27. 有魚著吊

27. Ū hî tio̍h-tiàu

Thiⁿ boeh àm chìn-chêng, in keng-kòe chi̍t tui ná hái-tó ê bé-bóe hái-chháu, hái-chháu tòe hái-chúi phû-tîm iô-tāng, tō ná chhin-chhiūⁿ tōa-hái kap siáⁿ bih tī n̂g-sek thán-á ē-bīn teh chhin-jia̍t, hit-sî sè-tiâu soh-á ū hái-ti-á tio̍h-tiàu, hái-ti-á thiàu chhut chúi, lāu lâng tī chòe-āu ê ji̍t-kng-ē, khòaⁿ tio̍h i kim-sek ê sin-khu tī khong-tiong piàⁿ-miā iô-pái, phiat-tāng. In-ūi kiaⁿ-hiâⁿ, i it-ti̍t thiàu koh thiàu, lāu lâng sóa-khì chûn-bóe, khû-leh, chiàⁿ-chhiú hōaⁿ tōa-tiâu soh-á, iōng tò-chhiú khiú hái-ti-á, khiú lâi ê soh-á tō iōng tò-pêng ê chhiah-kha ta̍h tio̍h. Hî kàu chûn-bóe iáu piàⁿ-miā thiàu-tāng kún-liông, lāu lâng thàm-sin chhut chûn-bóe, kā he ū kiô-sek pan-jiah, kim-sih-sih ê hî khiú chiūⁿ chûn-téng. I ê chhùi ha̍p-leh, ha̍p-leh teh kā tiò-kau, tn̂g-tn̂g píⁿ-píⁿ ê sin-khu hām thâu kap bóe phi̍h-phi̍h pho̍k-pho̍k phah chûn-pang, lāu lâng gia̍h chhâ-kho͘ hám i kim-sek ê thâu, it-ti̍t kàu i chùn-leh, chùn-leh, koh-lâi tiāⁿ--khì bē tín-tāng.

Lāu lâng kā hî-á thoat-kau, kā tiò-soh koh pa̍k pa̍t-bóe un-á chò jī, tìm-lo̍h hái. Jiân-āu i bān-bān sóa tńg chûn-thâu. I sé tò-chhiú liáu, tī khò͘ chhit ta. Koh-lâi kā tāng soh iû chiàⁿ-chhiú kau hō͘ tò-chhiú, tī hái ni̍h sé chiàⁿ-chhiú, chi̍t-bīn khòaⁿ ji̍t-thâu lo̍h-hái, koh khòaⁿ soh-á ê siâ-tō͘.

"I lóng bô piàn," i kóng. M̄-koh khòaⁿ chhiâng chhiú ê chúi-lâu, i chú-ì tio̍h sok-tō͘ piàn bān lah.

"Góa lâi kā nn̄g ki chiúⁿ pa̍k tī chûn-bóe, án-ne hō͘ i e-àm bān lo̍h-lâi," i kóng. "I ē tòng-kòe e-àm, góa mā ē."

Tán leh chiah chheng hái-ti-á ê pak-lāi, hō͘ i ê hoeh chûn tī bah-ni̍h, i siūⁿ. Góa tán-leh chiah chò, sūn-sòa pa̍k chiúⁿ chó͘-tóng sok-tō͘. Taⁿ ji̍t-thâu boeh lo̍h, góa mài-khì kiáu-jiáu i, hō͘ i pêng-chēng. Ji̍t-lo̍h sī hî ê kan-khó͘ sî-chūn. I hō͘ chhiú ta liáu, khì tēⁿ soh-á, kā ka-tī chīn-liōng pàng khin-sang, hiòng chêng tú tio̍h pang pàng hō͘ giú, án-ne chûn ê siū-la̍t kap i pêⁿ tōa, sīm-chì khah tōa.

Góa tng-teh o̍h án-chóaⁿ oa̍h-lo̍h, i siūⁿ. Chit pō͘-hūn chin iàu-kín. Kāng-khoán, kì tio̍h, tio̍h-tiàu liáu i tō lóng bô chia̍h, i hiah tōa-khian, su-iàu chin chē si̍t-bu̍t. Góa ū chia̍h chi̍t bóe chhǹg-á. Bîn-á-chài góa chia̍h hái-ti-á (i iōng Sepanga-gí kóng he sī 'kim-sek-hî [dorado]'). He pí chhǹg-á khah pháiⁿ-chia̍h. Hoâiⁿ-ti̍t, tāi-chì tō-sī án-ne.

"Hî ah, lí án-chóaⁿ?" i tōa siaⁿ mn̄g. "Góa chiâⁿ hó, góa ê tò-chhiú hó ah, góa ū chi̍t mê koh chi̍t kang ê si̍t-bu̍t. Hó-hó thoa chûn lah, hî ah."

Sū-si̍t i pēng bô hó, in-ūi kha-chiah-phiaⁿ ah soh-á ê thiàⁿ í-keng piàn bâ, che i bô hòng-sim. M̄-koh góa bat tú-kòe pí che khah khó͘ ê tāi-chì, i án-ne siūⁿ.

Góa ê chhiú chí-sī koah siong, iáu chi̍t chhiú kiù-kin hó ah. Góa siang-kha hó-hó. Taⁿ, pí si̍t-bu̍t góa mā iâⁿ i.

