20. 一隻鳥仔飛來小船

20. Chi̍t-chiah chiáu-á poe-lâi sió-chûn

Hi-bōng sī án-ne, i siūⁿ.

Chit sî, chi̍t chiah chiáu-á ùi pak-pêng poe hiòng sió-chûn. He sī chi̍t chiah thî-chiáu (warbler), kē-kē poe tī chúi-bīn. Lāu lâng khòaⁿ ē-chhut, i chin thiám ah.

Chiáu-á thêng tī chûn-bóe hioh-khùn. Jiân-āu i tī lāu lâng thâu-khak téng se̍h, koh thêng tī soh-á, ká-ná khah sù-sī.

"Lí kúi-hòe?" lāu lâng mn̄g chiáu-á. "Che sī lí tē-it kái chhut-mn̂g sioh?"

I kóng-ōe ê sî, chiáu-á khòaⁿ i. I siuⁿ thiám, bô koán soh-á sī án-chóaⁿ, iōng sè-ki kha-jiáu khip tī soh-á, sin-khu iô leh, iô leh.

"He ún lah," lāu lâng kā kóng. "Ún-tak-tak. Cha-àm bô hong bô iô, lí bô eng-kai hiah thiám. Chiáu-á sī án-chóaⁿ?"

Lāu lâng sim-siūⁿ, iáu ū lāi-hio̍h chhut-hái lâi lia̍h in. M̄-koh i bô kā chiáu-á kóng, i hoâiⁿ-ti̍t thiaⁿ-bô, chin kín i tō ē-chai lāi-hio̍h ê lī-hāi lah.

"Hó-hó hioh-khùn leh, chiáu-á," i kóng. "Jiân-āu chiah koh chhut-hoat khì chhōe ki-hōe, ná lâng, ná chiáu, ná hî án-ne."

Chiáu-á hō͘ i hèng kóng-ōe, in-ūi i ê kha-chiah-āu cha-àm lóng ngē ah, ē thiàⁿ.

"Bián sè-jī, lâi tòa goán tau, chiáu ah," i kóng. "Pháiⁿ-sè, góa bē-tàng theⁿ chûn-phâng, chhōa lí sūn-hong tńg-khì. In-ūi góa iáu ū chi̍t ê pêng-iú."

Hit sî, hî-á chhoah chi̍t-ē, kā lāu lâng chhoah-tó tī chûn-thâu, nā m̄-sī i ū chù-ì koh sûi pàng-lēng soh-á, i hiám-á tō poe-chhut chûn.

Soh-á chhoah-tāng ê sî chiáu-á poe-cháu, lāu lâng mā bô khòaⁿ tio̍h i cháu--khui. I iōng chiàⁿ-chhiú kiám-cha soh-á, khòaⁿ tioh chhiú teh lâu-hoeh.

"Tú-chiah tiāⁿ-tio̍h sī i tó-ūi teh thiàⁿ," i kóng chhut-siaⁿ, khiú soh-á khòaⁿ-māi, sī-m̄-sī hî ē tńg-sin. M̄-koh i khiú-kah soh-á boeh tn̄g, tō ún-tēng tī hia, thèⁿ-tiâu soh-á ê khiú-la̍t.

"Lí ē chai thiàⁿ ah hoⁿh, hî ah," i kóng. "Thiⁿ ah, góa mā sī."

I sì-kè chhōe hit chiah chiáu-á, siūⁿ-kóng thang chò-phōaⁿ. Chiáu-á cháu--khì ah.

Lí thêng bô kú, lāu lâng siūⁿ. Kàu hái-hōaⁿ í-chêng, lí boeh khì ê iân-lō͘ lóng chin kan-lân. He hî chhoah chi̍t-ē ná ē siong tio̍h góa? Góa lú-lâi lú-pūn. Nā-bô, góa tō-sī teh khòaⁿ chiáu-á, teh siūⁿ i. Taⁿ góa ài khah choan-sim khang-khòe, koh-lâi góa ài chia̍h hit-bóe chhǹg-á, chiah bē bô khùi-la̍t.

"Gín-á nā tī chia tō hó ah, ū iâm tō hó ah," i tōa siaⁿ kóng.

--

20. 一隻鳥仔飛來小船

希望是 án-ne, 伊想.

這時, 一隻鳥仔 ùi 北爿飛向小船. 彼是一隻啼鳥 (warbler), 低低飛 tī 水面. 老人看會出, 伊真 thiám ah.

