13. 伊愛看龜食海䖳

13. I ài khòaⁿ ku chia̍h hái-thē

I ná khin-khin-á kò, ná khòaⁿ chúi-té, ū chi̍t tīn kap hái-thē ê chhiu kāng sek ê hî-á-kiáⁿ, tī chúi-pho ê ji̍t-iáⁿ ē-bīn siû-lâi siû-khì. In m̄-kiaⁿ i ê to̍k. Lâng tō bē-sái. He chhiu nā pōaⁿ tio̍h soh-á, piàn kiô-sek ê siûⁿ, lāu lâng nā khiú soh-á, chhiú kap chhiú-khiau tō ē khí lēng, chéng koh thiàⁿ, ná bak tio̍h ū-to̍k ê chhiū-tîn. M̄-koh hái-thē ê to̍k-sèng khah kín, ná hō͘ tîn-tiâu sut tio̍h.

Chit chióng chhit-chhái ê chúi-pho chiâⁿ súi. M̄-koh in sī hái ni̍h shiōng ké-sian ê mi̍h-kiāⁿ, lāu lâng ài khòaⁿ tōa hái-ku chia̍h in. Hái-ku nā khòaⁿ tio̍h in, sûi tō tng-bīn óa--khì, ba̍k-chiu kheh-kheh, kiu tī khak ni̍h, liân chhiu kā chia̍h tiāu. Lāu lâng ài khòaⁿ ku chia̍h in, i mā ài tī hong-hō͘ kòe liáu, tī hái-po͘ ta̍h hái-thē, iōng i kiat-lan ê kha-té ta̍h in, thiaⁿ in phok-phok ê siaⁿ.

I kah-ì chheⁿ hái-ku (green turtles) kap tāi-mō͘ (hawk-bill ), in tōng-chok iu-ngá, liú-lia̍h, koh ta̍t-chîⁿ, i khòaⁿ bē-khí tōa koh pūn ê âng hái-ku (loggerhead), in bô-táⁿ kiu khak ni̍h, kau-phòe ê tōng-chok kî-koài, hoaⁿ-hí ba̍k-chiu kheh-kheh chia̍h cheng-bō hái-thē.

I bô jīm-ûi hái-ku ū siáⁿ sîn-pì, sui-jiân i bat chē-chē nî tòe hái-ku chûn. I thè in sim-sng, pau-hâm khak ná hêng-lí siuⁿ, tn̂g ná sió-chûn, tāng ū chi̍t tùn hiah tōa ê ku, i mā khó-liân in. Tōa-pō͘-hūn lâng tùi ku chân-jím, in-ūi ku thâi liáu, chhiat-khui kúi-nā tiám-cheng, i ê sim-chōng iáu ē thiàu. M̄-koh lāu lâng siūⁿ, góa ê sim mā án-ne, góa ê kha-chhiú chhiūⁿ in. I chia̍h ku ê pe̍h nn̄g lâi pó͘ sin-thé. Kui ê gō͘-goe̍h, i lóng ū chia̍h ku-nn̄g, án-ne káu-goe̍h, cha̍p-goe̍h chiah ū kàu ióng, lia̍h chin-chiàⁿ ê tōa hî.

I mā ta̍k-kang lim chi̍t poe soa-hî ê hî-koaⁿ-iû, he té tī chin chē thó-hái-lâng khǹg ke-si ê liâu-á ni̍h, ài lim ê lóng ē-sái khì lim. Tōa pō͘-hūn lâng bô-ài he khì-bī. Tān-sī lim he bē pí thàu-chá khí-chhn̂g khah khùn-lân, hô-hóng lim he ē ī-hông siong-hong kám-mō͘, tùi ba̍k-chiu hó.

Chit-má lāu lâng gia̍h-thâu koh khòaⁿ tio̍h hit chiah chiáu-á tī thiⁿ-téng teh se̍h.

"I ū chhōe tioh hî-á," i hoah chhut-lâi. Bô poe-o͘ chhut chúi-bīn, mā bô sì-sòaⁿ ê sè-bóe hî. Hit sî, chi̍t bóe chhǹg-á chǹg-chhut chúi, tńg sin, koh chai-lo̍h chúi. Chhǹg-á tī ji̍t-kng ē, pe̍h sih-sih, i lo̍h-chúi liáu, chi̍t bóe koh chi̍t bóe sio-liân sì-kè thiàu, ká chúi koh tī sè-bóe hî āu-piah jiok leh thiàu. In kā ûi tio̍h koh kā kóaⁿ.

