng-teh 熱欲製作一隻蜂鳥.
"In 看起來 ká-ná 停 tī 空中, 毋過 in ê 翼真正每分鐘擛 1110 擺."
"誠忝 neh," 我講.
"著," 她應.
電話講了, 我轉我 ê 冊桌, 寫一張批 hō͘ 她. 我問她, 做這種重感情 ê 人, 感覺按怎. 我懷疑她家己 tùi 原始藝術 ê 研究, he 大部份敢毋是犧牲和流血, 甚至流人血來確保利益. 彼張批我無寄出去.
過兩個月, 我 teh 看我接著 ê 郵便點貨 katálog, 彼是 Texas 出名禮品店 ê katálog. 舊年, 我原本會使買一張坐第一 pang 載客太空梭 ê 票, a̍h Ruchard Nixon ê 油畫, 叫做 "坐船閬港, 退休歲月." 我揀一領森林綠絲仔絨 ê 浴袍. 我買幾个羊皮 ê 耳掩 hō͘ Ted, 伊 m̄-bat 用過. 事實上, 我送伊 ê 時, 伊講, "Elaine, 你 teh 滾笑 sioh. 我是一个翻譯家 neh!"
"凡勢你是愛一个塑膠仿製 ê Resetta 石 sioh?" 我問. 了後, 阮 ê 關係開始落崎. 有時阮見面食 Italia 麵和啉 Chianti 紅酒, 毋過阮 ê 對話真礙虐.
是 lah, 今年 ê Kitok 生我決定閣較小心揀禮物. Martha 猶無原諒我, 雖然她 ê 蜂鳥真成功. Tī 一个小型藝術展覽, 她 kā 賣 $126.50. 我欣賞她 ê 大膽. 加出來 ê 50 sén 凡勢會嚇走顧客, 毋過 Martha 毋肯減價.
首先, 我考慮禮券, 彼 ná 像白俗 pháng hiah 安全. 然後, 我敲電話 hō͘ 一个朋友, 問她買啥 hō͘ 姻小妹. "室內淺拖. 阮小妹佮意室內淺拖. 今年 Kitok 生, 我 hō͘ 她一雙有 MM 字花 ê 淺拖. 我 tī 一間細間裝飾藝術店揣著."
"MM 是她名 ê 頭字 sioh?"
"Marilyn Monroe, 是她 ê 頭字 lah. 我想, 阮小妹穿 Marilyn Monroe ê 淺拖會心花開."
阮朋友無幫助. Matha 會講我無同情心. "彼个可憐 ê 查某死 tī 眠床. 有人甚至講她是 hông 刣死. 穿她欲死進前 ê 淺拖, 彼是 gōa-nī 悲傷 ah!"
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1.
My sister collects primitive art, so on her birthday I sent her an Eskimo calendar. Each month shows a different block print of Eskimos hunting, sitting around a fire, or stretching seal skins on frames. The prints are done in rich primary colors. They are striking in their simplicity. After the year is over, they are suitable for framing.
My sister and I are close. Although she lives in San Francisco, we talk several times a month. When I didn't hear from her three weeks after I'd sent the gift, I decided to call her.
"I hate it," she said on the phone in a nervous voice. "I know it's unkind of me to tell you, but I'm used to speaking the truth. The prints are finely executed, but I hate what's omitted. All the blood spilled, all the flesh rendered."
"I should have sent you photos of bok choy," I suggested. "Or of a tribe that only eats dead bumblebees found dead in the grass. It's life, Martha."
"I know," she answered. "Who's the anthropologist?"
She is. We talked about other things, Andy, the kids, nuclear war. Then she told me she had to go to her stained-glass workshop. Seemed she was in hot pursuit of a hummingbird.
"They look like they're hovering in the air, but their wings are really beating 1110 times a minute."
"Wearying," I said.
"Right," she answered.
After the call I went back to my desk to write her a letter. I asked her how it felt to be such a sentimentalist. I questioned her own studies of primitive art, if much of it isn't sacrifice and blood, even human blood spilled to assure favor. I never sent the letter.
Two months later I'm looking through those shopping catalogues I get in the mail, the ones from famous Texas gift stores. Last year I could have bought a ticket to ride on the first space shuttle to carry passengers or an oil painting by Richard Nixon called "Boats Escaping, Retirement Years." I opted for a new bathrobe of forest green velour. I bought Ted some sheepskin earmuffs he never wore. In fact, when I gave them to him, he said, "Elaine, you have to be kidding. I'm a translator!"
"Maybe you wanted a plastic replica of the Rosetta Stone?" I asked. Our relationship has gone downhill since. Sometimes we meet for pasta and Chianti, but our conversations are strained.
Well, this Christmas I'm determined to choose gifts with more care. Martha still hasn't forgiven me, though her hummingbird was a success. She sold it at a small art fair for $126.50. I like her audacity. The extra fifty cents might have discouraged customers, but Martha's uncompromising.
First I consider gift certificates, but they're safe as white bread. Then I call a friend and ask her what she buys her sister. "Houseslippers. My sister loves houseslippers. This Christmas I bought her a pair mono grammed MM. I found them at a little art deco shop."
"Are those her initials?" I ask.
"Marilyn Monroe. They're her initials. I thought my sister would get a kick out of wearing Marilyn Monroe's slippers."
My friend is no help. Martha would call me uncaring. "That poor woman died in her bed. Some people even say she was killed. How sad to own the slippers in which she thought her last thoughts!"
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