Blackberries /by Ellen Hunnicutt
https://sites.google.com/site/vhgskriver/home/fagenes-progressionsplaner/engelsk/engelsk-b-progressionsplan/characterisation
O͘-m̂ | 烏莓
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Tī tiong-tàu chìn-chêng, ang ùi soaⁿ-phiâⁿ lo̍h-lâi, kō͘ i ê bō-á té móa-móa ê o͘-m̂. "Taⁿ lóng kàu-hun ah. Chit lé-pài," i tùi in bó͘ kóng. "Lán kéng chit lé-pài lâi, tú-hó tio̍h-sî." I lò-kha, ki-kut-á seⁿ, m̄-koh chòe-kīn io lú lâi lú chho͘. I se̍h kòe tent kàu tiàu phâng-pò͘ chúi-tē hia, kā o͘-m̂ tò lo̍h alumih oe, khai-sí khin-khin kā sé.
"Bô chhun gû-leng ah." in bó͘ kóng. Yi kim thâu-mo͘, nâ ba̍k-chiu, sin-châi iù-siù, tī bó͘-chióng kng-sòaⁿ khòaⁿ iáu chin súi, ngó͘-koan an-pâi sì-chiàⁿ. "Lán kā gû-leng lim liáu ah." Yi ùi pho͘ tī thô͘-kha ê thán-á chē khí-lâi, kā tú-chiah teh tha̍k ê chheh khǹg chi̍t-pêng khì. "Albert hām Mae í-keng khì New York ah," yi kóng. "Khì lí-iû. Chi̍t-chōa hì-kio̍k ê lí-iû."
"Lí ū kă kóng-kòe," i ìn. "Lán ē-sái kō͘ poe-á lâi té che. Poe-á té o͘-m̂ chin ha̍h."
"Bô gû-leng ah."
"Góa ū khòaⁿ tio̍h chúi la̍h-chek (cattail)," i kóng. "Lí khó-lêng jīn-ûi, chia tùi in lâi kóng, chhiū-á siuⁿ chē. In su-iàu ji̍t-kng, m̄-koh, in tō sī tī chia. Chúi la̍h-chek ê kin chhiat-phìⁿ ē-sái chhá lâi chia̍h. Kō͘ butter /ba.tah/ iû. Lán ū butter iû. Chin hó-chia̍h." I kā m̂-á pun chò nn̄g-poe, kî-tiong chi̍t-poe khǹg tī thán-á téng in bó͘ sin-piⁿ. I ùi chú-chia̍h ke-si-siuⁿ chhiau chhut chi̍t-ki thng-sî-á, jiân-āu khai-sí bān-bān, ûn-ûn-á chia̍h m̂-á, bián-tit siuⁿ kín chia̍h liáu.
"Hit-ê lí-iû sī pau-pān ê," yi kóng. "Chi̍t-kái hù-chheng. Chi̍t-ê kè-siàu."
"Chit só͘-chāi bô hîm," i kóng, "mā bô hûi-hiám ê chôa. Lán nā tī hûi-hiám ê só͘-chāi lo̍k-iâⁿ, tāi-chì tō bô kāng loh. Chia m̄-sī hit-khoán só͘-chāi."
Cha-bó͘ kō͘ sè-sè, sió-sim ê tōng-chok kā yi chē ê thán-á pho͘ pêⁿ, ná chhiūⁿ teh pho͘ bîn-chhn̂g án-ne. "Ē chin joa̍h," yi kóng. "Bô jīm-hô hûn, sīm-chì hûn-si to bô."
"Lán ē-sái khì siû-chúi," i kiàn-gī, ná teh phín-bī i ê m̂-á. "Lí chóng-sī hèng siû-chúi. He lí chin lāi-hâng."
"Bô, góa chiah bô leh," yi kóng. "Góa tùi he kin-pún to bô lāi-hâng."
"Lí chhēng siû-chúi saⁿ chiâⁿ hó khòaⁿ. Lí chóng-sī án-ne. Lán ū gû-leng hún."
"He ū chi̍t-ê koài hiàn."
"Hit-su chheⁿ-sek si-á ê, sī góa tē-it pái khòaⁿ lí chhēng ê siû-chúi saⁿ."
"Lán nā lo̍h-khì bé gû-leng, lán ē-sái sūn-sòa khì chng-nih khòaⁿ tiān-iáⁿ. Sī chi̍t-pō͘ im-ga̍k-kio̍k. Sái-chhia keng-kòe ê sî, góa ū khòaⁿ tio̍h."
"In hoān-sè chiu-boa̍t chiah ū khui." i kóng. "Chit-chióng sió-tìn. Gû-leng hún bô būn-tê."
"Tī lán tau, lí mā bô kah-ì he. Lí bat kă kóng, lí bô kah-ì gû-leng hún."