In nā mài siuⁿ kín, góa tō tòe in, lāu lâng siūⁿ, i koh khòaⁿ hit tīn hî lāng chúi-hoe, chiáu-á chhi̍h-lo̍h, boeh lia̍h kiaⁿ-kah thiàu chúi-bīn ê sè-bóe hî.

"Chiáu-á pang tōa-bâng lah," lāu lâng kóng. Hit sî, chûn-bóe ê soh-á tī i kha-té ta̍h-tio̍h ê hit liàn keng-ân, i kā chiúⁿ khǹg-leh, chhiú tēⁿ soh-á ân-ân, khai-sí khiú-lâi, kám-kak tio̍h sè-bóe chhǹg-á teh liòng ê la̍t. Lú khiú, liòng lú tōa-la̍t, i khòaⁿ ē tio̍h chúi ni̍h hit bóe hî ê nâ-sek hî-phiaⁿ kap kim-sek hî-pak, i hiù--chi̍t-ē, hî-á tō hàiⁿ-lo̍h chûn ni̍h. I tó tī chûn-bóe pha̍k-ji̍t, seⁿ-chò sok-kiat, hêng ná chhèng-chí, nn̄g-lúi gōng-ba̍k tián tōa-tōa, piàⁿ-miā iōng oa̍h-thiàu koh liú-lia̍h ê bóe-liu phi-phi pho̍k-pho̍k phah chûn-pang. Lāu lâng put-jím-sim khòaⁿ i thoa-miā, tō iōng kùn-á kā kòng thâu koh kā thatkhui-khui; hî-sin tī chûn-bóe jia-ńg ē-bīn iáu sī phī-phī chùn.

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13. 伊愛看龜食海䖳

伊 ná 輕輕仔划, ná 看水底, 有一 tīn kap 海䖳 ê 鬚仝色 ê 魚仔囝, tī 水泡 ê 日影下面泅來泅去. In 毋驚伊 ê 毒. 人 tō 袂使. 彼鬚若拌著索仔, 變茄色 ê siûⁿ, 老人 nā 搝索仔, 手 kap 手曲 tō 會起稜, 腫 koh 疼, ná 沐著有毒 ê 樹籐. 毋過海䖳 ê 毒性較緊, ná 予籐條摔著.

這種七彩 ê 水泡誠媠. 毋過 in 是海 ni̍h 上假仙 ê 物件, 老人愛看大海龜食 in. 海龜 nā 看著 in, 隨 tō 當面倚去, 目睭瞌瞌, 勼 tī 殼 ni̍h, 連鬚 kā 食掉. 老人愛看龜食 in, 伊 mā 愛 tī 風雨過了, tī 海埔踏海䖳, 用伊結 lan ê 跤底踏 in, 聽 in phok-phok ê 聲.

伊佮意青海龜 (green turtles) kap 玳瑁 (hawk-bill ), in 動作優雅, 扭掠, koh 值錢, 伊看袂起大 koh 笨 ê 紅海龜 (loggerhead), in 無膽勼殼 ni̍h, 交配 ê 動作奇怪, 歡喜目睭瞌瞌食僧帽海䖳.

伊無認為海龜有啥神秘, 雖然伊 bat 濟濟年綴海龜船. 伊替 in 心酸, 包含殼 ná 行李箱, 長 ná 小船, 重有一噸 hiah 大 ê 龜, 伊 mā 可憐 in. 大部分人對龜殘忍, 因為龜刣了, 切開幾若點鐘, 伊 ê 心臟猶會跳. 毋過老人想, 我 ê 心 mā án-ne, 我 ê 跤手像 in. 伊食龜 ê 白卵來補身體. 規个五月, 伊攏有食龜卵, án-ne 九月, 十月才有夠勇, 掠真正 ê 大魚.

伊 mā 逐工啉一杯鯊魚 ê 魚肝油, 彼貯 tī 真濟討海人囥家私 ê 寮仔 ni̍h, 愛啉 ê 攏會使去啉. 大部份人無愛彼氣味. 但是啉彼袂比透早起床較困難, 何況啉彼會預防傷風感冒, 對目睭好.

這馬老人攑頭 koh 看著彼隻鳥仔 tī 天頂 teh se̍h.

