10. 這个所在是大井

10. Chit-ê só͘-chāi sī tōa-chéⁿ

Gín-á tńg lâi, chah iōng sin-bûn pau ê un-á-hî kap nn̄g ê hî-jī, nn̄g lâng ta̍h soa-chio̍h-á lō͘, lo̍h-kiā kiâⁿ khì chûn hia, kā chûn kng khí, sak lo̍h-chúi.

"Ài hó-ūn oh, lāu--ê."

"Lí mā hó-ūn," lāu lâng kóng. I kā pa̍k chûn-chiúⁿ ê soh-á kò͘-tēng tī chiúⁿ-kè, seng àⁿ-sin hiòng-chêng khah hó chhut-la̍t, tī o͘-àm tiong kò-chûn chhut-káng. Iáu ū kî-thaⁿ ê chûn ùi pa̍t-ūi ê hái-hōaⁿ chhut-hái; sui-bóng i khòaⁿ bē tio̍h in, in-ūi goe̍h í-keng lo̍h-soaⁿ, lāu lâng ē-tàng thiaⁿ tio̍h in ê chûn-chiúⁿ ji̍p-chúi kap pê-chúi ê siaⁿ.

Ū-sî ū lâng tī chûn ni̍h kóng-ōe. M̄-koh tōa-pō͘-hūn ê chûn lóng bô-siaⁿ bô-soeh, kan-ta ū chûn-chiúⁿ lo̍h chúi ê siaⁿ. Chhut káng-chhùi liáu, in sòaⁿ-khui, sûi-lâng ǹg ka-tī hi-bōng ē-tàng lia̍h tio̍h hî ê hái-bīn kòe-khì. Lāu lâng chai i boeh chhut-khì chin hn̄g, i lī-khui lio̍k-tē ê khì-bī, it-tit kò-kàu ū chheng-sin chá-khí hái-iûⁿ ê khong-khì ê só͘-chāi. I kò-kàu ê hái-bīn, ē-tàng khòaⁿ tio̍h hái-chháu ê lîn-kng, thó-hái-lâng kiò chit ê só͘-chāi sī tōa-chéⁿ, in-ūi chia ū chi̍t ê tu̍t-jiân chhit-pah siâm [1 siâm = 1.85 bí] ê chhim-khut, hái-lâu chhiâng tio̍h hái-té ê kiā piah, tō khí kńg-lê-á, chū án-ne chū-chi̍p kok-chióng hî. Chia ū gi̍p-gi̍p-gi̍p ê hê-á, chò jī ê hî, ū-sî tī siōng chhim ê khang ni̍h ū sió-kńg-á tīn, àm-sî in phû kàu chiap-kin hái-bīn, tī hia iû-kòe ê hî tō chia̍h in.

Thiⁿ iáu àm, lāu lâng kám-kak thiⁿ boeh kng ah, i kò-chûn ē thiaⁿ tio̍h poe-o͘ lī chúi ê chùn-siaⁿ, he sī in iōng ngē-si̍t chhèng-hiòng o͘-àm tiong ê suh-suh siaⁿ. I chin kah-ì poe-o͘, in sī i tī hái-iûⁿ chú-iàu ê hó pêng-iú. I tùi chiáu-á kám-kak khó-liân, iû-kî sī sè koh lám ê hái-ìⁿ-á (dark terns) , in it-ti̍t poe, it-ti̍t chhōe, chha-put-to lóng chhōe bô. I siūⁿ, tî-liáu gâu chhiúⁿ-chia̍h ê kap tōa-chiah koh ióng-kiāⁿ ê, hái chiáu ê seng-oa̍h pí lán lâng koh-khah kan-lân. Hái-iûⁿ ē hiah-nī hiám-ok, sī án-chóaⁿ kā chiáu-á chò-kah hiah lám-sin, hiah sè-chiah, chhiūⁿ hái-ìⁿ-á? Hái ná cha-bó͘-lâng, jîn-chû koh bí-lē. M̄-koh i mā ē chin chân-jím, kóng pìⁿ-bīn tō pìⁿ-bīn, chiah-ê chiáu-á ài poe, ài bī-chúi, ài lia̍h-hî, siaⁿ sè koh pi-ai, tī hái ni̍h thó-chia̍h siuⁿ lám lah.

