18. 伊用刀 kā 索仔切斷

18. I iōng to kā soh-á chhiat-tng

I ē-kì-tit ū chi̍t kái, i tiò tio̍h chi̍t tùi kî-hî kî-tiong chi̍t bóe. Hî-kang lóng niū bó--ê seng chia̍h, chū án-ne bó--ê tio̍h-tiàu, tōa-la̍t, piàⁿ-miā kún-liông, chin kín tō bô khùi-la̍t, kang--ê it-ti̍t pôe-phōaⁿ i, tī chúi-bīn iû-kòe soh-á, tī hî-bó sì-chiu se̍h kho͘-á. Hî-kang siû-kah siuⁿ óa, lāu lâng khióng-kiaⁿ i ē iōng he hêng-chōng, tōa-sió ná phut-to (scythe), koh hiah lāi ê bóe-liu sut-tn̄g soh-á. Lāu lâng tō iōng hî-kau kā hî-bó kau óa, lia̍h tio̍h i ná soa-chóa hiah chho͘ ê chiam-chhùi, it-ti̍t iōng kùn-á kā hám thâu-khak, kòng-kah i pe̍h-chhi-chhi, ná kiàⁿ āu-bīn ê chúi-gîn, hit-sî ū gín-á pang-bâng, kā khiú chiūⁿ-chûn, hit chiah kang--ê iáu sī lâu tī chûn-piⁿ bô cháu. Lāu lâng tng-teh chéng-lí soh-á, chún-pī hî-chhiuⁿ ê sî, hî-kang tī chûn-piⁿ thiàu-koân, khòaⁿ bó--ê tī toh, jiân-āu chhàng-ji̍p chhim-chúi, i nn̄g-pêng ê chhián kiô-sek ê ná si̍t ê kî tián-khui, hiàn-chhut kui-sin chhián kiô-sek ê tiâu-bûn. I chiâⁿ súi, lāu lâng ē-kì-tit, i it-ti̍t lóng lâu--lo̍h-lâi.

He sī góa khòaⁿ-kòe siōng siong-sim ê tāi-chì, lāu lâng án-ne siūⁿ. Gín-á mā siong-sim, goán chhiáⁿ hî-bó goân-liōng, chin kín tō kā thâi.

"Gín-á tī chia tō hó ah," i kóng chhut-siaⁿ, phak tī chûn-thâu phok--khí-lâi ê pang, kám-kak phōa tī keng-thâu ê soh-á ū hî teh khiú ê la̍t-thâu, ún-tēn hiòng i soán ê só͘-chāi kiâⁿ-khì.

In-ūi góa ū chhòng-pō͘, só͘-í i ài soán-te̍k, lāu lâng siūⁿ.

I goân-pún ê soán-te̍k sī lâu tī àm bong-bong ê chhim-chúi ni̍h, bô ki-koan, bô khoan-thò, mā bô chhòng-pō͘ ê só͘-chāi. Góa ê soán-te̍k sī lâi bô lâng lâi ê chia. Choân sè-kài bô lâng lâi. Taⁿ goán chò-hóe ah, tiong-tàu tō khai-sí ah. Góa kap i lóng bô lâng pang-bâng.

Khó-lêng góa bô èng-kai thó-hái, i siūⁿ. M̄-koh che sī góa chù-tiāⁿ ê. Góa m̄-thang bē-kì-tit thiⁿ-kng ê sî chia̍h hit bóe chhǹg-á.