"Góa m̄-bat án-ne kóng," i ìn. "Lí siūⁿ, góa khì khau kóa chúi-la̍h-chek kin hó bô?"
"He sī margarín," yi kóng. "Lán chah ê sī margarín, m̄-sī butter."
"Góa lâi kā chhá."
"In hoān-sè siū pó-hō͘, chhiūⁿ iân-lêng-chháu (延齡草, trillium)."
"Chúi la̍h-chek ē-sái bán," i kóng. "Chiah bô-lâng teh koán chúi la̍h-chek."
I kiâⁿ khì chhâ-tui, khai-sí phòa-chhâ, khû tio̍h, pó͘-thâu ê tōng-chok liú-lia̍h koh khin-khó. Yi khòaⁿ i phòa. I phòa-chhâ chin lāi-hâng. Chhiú-kut hām keng-thâu hàiⁿ-tāng sòa-phah, kiàn-pái to tùi-tiong. "Joa̍h--lâng boeh kòe ah," yi kóng, ná the̍h chi̍t-lia̍p m̂-á ji̍p chhùi. Yi kō͘ chi̍h kā chiⁿ-phòa, sió pō͘ chi̍t-ē chiah thun-lo̍h. Ji̍t-thâu í-keng kòe chòe koân tiám, yi khòaⁿ tio̍h chi̍t-chōa iáⁿ chhut-hiān tī yin ang sin-piⁿ ê chháu-á téng, ná chi̍t-ê san-thiu siàu-liân-ke ê sin-iáⁿ, chhiūⁿ kì-tî hiah un-jiû. Yi khai-sí chi̍t-kái nn̄g-lia̍p a̍h saⁿ-lia̍p teh chia̍h m̂-á, kō͘ chéng-thâu-á ni, m̄-bián thng-sî-á. "Tit-boeh káu-goe̍h ah." I oa̍t-thâu khòaⁿ yi. "Iáu-bōe, iáu-bōe lah," i kóng. "Iáu bōe lah, kin-pún tō iáu-bōe kàu tiong-tàu leh. Lán ê sî-kan iáu chē leh."
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Tī 中晝進前, 翁 ùi 山坪落來, kō͘ 伊 ê 帽仔貯滿滿 ê 烏莓. "今 lóng 到分 ah. 這禮拜," 伊對 in 某講. "咱揀這禮拜來, 拄好著時." 伊躼跤, 枝骨仔生, 毋過最近腰 lú 來 lú 粗. 伊踅過 tent 到吊帆布水袋 hia, kā 烏莓倒落 alumih 鍋, 開始輕輕 kā 洗.
"無賰牛奶 ah." in 某講. 她金頭毛, 藍目睭, 身材幼秀, tī 某種光線看猶真媠, 五官安排四正. "咱 kā 牛奶啉了 ah." 她 ùi 鋪 tī 塗跤 ê 毯仔坐起來, kā 拄才 teh 讀 ê 冊囥一爿去. "Albert 和 Mae 已經去 New York ah," 她講. "去旅遊. 一逝戲劇 ê 旅遊."
"你有 kă 講過," 伊應. "咱會使 kō͘ 杯仔來貯這. 杯仔貯烏莓真合."
"無牛奶 ah."
"我有看著水蠟燭 (cattail)," 伊講. "你可能認為, 遮對 in 來講, 樹仔 siuⁿ 濟. In 需要日光, 毋過, in tō 是 tī 遮. 水蠟燭 ê 根切片會使炒來食. Kō͘ butter /ba.tah/ 油. 咱有 butter 油. 真好食." 伊 kā 莓仔分做兩杯, 其中一杯囥 tī 毯仔頂 in 某身邊. 伊 ùi 煮食家私箱搜出一支湯匙仔, 然後開始慢慢, 勻勻仔食莓仔, 免得 siuⁿ 緊食了.
"彼个旅遊是包辦 ê," 她講. "一改付清. 一个價數."
"這所在無熊," 伊講, "mā 無危險 ê 蛇. 咱若 tī 危險 ê 所在露營, 代誌 tō 無仝 loh. Chia 毋是彼款所在."
查某 kō͘ 細細, 小心 ê 動作 kā 她坐 ê 毯仔鋪平, ná 像 teh 鋪眠床 án-ne. "會真熱," 她講. "無任何雲, 甚至雲絲 to 無."
"咱會使去泅水," 伊建議, ná teh 品味伊 ê 莓仔. "你總是興泅水. He 你真內行."
"無, 我才無 leh," 她講. "我對 he 根本 to 無內行."
"你穿泅水衫誠好看. 你總是 án-ne. 咱有牛奶粉."
"彼有一个怪羶."
