41. 我真歹勢, 魚 ah

41. Góa chin pháiⁿ-sè, hî ah

Lēng-gōa chi̍t-bóe soa-hî iáu teh hàu-ko͘ tōa-hî, chûn mā hō͘ pìⁿ-kah iô-lâi iô khì. Lāu lâng pàng-khui chûn-phâng, chûn se̍h chi̍t-ē sin, soa-hî tō ùi ē-bīn hiàn-sin ah. I khòaⁿ tio̍h soa-hî, sûi tō àⁿ-sin kàu chûn-piⁿ kā tu̍h. I kan-ta kha̍p tio̍h i ê lūn-phôe, to chhah bē ji̍p-khì. Tu̍h ê la̍t put-chí hō͘ i siang-chhiú thiàⁿ, keng-thâu mā án-ne. M̄-koh soa-hî sûi koh óa-lâi, thâu chhun-chhut chúi-bīn, lāu lâng tī i phīⁿ phû-chhut chúi-bīn khì kha̍p tōa-hî ê sî, sì-sì-chiàⁿ-chiàⁿ tī i pêⁿ-pêⁿ ê thâu-khak téng tiong-sim kā tu̍h-lo̍h. Lāu lâng thiu-to, koh chi̍t-kái kā tu̍h kāng-ūi. Soa-hî chhùi iáu kā tio̍h tōa-hî, lāu lâng koh kā tu̍h tò-pêng ê ba̍k-chiu. Soa-hî kā leh m̄-pàng.

"M̄-pàng?" lāu lâng kóng, kā to tu̍h tī liông-kut kap náu ê tiong-kan. Chit ūi chi̍t tu̍h tō ji̍p, i kám-kak tio̍h he nńg-kut tn̄g-khì ah. Lāu lâng kā chiúⁿ péng-bīn, kā to chhah-ji̍p soa-hî ê chhùi, kā keng-khui. I kā to-phìⁿ se̍h-tāng, hit-sî soa-hî pàng-khui, i kóng, "Hó lah, hoe-phôe. Liu-lo̍h chi̍t mai chhim, khì chhōe lín pêng-iú, hoān-sè sī lín lāu-bú."

Lāu lâng kā to-sin chhit chheng-khì, kā chiúⁿ khǹg-lo̍h. I koh pa̍k chûn-phâng, chia̍h hong tīⁿ-tīⁿ, khui-chûn koh chiūⁿ-lō͘.

"It-tēng khì hō͘ chit nn̄g-ê hut-tiāu sì-hun-chi-it siōng hó ê bah, " i tōa-siaⁿ kóng. "Tān-goān che sī bîn-bāng, góa bô tiò tio̍h i. Góa chin pháiⁿ-sè, hî ah. Ta̍k-hāng lóng hut bē sūn-sī." I thêng chhùi, taⁿ i m̄-ài khòaⁿ hî. Hoeh lâu chīn, koh phàu-chúi, i ná kiàⁿ-té ê chúi-gîn, i ê tiâu-bûn iáu khòaⁿ-ū.

"Góa goân-pún m̄-bián hiah chhut-khì, hî ah," i kóng. "Lí mā m̄-bián, góa mā m̄-bián. Góa chin pháiⁿ-sè, hî ah."

Taⁿ i ka-tī kóng-ōe. Kín kiám-cha khòaⁿ to pa̍k ū-ân bô, pa̍k ê ūi ū tn̄g-khì bô. Chhiú chún-pī hó, iáu ū koh-khah chē ē lâi.

"Nā ū chio̍h-thâu thang bôa to tō hó," kiám-cha liáu pa̍k tī chiúⁿ-pèⁿ ê to, lāu lâng kóng. "Chá chai tō chah chi̍t lia̍p chio̍h-thâu." Chin chē mi̍h-kiāⁿ lóng ài chah, i siūⁿ. M̄-koh lí lóng bô chah, lāu--ê. Taⁿ mài siūⁿ lí khiàm--ê, siūⁿ án-chóaⁿ lī-iōng lí í-keng ū--ê.