I siūⁿ ê hái sī lú-sèⁿ ê hái (la mar), ài i ê sî, lâng lóng án-ne iōng Sepanga-gí kiò i. Ū-sî, ài i ê lâng kóng i ê pháiⁿ-ōe, m̄-koh chóng-sī kā tòng-chò cha-bó͘ ê. Hiah-ê iōng phû-phiau khiú hî-soh-á, iōng bē soa-hî koaⁿ thàn tōa-chîⁿ bé ke-khì chûn-á ê khah siàu-liân ê thó-hái-lâng, kiò hái chò cha-po͘ ê (el mar). In khòaⁿ i chún tùi-chhiú, chún chi̍t ê só͘-chāi, chún te̍k-jîn. M̄-koh lāu lâng lóng sī kā khòaⁿ-chò cha-bó͘, khòaⁿ-chò sī si-un hō͘ lán, a̍h-sī thè lán pó-chûn tōa un-hūi ê lâng, ū-sî i nā sái-sèng-tē chò pháiⁿ, he mā sī i bô hoat-tō͘ ê tāi-chì. Goe̍h-niû éng-hióng i tō ná éng-hióng cha-bó͘-lâng kāng-khoán, lāu lâng án-ne siūⁿ.

I bān-bān-á kò, bē kám-kak chia̍h-la̍t, sok-tō͘ bē siuⁿ kín, hái bīn pêⁿ-tháⁿ-tháⁿ, kan-ta ū-sî-á tú tio̍h kńg-lê-á. I pàng saⁿ-hun-chi-it ê la̍t hō͘ chúi lâu, thiⁿ-kng ê sî, khòaⁿ tio̍h í-keng chhut-kàu pí i chit ê sî-chūn boeh kàu ê só͘-chāi koh-khah hn̄g ah.

--

10. 這个所在是大井

囡仔轉來, 扎用新聞包 ê 鰮仔魚 kap 兩个魚餌, 兩人踏沙石仔路, 落崎行去船遐, kā 船扛起, 捒落水.

"愛好運 oh, 老 ê."

"你 mā 好運," 老人講. 伊 kā 縛船槳 ê 索仔固定 tī 槳架, 先 àⁿ 身向前較好出力, tī 烏暗中划船出港. 猶有其他 ê 船 ùi 別位 ê 海岸出海; 雖罔伊看袂著 in, 因為月已經落山, 老人會當聽著 in ê 船槳入水 kap 扒水 ê 聲.

有時有人 tī 船 ni̍h 講話. 毋過大部份 ê 船攏無聲無說, 干焦有船槳落水 ê 聲. 出港喙了, in 散開, 隨人 ǹg 家己希望會當掠著魚 ê 海面過去. 老人知伊欲出去真遠, 伊離開陸地 ê 氣味, 一直划到有清新早起海洋 ê 空氣 ê 所在. 伊划到 ê 海面, 會當看著海草 ê 磷光, 討海人叫這个所在是大井, 因為遮有一个突然七百尋 [1 尋 = 1.85 米] ê 深窟, 海流沖著海底 ê 崎壁, tō 起卷螺仔, 自 án-ne 聚集各種魚. 遮有 gi̍p-gi̍p ê 蝦仔, 做餌 ê 魚, 有時 tī 上深 ê 空 ni̍h 有小管仔陣, 暗時 in 浮到接近海面, tī 遐游過 ê 魚 tō 食 in.

天猶暗, 老人感覺天欲光 ah, 伊划船會聽著飛烏離水 ê 顫聲, 彼是 in 用硬翼衝向烏暗中 ê suh-suh 聲. 伊真佮意飛烏, in 是伊 tī 海洋主要 ê 好朋友. 伊對鳥仔感覺可憐, 尤其是細 koh lám ê 海燕仔 (dark terns) , in 一直飛, 一直揣, 差不多攏揣無. 伊想, 除了 gâu 搶食 ê kap 大隻 koh 勇健 ê, 海鳥 ê 生活比咱人閣較艱難. 海洋會 hiah-nī 險惡, 是按怎 kā 鳥仔做甲 hiah lám 身, hiah 細隻, 像海燕仔? 海 ná 查某人, 仁慈 koh 美麗. 毋過伊 mā 會真殘忍, 講變面 tō 變面, chiah-ê 鳥仔愛飛, 愛沬水, 愛掠魚, 聲細 koh 悲哀, tī 海 ni̍h 討食 siuⁿ lám lah.