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27. 有魚著吊

天欲暗進前, in 經過一堆 ná 海島 ê 馬尾海草, 海草綴海水浮沉搖動, tō ná 親像大海 kap 啥 bih tī 黃色毯仔下面 teh 親熱, 彼時細條索仔有海豬仔著吊, 海豬仔跳出水, 老人 tī 最後 ê 日光下, 看著伊金色 ê 身軀 tī 空中拚命搖擺, 撇動. 因為驚惶, 伊一直跳 koh 跳, 老人徙去船尾, khû leh, 正手 hōaⁿ 大條索仔, 用倒手搝海豬仔, 搝來 ê 索仔 tō 用倒爿 ê 赤跤踏著. 魚到船尾猶拚命跳動滾龍, 老人探身出船尾, kā 彼有茄色斑跡, 金爍爍 ê 魚搝上船頂. 伊 ê 喙合 leh, 合 leh teh 咬釣鉤, 長長扁扁 ê 身軀和頭 kap 尾 phi̍h-phi̍h pho̍k-pho̍k 拍船枋, 老人攑柴箍撼伊金色 ê 頭, 一直到伊顫 leh, 顫 leh, 閣來定去袂振動.

老人 kā 魚仔脫鉤, kā 釣索 koh 縛別尾鰮仔做餌, 沉落海. 然後伊慢慢徙轉船頭. 伊洗倒手了, tī 褲拭焦. 閣來 kā 重索由正手交予倒手, tī 海 ni̍h 洗正手, 一面看日頭落海, koh 看索仔 ê 斜度.

"伊攏無變," 伊講. 毋過看沖手 ê 水流, 伊注意著速度變慢 lah.

"我來 kā 兩支槳縛 tī 船尾, án-ne 予伊下暗慢落來," 伊講. "伊會擋過下暗, 我 mā 會."

等 leh 才清海豬仔 ê 腹內, 予伊 ê 血存 tī 肉 ni̍h, 伊想. 我等 leh 才做, 順紲縛槳阻擋速度. Taⁿ 日頭欲落, 我莫去攪擾伊, 予伊平靜. 日落是魚 ê 艱苦時陣. 伊予手焦了, 去捏索仔, kā 家己盡量放輕鬆, 向前拄著枋放予搝, án-ne 船 ê 受力 kap 伊平大, 甚至較大.

我 tng-teh 學按怎活落, 伊想. 這部份真要緊. 仝款, 記著, 著吊了伊 tō 攏無食, 伊 hiah 大圈, 需要真濟食物. 我有食一尾串仔. 明仔載我食海豬仔 (伊用 Sepanga 語講彼是 '金色魚 [dorado]'). 彼比串仔較歹食. 橫直, 代誌就是 án-ne.

"魚 ah, 你按怎?" 伊大聲問. "我誠好, 我 ê 倒手好 ah, 我有一暝 koh 一工 ê 食物. 好好拖船 lah, 魚 ah."

事實伊並無好, 因為尻脊骿壓索仔 ê 疼已經變麻, 這伊無放心. 毋過我 bat 拄過比這較苦 ê 代誌, 伊 án-ne 想.

我 ê 手只是割傷, 猶一手糾筋好 ah. 我雙跤好好. 今, 比食物我 mā 贏伊.

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27.

Just before it was dark, as they passed a great island of Sargasso weed that heaved and swung in the light sea as though the ocean were making love with something under a yellow blanket, his small line was taken by a dolphin. He saw it first when it jumped in the air, true gold in the last of the sun and bending and flapping wildly in the air. It jumped again and again in the acrobatics of its fear and he worked his way back to the stern and crouching and holding the big line with his right hand and arm, he pulled the dolphin in with his left hand, stepping on the gained line each time with his bare left foot. When the fish was at the stern, plunging and cutting from side to side in desperation, the old man leaned over the stern and lifted the burnished gold fish with its purple spots over the stern. Its jaws were working convulsively in quick bites against the hook and it pounded the bottom of the skiff with its long flat body, its tail and its head until he clubbed it across the shining golden head until it shivered and was still.

The old man unhooked the fish, re-baited the line with another sardine and tossed it over. Then he worked his way slowly back to the bow. He washed his left hand and wiped it on his trousers. Then he shifted the heavy line from his right hand to his left and washed his right hand in the sea while he watched the sun go into the ocean and the slant of the big cord.

“He hasn’t changed at all,” he said. But watching the movement of the water against his hand he noted that it was perceptibly slower.

“I’ll lash the two oars together across the stern and that will slow him in the night,” he said. “He’s good for the night and so am I.”

It would be better to gut the dolphin a little later to save the blood in the meat, he thought. I can do that a little later and lash the oars to make a drag at the same time. I had better keep the fish quiet now and not disturb him too much at sunset. The setting of the sun is a difficult time for all fish. He let his hand dry in the air then grasped the line with it and eased himself as much as he could and allowed himself to be pulled forward against the wood so that the boat took the strain as much, or more, than he did.

I’m learning how to do it, he thought. This part of it anyway. Then too, remember he hasn’t eaten since he took the bait and he is huge and needs much food. I have eaten the whole bonito. Tomorrow I will eat the dolphin. He called it dorado. Perhaps I should eat some of it when I clean it. It will be harder to eat than the bonito. But, then, nothing is easy.

“How do you feel, fish?” he asked aloud. “I feel good and my left hand is better and I have food for a night and a day. Pull the boat, fish.”

He did not truly feel good because the pain from the cord across his back had almost passed pain and gone into a dullness that he mistrusted. But I have had worse things than that, he thought.

My hand is only cut a little and the cramp is gone from the other. My legs are all right. Also now I have gained on him in the question of sustenance.

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