Thiⁿ boeh-kng chêng, i āu-piah ê jī ū mi̍h-á teh chia̍h. I thiaⁿ-tio̍h tiàu-koaiⁿ tn̄g--khì, soh-á khai-sí ùi chûn-kîⁿ it-ti̍t liu--chhut-khì. O͘-àm tiong, i ùi to-siò thiu-chhut sió-to, tò-keng thèⁿ-āu kēng hî ê bán-la̍t, thiap chûn-kîⁿ ê chhâ kā soh-á chhiat-tn̄g. Koh-lâi, i mā chhiat-tn̄g lī i siōng kīn ê iáu chi̍t tiâu soh-á, tī o͘-àm tiong kā chit nn̄g khún ê soh-á thâu kat chò-hóe. I liú-lia̍h ê iōng ko͘-chhiú kat, khiú soh-á kat ê sî, iōng kha ta̍h soh-á khún. Taⁿ i ū la̍k khún ê pī-iōng soh-á. I pàng ê múi chi̍t ê jī lóng ū nn̄g khún, hî chia̍h khì ê chit ê jī mā ū nn̄g khún, la̍k khún soh-á lóng chiap--khí-lâi ah.

Thiⁿ-kng liáu, i siūⁿ, góa ài lâi chhú-lí tī sì-cha̍p siâm ê hit ê jī, mā kā koah-tiāu, soh-á chiap khì pī-iōng khún. Góa ē sún-sit nn̄g-pah siâm ê chin hó ê Katalonia soh-á kap tiò-kau hām thih-sòaⁿ kho͘-á. Che koh-bé tō ū. Nā tiò tio̍h pa̍t-bóe hî, hut tn̄g soh-á, hāi taⁿ chit-bóe cháu--khì, siáng pôe góa ah? Góa m̄-chai tú-chiah chia̍h jī hit bóe sī siáⁿ. Ū khó-lêng sī kî-hî, a̍h-sī kiàm-hî (broadbill), a̍h-sī soa-hî. Góa lóng bô kha̍p-tioh, tō kín-kín kā hìⁿ-sak ah.

I koh tōa siaⁿ kóng, "Gín-á nā tī chia tō hó lah."

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18. 伊用刀 kā 索仔切斷

伊會記得有一改, 伊釣著一對旗魚其中一尾. 魚公攏讓母 ê 先食, 自 án-ne 母 ê 著吊, 大力, 拚命滾龍, 真緊 tō 無氣力, 公 ê 一直陪伴伊, tī 水面游過索仔, tī 魚母四周 se̍h 箍仔. 魚公泅甲 siuⁿ 倚, 老人恐驚伊會用彼形狀, 大小 ná phut-to (scythe), koh hiah 利 ê 尾溜摔斷索仔. 老人 tō 用魚勾 kā 魚母勾倚, 掠著伊 ná 沙紙 hiah 粗 ê 尖喙, 一直用棍仔 kā 撼頭殼, 摃甲伊白 chhi-chhi, 若鏡後面 ê 水銀, 彼時有囡仔幫忙, kā 搝上船, 彼隻公 ê 猶是留 tī 船邊無走. 老人當 teh 整理索仔, 準備魚槍 ê 時, 魚公 tī 船邊跳懸, 看母 ê tī toh, 然後藏入深水, 伊兩爿 ê 淺茄色 ê 若翼 ê 鰭展開, 現出規身淺茄色 ê 條紋. 伊誠媠, 老人會記得, 伊一直攏留落來.

彼是我看過上傷心 ê 代誌, 老人 án-ne 想. 囡仔 mā 傷心, 阮請魚母原諒, 真緊 tō kā 刣.

"囡仔 tī 遮 tō 好 ah," 伊講出聲, 仆 tī 船頭噗起來 ê 枋, 感覺袚 tī 肩頭 ê 索仔有魚 teh 搝 ê 力頭, 穩定向伊選 ê 所在行去.

因為我有創步, 所以伊愛選擇, 老人想.

伊原本 ê 選擇是留 tī 暗摸摸 ê 深水 ni̍h, 無機關, 無圈套, mā 無創步 ê 所在. 我 ê 選擇是來無人來 ê 遮. 全世界無人來. 今阮做伙 ah, 中晝 tō 開始 ah. 我 kap 伊攏無人幫忙.

可能我無應該討海, 伊想. 毋過這是我註定 ê. 我毋通袂記得天光 ê 時食彼尾串仔.