鳥仔停 tī 船尾歇睏. 然後伊 tī 老人頭殼頂 se̍h, koh 停 tī 索仔, 敢若較四序.

"你幾歲?" 老人問鳥仔. "這是你第一改出門 sioh?"

伊講話 ê 時, 鳥仔看伊. 伊 siuⁿ thiám, 無管索仔是按怎, 用細支跤爪吸 tī 索仔, 身軀搖 leh, 搖 leh.

"彼穩 lah," 老人 kā 講. "穩觸觸. 昨暗無風無搖, 你無應該 hiah thiám. 鳥仔是按怎?"

老人心想, 猶有 lāi 鴞出海來掠 in. 毋過伊無 kā 鳥仔講, 伊橫直聽無, 真緊伊 tō 會知 lāi 鴞 ê 厲害 lah.

"好好歇睏 leh, 鳥仔," 伊講. "然後才 koh 出發去揣機會, ná 人, ná 鳥, ná 魚 án-ne."

鳥仔予伊興講話, 因為伊 ê 尻脊後昨暗攏硬 ah, 會疼.

"免細膩, 來 tòa 阮兜, 鳥 ah," 伊講. "歹勢, 我袂當撐船帆, chhōa 你順風轉去. 因為我猶有一个朋友."

彼時, 魚仔掣一下, kā 老人掣倒 tī 船頭, 若毋是伊有注意 koh 隨放冗索仔, 伊險仔 tō 飛出船.

索仔掣動 ê 時鳥仔飛走, 老人 mā 無看著伊走開. 伊用正手檢查索仔, 看著手 teh 流血.

"拄才定著是伊佗位 teh 疼," 伊講出聲, 搝索仔看覓, 是毋是魚會轉身. 毋過伊搝甲索仔欲斷, tō 穩定 tī 遐, 牚牢索仔 ê 搝力.

"你會知疼 ah hoⁿh, 魚 ah," 伊講. "天 ah, 我 mā 是."

伊四界揣彼隻鳥仔, 想講通做伴. 鳥仔走去 ah.

你停無久, 老人想. 到海岸以前, 你欲去 ê 沿路攏真艱難. 彼魚掣一下 ná 會傷著我? 我愈來愈笨. Nā 無, 我就是 teh 看鳥仔, teh 想伊. 今我愛較專心工課, 閣來我愛食彼尾串仔, 才袂無氣力.

"囡仔若 tī 遮 tō 好 ah, 有鹽 tō 好 ah," 伊大聲講.

--

20.

Let us hope so, he thought.

A small bird came toward the skiff from the north. He was a warbler and flying very low over the water. The old man could see that he was very tired.

The bird made the stern of the boat and rested there. Then he flew around the old man’s head and rested on the line where he was more comfortable.

“How old are you?” the old man asked the bird. “Is this your first trip?”

The bird looked at him when he spoke. He was too tired even to examine the line and he teetered on it as his delicate feet gripped it fast.

“It’s steady,” the old man told him. “It’s too steady. You shouldn’t be that tired after a windless night. What are birds coming to?”

The hawks, he thought, that come out to sea to meet them. But he said nothing of this to the bird who could not understand him anyway and who would learn about the hawks soon enough.

“Take a good rest, small bird,” he said. “Then go in and take your chance like any man or bird or fish.”

It encouraged him to talk because his back had stiffened in the night and it hurt truly now.

“Stay at my house if you like, bird,” he said. “I am sorry I cannot hoist the sail and take you in with the small breeze that is rising. But I am with a friend.”

Just then the fish gave a sudden lurch that pulled the old man down onto the bow and would have pulled him overboard if he had not braced himself and given some line.

The bird had flown up when the line jerked and the old man had not even seen him go. He felt the line carefully with his right hand and noticed his hand was bleeding.

“Something hurt him then,” he said aloud and pulled back on the line to see if he could turn the fish. But when he was touching the breaking point he held steady and settled back against the strain of the line.

“You’re feeling it now, fish,” he said. “And so, God knows, am I.”

He looked around for the bird now because he would have liked him for company. The bird was gone.

You did not stay long, the man thought. But it is rougher where you are going until you make the shore. How did I let the fish cut me with that one quick pull he made? I must be getting very stupid. Or perhaps I was looking at the small bird and thinking of him. Now I will pay attention to my work and then I must eat the tuna so that I will not have a failure of strength.

“I wish the boy were here and that I had some salt,” he said aloud.

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