"伊有揣著魚仔," 伊喝出來. 無飛烏出水面, mā 無四散 ê 細尾魚. 彼時, 一尾串仔鑽出水, 轉身, koh 栽落水. 串仔 tī 日光下, 白爍爍, 伊落水了, 一尾 koh 一尾相連四界跳, 絞水 koh tī 細尾魚後壁逐 leh 跳. In kā 圍著 koh kā 趕.

In nā 莫 siuⁿ 緊, 我 tō 綴 in, 老人想, 伊 koh 看彼陣魚弄水花, 鳥仔 chhi̍h 落, 欲掠驚甲跳水面 ê 細尾魚.

"鳥仔幫大忙 lah," 老人講. 彼時, 船尾 ê 索仔 tī 伊跤底踏著 ê 彼輾弓絚, 伊 kā 槳囥 leh, 手捏索仔絚絚, 開始搝來, 感覺著細尾串仔 teh liòng ê 力. 愈搝, liòng 愈大力, 伊看會著水 ni̍h 彼尾魚 ê 藍色魚骿 kap 金色魚腹, 伊 hiù 一下, 魚仔 tō 幌落船 ni̍h. 伊倒 tī 船尾曝日, 生做束結, 形 ná 銃子, 兩蕊戇目展大大, 拚命用活跳 koh 扭掠 ê 尾溜 phi-phi pho̍k-pho̍k 拍船枋. 老人不忍心看伊拖命, tō 用棍仔 kā 摃頭 koh kā 踢開; 魚身 tī 船尾遮蔭下面猶是 phī-phī 顫.

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13.

From where he swung lightly against his oars he looked down into the water and saw the tiny fish that were coloured like the trailing filaments and swam between them and under the small shade the bubble made as it drifted. They were immune to its poison. But men were not and when same of the filaments would catch on a line and rest there slimy and purple while the old man was working a fish, he would have welts and sores on his arms and hands of the sort that poison ivy or poison oak can give. But these poisonings from the agua mala came quickly and struck like a whiplash.

The iridescent bubbles were beautiful. But they were the falsest thing in the sea and the old man loved to see the big sea turtles eating them. The turtles saw them, approached them from the front, then shut their eyes so they were completely carapaced and ate them filaments and all. The old man loved to see the turtles eat them and he loved to walk on them on the beach after a storm and hear them pop when he stepped on them with the horny soles of his feet.

He loved green turtles and hawk-bills with their elegance and speed and their great value and he had a friendly contempt for the huge, stupid loggerheads, yellow in their armour-plating, strange in their love-making, and happily eating the Portuguese men-of-war with their eyes shut.

He had no mysticism about turtles although he had gone in turtle boats for many years. He was sorry for them all, even the great trunk backs that were as long as the skiff and weighed a ton. Most people are heartless about turtles because a turtle’s heart will beat for hours after he has been cut up and butchered. But the old man thought, I have such a heart too and my feet and hands are like theirs. He ate the white eggs to give himself strength. He ate them all through May to be strong in September and October for the truly big fish.

He also drank a cup of shark liver oil each day from the big drum in the shack where many of the fishermen kept their gear. It was there for all fishermen who wanted it. Most fishermen hated the taste. But it was no worse than getting up at the hours that they rose and it was very good against all colds and grippes and it was good for the eyes.

Now the old man looked up and saw that the bird was circling again.

“He’s found fish,” he said aloud. No flying fish broke the surface and there was no scattering of bait fish. But as the old man watched, a small tuna rose in the air, turned and dropped head first into the water. The tuna shone silver in the sun and after he had dropped back into the water another and another rose and they were jumping in all directions, churning the water and leaping in long jumps after the bait. They were circling it and driving it.

If they don’t travel too fast I will get into them, the old man thought, and he watched the school working the water white and the bird now dropping and dipping into the bait fish that were forced to the surface in their panic.

“The bird is a great help,” the old man said. Just then the stern line came taut under his foot, where he had kept a loop of the line, and he dropped his oars and felt tile weight of the small tuna’s shivering pull as he held the line firm and commenced to haul it in. The shivering increased as he pulled in and he could see the blue back of the fish in the water and the gold of his sides before he swung him over the side and into the boat. He lay in the stern in the sun, compact and bullet shaped, his big, unintelligent eyes staring as he thumped his life out against the planking of the boat with the quick shivering strokes of his neat, fast-moving tail. The old man hit him on the head for kindness and kicked him, his body still shuddering, under the shade of the stern.

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