The Appointment in Samarra /by W. Somerset Maugham
https://www.k-state.edu/english/baker/english320/Maugham-AS.htm
Tī Samarra ê Jīm-bū | Tī Samarra ê 任務
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Tī Bagdad ū chi̍t-ê seng-lí-lâng, i phài sin-lô khì chhī-tiûⁿ bé ji̍t-iōng-phín, kòe chi̍t-khùn, sin-lô tńg-lâi, bīn pe̍h chhi-chhi koh khū-khū chùn, kóng, Thâu-ke ah, tú-chiah góa tī chhī-tiûⁿ, góa hō͘ lâng-tīn ê chi̍t-ê cha-bó͘ kheh tio̍h, tán góa oa̍t kòe khòaⁿ yi ê sî, góa hoat-hiān kheh-tio̍h góa ê sī Sí-sîn. Yi kim-kim siòng góa, koh kek chi̍t-ê ui-hia̍p ê chhiú-sè, taⁿ, chhiáⁿ kín kā lí ê bé chioh góa, góa tio̍h cháu lī chit-ê siâⁿ-chhī, thang-hó tô-pī góa ê miā-ūn. Góa boeh khì Samarra, tī hia Sí-sîn tō bē chhōe tio̍h góa.
Seng-lí-lâng kā bé chioh i, sin-lô chiūⁿ bé, kō͘ bé-chhì tōa-la̍t that bé ê pak-tó͘ piⁿ, bé-á tō khí-lōng chài i cháu. Jiân-āu seng-lí-lâng khì chhī-tiûⁿ, khòaⁿ tio̍h góa khiā tī lâng-tīn tiong-kan, i kòe-lâi góa chia, kóng, Chá-khí lí khòaⁿ tio̍h góa ê sin-lô ê sî, sī án-chóaⁿ lí tùi i chò ui-hia̍p ê chhiú-sè?
He m̄-sī ui-hia̍p ê chhiú-sè, góa kóng, he sī in-ūi góa kiaⁿ-chi̍t-tiô. Tī Bagdad khòaⁿ tio̍h i, hō͘ góa tio̍h chi̍t-kiaⁿ, in-ūi e-àm tī Samarra, góa tùi i ū chi̍t-ê jīm-bū.
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Tī Bagdad 有一个生理人, 伊派辛勞去市場買日用品, 過一睏, 辛勞轉來, 面白 chhi-chhi koh khū-khū 顫, 講, 頭家 ah, 拄才我 tī 市場, 我 hō͘ 人陣 ê 一个查某 kheh 著, 等我越過看她 ê 時, 我發現 kheh 著我 ê 是死神. 她金金相我, koh 激一个威脅 ê 手勢, 今, 請緊 kā 你 ê 馬借我, 我著走離這个城市, 通好逃避我 ê 命運. 我欲去 Samarra, tī hia 死神 tō 袂揣著我.
生理人 kā 馬借伊, 辛勞上馬, kō͘ 馬刺大力踢馬 ê 腹肚邊, 馬仔 tō 起 lōng 載伊走. 然後生理人去市場, 看著我徛 tī 人陣中間, 伊過來我 chia, 講, 早起你看著我 ê 辛勞 ê 時, 是按怎你對伊做威脅 ê 手勢?
彼毋是威脅 ê 手勢, 我講, 彼是因為我驚一趒. Tī Bagdad 看著伊, hō͘ 我著一驚, 因為下暗 tī Samarra, 我對伊有一个任務.
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There was a merchant in Bagdad who sent his servant to market to buy provisions and in a little while the servant came back, white and trembling, and said, Master, just now when I was in the marketplace I was jostled by a woman in the crowd and when I turned I saw it was Death that jostled me. She looked at me and made a threatening gesture, now, lend me your horse, and I will ride away from this city and avoid my fate. I will go to Samarra and there Death will not find me.
The merchant lent him his horse, and the servant mounted it, and he dug his spurs in its flanks and as fast as the horse could gallop he went. Then the merchant went down to the marketplace and he saw me standing in the crowd and he came to me and said, Why did you make a threating getsture to my servant when you saw him this morning?
That was not a threatening gesture, I said, it was only a start of surprise. I was astonished to see him in Bagdad, for I had an appointment with him tonight in Samarra.
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// 2022-8-27
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