"Lí kóng liáu chin tio̍h," i tōa-siaⁿ kóng. "Góa oa̍h boeh hoân--sí."

I kā tōa-pèⁿ gia̍p tī koè-lang-kha, chûn ná kiâⁿ, i ê siang-chhiú ná phàu-chúi. "Thiⁿ-kong chiah chai, siōng āu-piah hit-bóe hàu-ko͘ gōa-chē khì." i kóng.

"M̄-koh taⁿ chûn khah khin ah." I m̄-ài khì siūⁿ tōa-hî hông thiah-tiaū ê ē-bīn. I chai, soa-hî múi-kaí ê chhoah-tāng lóng sī thiah-cháu tōa-hî ê bah, taⁿ tōa-hî ê hiàn keng-kòe ê lō͘-sòaⁿ, tō ná só͘-ū soa-hî tī hái ni̍h ê tōa bé-lō͘.

Chit bóe hî ū-kàu chi̍t-ê lâng kòe chi̍t-ê kôaⁿ-thiⁿ, i siūⁿ. Mài koh siūⁿ lah. Hó-hó hioh-khùn, siang-chhiú chún-pī hó, kò͘ hó chhun ê hî-bah. Góa chhiú lâu hoeh ê hiàn kap kui-hái ê hiàn pí--khí-lâi bô siáⁿ lah. Hô-hóng taⁿ mā bô án-chóaⁿ lâu-hoeh. Khang-chhùi bô chin giâm-tiōng. Lâu-hoeh hoān-sè tò-chhiú tō bē kiù-kin.

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41. 我真歹勢, 魚 ah

另外一尾鯊魚猶 teh 孝孤大魚, 船 mā 予 pìⁿ-kah 搖來搖去. 老人放開船帆, 船 se̍h 一下身, 鯊魚 tō ùi 下面現身 ah. 伊看著鯊魚, 隨 tō àⁿ 身到船邊 kā tu̍h. 伊干焦磕著伊 ê 韌皮, 刀插袂入去. Tu̍h ê 力不止予伊雙手疼, 肩頭 mā án-ne. 毋過鯊魚隨 koh 倚來, 頭伸出水面, 老人 tī 伊鼻浮出水面去磕大魚 ê 時, 四四正正 tī 伊平平 ê 頭殼頂中心 kā tu̍h 落. 老人抽刀, koh 一改 kā tu̍h 仝位. 鯊魚喙猶咬著大魚, 老人 koh kā tu̍h 倒爿 ê 目睭. 鯊魚咬 leh 毋放.

"毋放?" 老人講, kā 刀 tu̍h tī 龍骨 kap 腦 ê 中間. 這位一 tu̍h tō 入, 伊感覺著彼軟骨斷去 ah. 老人 kā 槳 péng 面, kā 刀插入鯊魚 ê 喙, kā 弓開. 伊 kā 刀身 se̍h 動, 彼時鯊魚放開, 伊講, "好 lah, 花皮. 溜落一 mai 深, 去揣恁朋友, 凡勢是恁老母."

老人 kā 刀身拭清氣, kā 槳囥落. 伊 koh 縛前帆, 食風 tīⁿ-tīⁿ, 開船 koh 上路.

"一定去予這兩个 hut 掉四分之一上好 ê 肉, " 伊大聲講. "但願這是眠夢, 我無釣著伊. 我真歹勢, 魚 ah. 逐項攏 hut 袂順序." 伊停喙, 今伊毋愛看魚. 血流盡, koh 泡水, 伊 ná 鏡底 ê 水銀, 伊 ê 條紋猶看有.

"我原本毋免 hiah 出去, 魚 ah," 伊講. "你 mā 毋免, 我 mā 毋免. 我真歹勢, 魚 ah."

