24. 伊開始祈禱

24. I khai-sí kî-tó

I sù-sī sù-sī khò tī pang, kan-khó͘ ê sî tō jím leh, hî ûn-ûn-á siû, chûn bān-bān kiâⁿ-kòe àm-àm ê chúi. Tang pêng lâi ê hong chhoe khí chi̍t-chūn sió pho-lōng, tiong-tàu ê sî, lāu lâng ê tò-chhiú bô koh kiù-kin ah.

"Lí ê pháiⁿ siau-sit, hî ah," i kóng, sóa tāng teh tī keng-thâu tē-á téng ê soh-á.

Ū khah khùiⁿ-oa̍h, m̄-koh iáu sī kan-khó͘, chóng-sī i m̄-sêng-jīn he sī kan-khó͘.

"Góa bô sìn-kàu," i kóng, "Boeh lia̍h chit bóe hî, góa ē liām cha̍p piàn ê Chú ê Kî-tó-bûn kap cha̍p piàn ê Sèng-bó Keng, nā lia̍h tio̍h i, góa ē khì pài Kobre Sèng-bó hêng-goān. He sī hē-goān."

I khai-sí kî-tó, ná ke-khì leh. Ū-sî siuⁿ thiám, bē-kì-tit keng-bûn, tō pàng kín se̍h-se̍h liām, hō͘ chū-tōng liām-chhut. Sèng-bó Keng pí Chú ê Kî-tó-bûn khah kan-tan, i siūⁿ.

Bān-hok Maria, Lí chhiong-móa Sèng-ài. Chú kap Lí tông-chāi. Lí tī hū-lú tiong hông o-ló, Lí ê chhin-kiaⁿ Iâ-so͘ mā hông o-ló. Thian-chú Sèng-bó Maria, kiû Lí taⁿ hām goán sí ê sî, ūi goán chōe-jîn kî-kiû Thian-chú. Amen. I koh ke chi̍t kù, "Siū o-ló ê Sèng-bó, chhiáⁿ ūi chit bóe hî ê sí kî-tó. Chóng-sī i chin liáu-put-khí."

Kî-tó liáu, ū kám-kak khah hó, m̄-koh iáu-sī kan-khó͘, hoān-sè koh-khah khó͘, i khò tī chûn-thâu pang, áu i tò-chhiú ê chéng-thâu-á, ná ke-khì án-ne.

Sui-bóng ū khin-hong chhoe khí, ji̍t-thâu sio-ho-ho.

"Góa chòe-hó kā tī chûn-bóe ê sè-tiâu soh-á koh pa̍k jī." i kóng. "Hî nā boeh koh bih chi̍t àm, góa tio̍h ài chia̍h, koàn-á ê chúi mā chhun bô chē ah. Chia tî-liáu lia̍h hái-ti-á, siáⁿ lóng bô. M̄-koh thàn chhiⁿ chia̍h mā bē-bái. Hi-bōng e-àm ū poe-o͘ thiàu chiūⁿ-chûn. Khó-sioh góa bô hóe thang siâⁿ in. Poe-o͘ chheⁿ-chia̍h siōng hó, liân thâi to m̄-bián. Góa taⁿ ài pó-chhî thé-la̍t. Thiⁿ ah, góa chi̍t khai-sí m̄-chai i hiah tōa."

"Hoâiⁿ-ti̍t góa ài thâi i," i kóng. "m̄-koán i gōa tōa, gōa liáu-put-khí."

Sui-jiân án-ne sī bô kong-pêng, i siūⁿ. M̄-koh góa ài hō͘ chai, cha-po͘-kiáⁿ ū gōa gâu, gōa nāi-chhau.

"Góa kā gín-á kóng, góa sī koài-ló-chú," i kóng. "Taⁿ góa ài lâi chèng-bêng."

Kòe-khì chheng-gōa pái ê chèng-bêng lóng bô sǹg. Taⁿ i boeh koh chèng-bêng. Ta̍k kái lóng sī sin ê chi̍t kái, chèng-bêng ê sî i bô teh siūⁿ kòe-khì.

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24. 伊開始祈禱

伊四序四序靠 tī 枋, 艱苦 ê 時 tō 忍 leh, 魚勻勻仔泅, 船慢慢行過暗暗 ê 水. 東爿來 ê 風吹起一陣小波浪, 中晝 ê 時, 老人 ê 倒手無 koh 糾筋 ah.