"彼軀青色絲仔 ê, 是我第一擺看你穿 ê 泅水衫."
"咱若落去買牛奶, 咱會使順紲去庄 nih 看電影. 是一部音樂劇. 駛車經過 ê 時, 我有看著."
"In 凡勢週末才有開." 伊講. "這種小鎮. 牛奶粉無問題."
"Tī 咱兜, 你 mā 無佮意 he. 你捌 kă 講, 你無佮意牛奶粉."
"我毋捌 án-ne 講," 伊應. "你想, 我去薅寡水蠟燭根好無?"
"彼是 margarín," 她講. "咱扎 ê 是 margarín, 毋是 butter."
"我來 kā 炒."
"In 凡勢受保護, 像 iân-lêng-chháu (延齡草, trillium)."
"水蠟燭會使挽," 伊講. "才無人 teh 管水蠟燭."
伊行去柴堆, 開始破柴, 跍著, 斧頭 ê 動作扭掠 koh 輕可. 她看伊破. 伊破柴真內行. 手骨和肩頭幌動紲拍, 見擺 to 對中. "熱人欲過 ah," 她講, ná 提一粒莓仔入喙. 她 kō͘ 舌 kā 櫼破, 小哺一下才吞落. 日頭已經過最懸點, 她看著一逝影出現 tī 姻翁身邊 ê 草仔頂, ná 一个瘦抽少年家 ê 身影, 像記持 hiah 溫柔. 她開始一改兩粒 a̍h 三粒 teh 食莓仔, kō͘ 指頭仔拈, 毋免湯匙仔. "得欲九月 ah." 伊越頭看她. "猶未, 猶未 lah," 伊講. "猶未 lah, 根本 tō 猶未到中晝 leh. 咱 ê 時間猶濟 leh."
--
Just before noon the husband came down the near slope of the hill carrying his cap filled with blackberries. “They’re ripe now. This week,” he said to his wife. “We chose the right week to come.” He was a tall man, slender-limbed but thickening now through the center of his body. He walked around the tent to where the canvas water bag hung, spilled the berries into an aluminium pan, and began to wash them gently.
“There isn’t any milk left,” his wife said. She was blond and fragile, still pretty in a certain light and with a careful arrangement of her features. “We finished the milk.” She sat up from the blanket spread on the ground and laid aside the book she had been reading. “Albert and Mae went to New York,” she said. “It’s a tour. A theater tour.”
“You told me that,” he replied. “We can put these in cups. Cups will make fine berry bowls.”
“There isn’t any milk.”
“I saw cattails,” he said. “You’d think there would be too much woods for them. They need sun, but they’re there. You can slice up cattail root and fry it. In butter. We have butter. It’s good.” He divided the berries into two cups and set one cup on the blanket beside his wife. He rummaged through the kitchen box and found a spoon, then began to eat his berries slowly and carefully, making them last.
“The tour covers everything,” she said. “You only pay once. You pay one price.”
“There aren’t any bears here,” he said, “nor dangerous snakes. It would be different if we were camped in a dangerous place. It’s not like that here.”
The woman smoothed the blanket she was sitting on with small, careful motions, as if making a bed. “It’s going to be hot,” she said. “There aren’t any clouds, not even small ones.”
“We can swim,” he suggested, savoring his berries. “You always liked swimming. You’re good at it.”
“No, I’m not,” she said. “I’m not good at it at all.”
“You look great in a bathing suit. You always did. We have powdered milk.”
“It has a funny taste.”
“That green, silky bathing suit was the first one I ever saw you in.”
“If we went down for milk we could go to the movie in the village. It’s a musical. I looked when we drove through.”
“They’re probably only open on weekends,” he said. “A little town like that. Powdered milk’s okay.”
“You don’t like it at home. You told me you don’t like powdered milk.”
“I didn’t say that,” he replied. “Do you want me to go for the cattail root?”
“It’s margarine,” she said. “We have margarine, not butter.”
“I’ll fry them up.”
“They’re probably protected, like trillium.”
“You can pick cattails,” he said. “Nobody cares about cattails.”
He went to the pile of fire logs and began splitting them, crouching, the hatchet working in clean, economical strokes. She watched him. He was good at splitting wood. The arc of arm and shoulder swung smoothly to aim each blow. “The summer’s almost over,” she said, taking one berry into her mouth. She mashed it with her tongue, chewed and swallowed. The sun passed its zenith and she saw a stripe of shadow appear on the grass beside her husband, a silhouette slim as a boy, tender as memory. She began to eat the berries in twos and threes, picking them out with her fingers, forgoing a spoon. “It’s almost september.” He turned to look at her. “No it’s not,” he said. “It isn’t, and it’s scarcely noon. We have lots of time.”
--
// 2022-8-10
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