今伊家己講話. 緊檢查看刀縛有絚無, 縛 ê 位有斷去無. 手準備好, 猶有閣較濟會來.

"若有石頭通磨刀 tō 好," 檢查了縛 tī 槳柄 ê 刀, 老人講. "早知 tō 扎一粒石頭." 真濟物件攏愛扎, 伊想. 毋過你攏無扎, 老 ê. 今莫想你欠 ê, 想按怎利用你已經有 ê.

"你講了真著," 伊大聲講. "我活欲煩死."

伊 kā 舵柄挾 tī koè-lang-kha, 船 ná 行, 伊 ê 雙手 ná 泡水. "天公才知, 上後壁彼尾孝孤偌濟去." 伊講.

"毋過今船較輕 ah." 伊毋愛去想大魚 hông 拆掉 ê 下面. 伊知, 鯊魚每改 ê 掣動攏是拆走大魚 ê 肉, 今大魚 ê 羶經過 ê 路線, tō 若所有鯊魚 tī 海 ni̍h ê 大馬路.

這尾魚有夠一个人過一个寒天, 伊想. 莫 koh 想 lah. 好好歇睏, 雙手準備好, 顧好賰 ê 魚肉. 我手流血 ê 羶 kap 規海 ê 羶比起來無啥 lah. 何況今 mā 無按怎流血. 空喙無真嚴重. 流血凡勢倒手 tō 袂糾筋.

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41.

The skiff was still shaking with the destruction the other shark was doing to the fish and the old man let go the sheet so that the skiff would swing broadside and bring the shark out from under. When he saw the shark he leaned over the side and punched at him. He hit only meat and the hide was set hard and he barely got the knife in. The blow hurt not only his hands but his shoulder too. But the shark came up fast with his head out and the old man hit him squarely in the center of his flat-topped head as his nose came out of water and lay against the fish. The old man withdrew the blade and punched the shark exactly in the same spot again. He still hung to the fish with his jaws hooked and the old man stabbed him in his left eye. The shark still hung there.

“No?” the old man said and he drove the blade between the vertebrae and the brain. It was an easy shot now and he felt the cartilage sever. The old man reversed the oar and put the blade between the shark’s jaws to open them. He twisted the blade and as the shark slid loose he said, “Go on, galano. Slide down a mile deep. Go see your friend, or maybe it’s your mother.”

The old man wiped the blade of his knife and laid down the oar. Then he found the sheet and the sail filled and he brought the skiff onto her course.

“They must have taken a quarter of him and of the best meat,” he said aloud. “I wish it were a dream and that I had never hooked him. I’m sorry about it, fish. It makes everything wrong.” He stopped and he did not want to look at the fish now. Drained of blood and awash he looked the colour of the silver backing of a minor and his stripes still showed.

“I shouldn’t have gone out so far, fish,” he said. “Neither for you nor for me. I’m sorry, fish.”

Now, he said to himself. Look to the lashing on the knife and see if it has been cut. Then get your hand in order because there still is more to come.

“I wish I had a stone for the knife,” the old man said after he had checked the lashing on the oar butt. “I should have brought a stone.” You should have brought many things, he thought. But you did not bring them, old man. Now is no time to think of what you do not have. Think of what you can do with what there is.

“You give me much good counsel,” he said aloud. “I’m tired of it.”

He held the tiller under his arm and soaked both his hands in the water as the skiff drove forward. “God knows how much that last one took,” he said.

“But she’s much lighter now.” He did not want to think of the mutilated under-side of the fish. He knew that each of the jerking bumps of the shark had been meat torn away and that the fish now made a trail for all sharks as wide as a highway through the sea.

He was a fish to keep a man all winter, he thought. Don’t think of that. Just rest and try to get your hands in shape to defend what is left of him. The blood smell from my hands means nothing now with all that scent in the water. Besides they do not bleed much. There is nothing cut that means anything. The bleeding may keep the left from cramping.

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