"你 ê 歹消息, 魚 ah," 伊講, sóa 動 teh tī 肩頭袋仔頂 ê 索仔.

有較快活, 毋過猶是艱苦, 總是伊毋承認彼是艱苦.

"我無信教," 伊講, "欲掠這尾魚, 我會念十遍 ê 主 ê 祈禱文 kap 十遍 ê 聖母經, 若掠著伊, 我會去拜 Kobre 聖母還願. 彼是下願."

伊開始祈禱, ná 機器 leh. 有時傷 thiám, 袂記得經文, tō 放緊 se̍h-se̍h 念, 予自動念出. 聖母經比主 ê 祈禱文較簡單, 伊想.

"萬福 Maria, 妳充滿聖愛. 主 kap 妳同在. 妳 tī 婦女中 hông o-ló, 妳的親囝耶穌 mā hông o-ló. 天主聖母 Maria, 求妳今和阮死 ê 時, 為阮罪人祈求天主. Amen." 伊 koh 加一句, "受 o-ló ê 聖母, 請為這尾魚 ê 死祈禱. 總是伊真了不起."

祈禱了, 有感覺較好, 毋過猶是艱苦, 凡勢閣較苦, 伊靠 tī 船頭枋, 一支一支拗伊倒手 ê 指頭仔, ná 機器 án-ne.

雖罔有輕風吹起, 日頭燒 ho-ho.

"我最好 kā tī 船尾 ê 細條索仔 koh 縛餌." 伊講. "魚若欲 koh bih 一暗, 我著愛食, 罐仔 ê 水 mā 賰無濟 ah. 遮除了掠海豬仔, 啥攏無. 毋過趁鮮食 mā 袂䆀. 希望下暗有飛烏跳上船. 可惜我無火通唌 in. 飛烏生食上好, 連刣都毋免. 我今愛保持體力. 天 ah, 我一開始毋知伊 hiah 大."

"橫直我愛刣伊," 伊講. "毋管伊偌大, 偌了不起."

雖然 án-ne 是無公平, 伊想. 毋過我愛予知, 查埔囝有偌 gâu, 偌耐操.

"我 kā 囡仔講, 我是怪老子," 伊講. "今我愛來證明."

過去千偌擺 ê 證明攏無算. 今伊欲 koh 證明. 逐改攏是新 ê 一改, 證明 ê 時伊無 teh 想過去.

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24.

He settled comfortably against the wood and took his suffering as it came and the fish swam steadily and the boat moved slowly through the dark water. There was a small sea rising with the wind coming up from the east and at noon the old man’s left hand was uncramped.

“Bad news for you, fish,” he said and shifted the line over the sacks that covered his shoulders.

He was comfortable but suffering, although he did not admit the suffering at all.

“I am not religious,” he said. “But I will say ten Our Fathers and ten Hail Marys that I should catch this fish, and I promise to make a pilgrimage to the Virgin of Cobre if I catch him. That is a promise.”

He commenced to say his prayers mechanically. Sometimes he would be so tired that he could not remember the prayer and then he would say them fast so that they would come automatically. Hail Marys are easier to say than Our Fathers, he thought.

“Hail Mary full of Grace the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen.” Then he added, “Blessed Virgin, pray for the death of this fish. Wonderful though he is.”

With his prayers said, and feeling much better, but suffering exactly as much, and perhaps a little more, he leaned against the wood of the bow and began, mechanically, to work the fingers of his left hand.

The sun was hot now although the breeze was rising gently.

“I had better re-bait that little line out over the stern,” he said. “If the fish decides to stay another night I will need to eat again and the water is low in the bottle. I don’t think I can get anything but a dolphin here. But if I eat him fresh enough he won’t be bad. I wish a flying fish would come on board tonight. But I have no light to attract them. A flying fish is excellent to eat raw and I would not have to cut him up. I must save all my strength now. Christ, I did not know he was so big.”

“I’ll kill him though,” he said. “In all his greatness and his glory.”

Although it is unjust, he thought. But I will show him what a man can do and what a man endures.

“I told the boy I was a strange old man,” he said. “Now is when I must prove it.”

The thousand times that he had proved it meant nothing. Now he was proving it again. Each time was a new time and he never thought about the past when he was doing it.

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