伊想 ê 海是女性 ê 海 (la mar), 愛伊 ê 時, 人攏 án-ne 用 Sepanga 語叫伊. 有時, 愛伊 ê 人講伊 ê 歹話, 毋過總是 kā 當做查某 ê. Hiah-ê 用浮標 khiú 魚索仔, 用賣鯊魚肝趁大錢買機器船仔 ê 較少年 ê 討海人, 叫海做查埔 ê (el mar). In 看伊準對手, 準一个所在, 準敵人. 毋過老人攏是 kā 看做查某, 看做是欲施恩, 抑是毋肯施恩予咱 ê 人, 有時伊若使性地做歹, 彼 mā 是伊無法度 ê 代誌. 月娘影響伊 tō ná 影響查某人仝款, 老人 án-ne 想.

伊慢慢仔划, 袂感覺食力, 速度袂 siuⁿ 緊, 海面平坦坦, 干焦有時仔拄著卷螺仔. 伊放三分之一 ê 力予水流, 天光 ê 時, 看著已經出到比伊這个時陣欲到 ê 所在閣較遠 ah.

--

10.

The boy was back now with the sardines and the two baits wrapped in a newspaper and they went down the trail to the skiff, feeling the pebbled sand under their feet, and lifted the skiff and slid her into the water.

“Good luck old man.” “Good luck,” the old man said. He fitted the rope lashings of the oars onto the thole pins and, leaning forward against the thrust of the blades in the water, he began to row out of the harbour in the dark. There were other boats from the other beaches going out to sea and the old man heard the dip and push of their oars even though he could not see them now the moon was below the hills.

Sometimes someone would speak in a boat. But most of the boats were silent except for the dip of the oars. They spread apart after they were out of the mouth of the harbour and each one headed for the part of the ocean where he hoped to find fish. The old man knew he was going far out and he left the smell of the land behind and rowed out into the clean early morning smell of the ocean. He saw the phosphorescence of the Gulf weed in the water as he rowed over the part of the ocean that the fishermen called the great well because there was a sudden deep of seven hundred fathoms where all sorts of fish congregated because of the swirl the current made against the steep walls of the floor of the ocean. Here there were concentrations of shrimp and bait fish and sometimes schools of squid in the deepest holes and these rose close to the surface at night where all the wandering fish fed on them.

In the dark the old man could feel the morning coming and as he rowed he heard the trembling sound as flying fish left the water and the hissing that their stiff set wings made as they soared away in the darkness. He was very fond of flying fish as they were his principal friends on the ocean. He was sorry for the birds, especially the small delicate dark terns that were always flying and looking and almost never finding, and he thought, the birds have a harder life than we do except for the robber birds and the heavy strong ones. Why did they make birds so delicate and fine as those sea swallows when the ocean can be so cruel? She is kind and very beautiful. But she can be so cruel and it comes so suddenly and such birds that fly, dipping and hunting, with their small sad voices are made too delicately for the sea.

He always thought of the sea as la mar which is what people call her in Spanish when they love her. Sometimes those who love her say bad things of her but they are always said as though she were a woman. Some of the younger fishermen, those who used buoys as floats for their lines and had motorboats, bought when the shark livers had brought much money, spoke of her as el mar which is masculine. They spoke of her as a contestant or a place or even an enemy. But the old man always thought of her as feminine and as something that gave or withheld great favours, and if she did wild or wicked things it was because she could not help them. The moon affects her as it does a woman, he thought.

He was rowing steadily and it was no effort for him since he kept well within his speed and the surface of the ocean was flat except for the occasional swirls of the current. He was letting the current do a third of the work and as it started to be light he saw he was already further out than he had hoped to be at this hour.

--