天欲光前, 伊後壁 ê 餌有 mi̍h-á teh 食. 伊聽著釣杆斷去, 索仔開始 ùi 船墘一直溜出去. 烏暗中, 伊 ùi 刀鞘抽出小刀, 倒肩 thèⁿ 後弓魚 ê 挽力, thiap 船墘 ê 柴 kā 索仔切斷. 閣來, 伊 mā 切斷離伊上近 ê 猶一條索仔, tī 烏暗中 kā 這兩捆 ê 索仔頭結做伙. 伊扭掠 ê 用孤手結, 搝索仔結 ê 時, 用跤踏索仔捆. 今伊有六捆 ê 備用索仔. 伊放 ê 每一个餌攏有兩捆, 魚食去 ê 這个餌 mā 有兩捆, 六捆索仔攏接起來 ah.

天光了, 伊想, 我愛來處理 tī 四十尋 ê 彼个餌, mā kā 割掉, 索仔接去備用捆. 我會損失兩百尋 ê 真好 ê Katalonia 索仔 kap 釣鉤和鐵線箍仔. 這 koh 買 tō 有. 若釣著別尾魚, hut 斷索仔, 害今這尾走去, siáng 賠我 ah? 我毋知拄才食餌彼尾是啥. 有可能是旗魚, 抑是劍魚 (broadbill), 抑是鯊魚. 我攏無磕著, tō 緊緊 kā 挕捒 ah.

伊 koh 大聲講, "囡仔若 tī 遮 tō 好 lah."

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18.

He remembered the time he had hooked one of a pair of marlin. The male fish always let the female fish feed first and the hooked fish, the female, made a wild, panic-stricken, despairing fight that soon exhausted her, and all the time the male had stayed with her, crossing the line and circling with her on the surface. He had stayed so close that the old man was afraid he would cut the line with his tail which was sharp as a scythe and almost of that size and shape. When the old man had gaffed her and clubbed her, holding the rapier bill with its sandpaper edge and dubbing her across the top of her head until her colour turned to a colour almost like the backing of mirrors, and then, with the boy’s aid, hoisted her aboard, the male fish had stayed by the side of the boat. Then, while the old man was clearing the lines and preparing the harpoon, the male fish jumped high into the air beside the boat to see where the female was and then went down deep, his lavender wings, that were his pectoral fins, spread wide and all his wide lavender stripes showing. He was beautiful, the old man remembered, and he had stayed.

That was the saddest thing I ever saw with them, the old man thought. The boy was sad too and we begged her pardon and butchered her promptly.

“I wish the boy was here,” he said aloud and settled himself against the rounded planks of the bow and felt the strength of the great fish through the line he held across his shoulders moving steadily toward whatever he had chosen.

When once, through my treachery, it had been necessary to him to make a choice, the old man thought.

His choice had been to stay in the deep dark water far out beyond all snares and traps and treacheries. My choice was to go there to find him beyond all people. Beyond all people in the world. Now we are joined together and have been since noon. And no one to help either one of us.

Perhaps I should not have been a fisherman, he thought. But that was the thing that I was born for. I must surely remember to eat the tuna after it gets light.

Some time before daylight something took one of the baits that were behind him. He heard the stick break and the line begin to rush out over the gunwale of the skiff. In the darkness he loosened his sheath knife and taking all the strain of the fish on his left shoulder he leaned back and cut the line against the wood of the gunwale. Then he cut the other line closest to him and in the dark made the loose ends of the reserve coils fast. He worked skillfully with the one hand and put his foot on the coils to hold them as he drew his knots tight. Now he had six reserve coils of line. There were two from each bait he had severed and the two from the bait the fish had taken and they were all connected.

After it is light, he thought, I will work back to the forty-fathom bait and cut it away too and link up the reserve coils. I will have lost two hundred fathoms of good Catalan cardel and the hooks and leaders. That can be replaced. But who replaces this fish if I hook some fish and it cuts him off? I don’t know what that fish was that took the bait just now. It could have been a marlin or a broadbill or a shark. I never felt him. I had to get rid of him too fast.

Aloud he said, “I wish I had the boy.”

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