45. 好好駛船欲轉厝

45. Hó-hó sái-chûn boeh tńg-chhù

Lāu lâng kiông-boeh bē chhoán-khùi, kám-kak chhùi ni̍h ū chi̍t-ê kî-koài ê bī. He ná tâng, koh tiⁿ-tiⁿ, i hoân-ló chi̍t-ē-á. Ka-chài bô chin chē.

I ǹg hái ni̍h phùi, kóng, "Hō͘ lí hàu-ko͘, hoe-phôe. Bîn-bāng kóng lí ū hāi-sí chi̍t-ê lâng."

I chai, chòe-āu i pāi ah, mā bô hoat-tō͘ ah, i tō tńg-khì chûn-bóe, khòaⁿ he tn̄g-khì ê tōa-pèⁿ iáu ē-sái tàu-ji̍p chûn-tōa ê chhah-chô, sái chûn bô būn-tê. I kā phò͘-tē kah hó tī keng-thâu, tō koh sái chûn chiūⁿ-lō͘.

Chûn taⁿ khin-khin sang-sang, i siáⁿ mā bô siūⁿ, mā bô siáⁿ-mi̍h kám-kak. I í-keng khòaⁿ-phòa it-chhè, i kan-ta hó-hó iōng-sim sái-chûn boeh tńg in chhù ê káng. Àm-sî ū soa-hî lâi khè tōa-hî ê kut, ná-chhiūⁿ ū lâng khioh toh-téng ê chhài-sap-á. Lāu lâng bô chhap --in, tî-liáu sái-chûn, siáⁿ lóng bô chhap. I kan-ta chù-ì tio̍h, taⁿ chûn-piⁿ bô thoa tāng ah, chûn kiâⁿ--khí-lâi ke chin khin-sang.

Chûn chin chán, i siūⁿ. I iáu hó-hó, tî-liáu tōa-pèⁿ, lóng bô án-chóaⁿ. M̄-koh he ōaⁿ leh tō ē-sái ah.

I kám-kak i í-keng kiâⁿ-ji̍p hái-lâu, khòaⁿ ē tio̍h hái-hōaⁿ hî-chhun ê teng-kng. I chai, chia sī tó-ūi, boeh tńg-chhù chin kan-tan.

Chóng-kóng, hong sī lán ê pêng-iú, i siūⁿ. M̄-koh i koh ke chi̍t-kù: ū sî-chūn sī. Tōa-hái ni̍h ū lán ê pêng-iú, mā ū lán ê te̍k-jîn. Iáu ū, bîn-chhn̂g, i siūⁿ. Bîn-chhn̂g sī góa ê pêng-iú. Bîn-chhn̂g tō hó, i siūⁿ. Bîn-chhn̂g thōng hó. Chiàn-pāi liáu, ta̍k-hāng lóng khin-sang, i siūⁿ. Kàu taⁿ góa chiah chai, sī chiah khin-sang. Lí hō͘ siáⁿ phah-pāi? i siūⁿ.

"Bô lah," i tōa-siaⁿ kóng. "Góa chhut-hái siuⁿ hn̄g."

I sái-chûn ji̍p sió-káng ê sî, Terrace bô teng-hóe ah, i chai, ta̍k-ê lóng teh khùn ah. Hong bān-bān piàn tōa, taⁿ chhoe-kah chin kiông ah. M̄-koh káng-ni̍h chin an-cheng, i it-ti̍t kā chûn sái kàu chio̍h-thâu-tui ē-kha ê hit-phiàn soa-chio̍h-á tē. Bô lâng pang-bâng, i chīn-liōng kā chûn lu hiòng-chêng. Jiân-āu i lo̍h-chûn, kā chûn pa̍k tī chi̍t-lia̍p chio̍h-thâu.

I pak-lo̍h ûi-koaiⁿ, kā pò͘-phâng kńg--khí-lâi, pa̍k hó, giâ tī keng-thâu, khai-sí peh-kiā. Chit-sî i chiah chai, ka-tī ū gōa thiám. I thêng-khùn, oa̍t-thâu khòaⁿ, khò lō͘-teng ê hoán-siā, khòaⁿ tio̍h hî ê tōa-bóe-liu thêng-thêng khiā tī sió-chûn chûn-bóe ê āu-bīn. I khòaⁿ tio̍h pe̍h-pe̍h ê kha-chiah-kut, àm-bông ê hî-thâu kap chhun-chhut ê tn̂g-chhùi, tiong-kan ê só͘-chāi khang-khang bô siáⁿ.

I koh peh-kiā, kàu téng-koân ê sî, poa̍h chi̍t-tó, chū-án-ne chûn-ûi giâ tī keng-thâu hioh chi̍t-khùn. I siūⁿ boeh peh khí-lâi, m̄-koh bô hoat-tō͘, tō chûn-ûi giâ tī keng-thâu koh chē hia, khòaⁿ lō͘. Chi̍t chiah niau-á hn̄g-hn̄g kiâⁿ--kòe, khì bô-êng i ê tāi-chì, lāu lâng khòaⁿ niau, koh-lâi tō kan-ta khòaⁿ hit tiâu lō͘.

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45. 好好駛船欲轉厝

老人強欲袂喘氣, 感覺喙 ni̍h 有一个奇怪 ê 味. 彼 ná 銅, koh 甜甜, 伊煩惱一下仔. 佳哉無真濟.

伊 ǹg 海 ni̍h 呸, 講, "予你孝孤, 花皮. 眠夢講你有害死一个人."

伊知, 最後伊敗 ah, mā 無法度 ah, 伊 tō 轉去船尾, 看彼斷去 ê 舵柄猶會使 tàu 入船舵 ê 插槽, 駛船無問題. 伊 kā 布袋 kah 好 tī 肩頭, tō koh 駛船上路.

船今輕輕鬆鬆, 伊啥 mā 無想, mā 無啥物感覺. 伊已經看破一切, 伊干焦好好用心駛船欲轉 in 厝 ê 港. 暗時有鯊魚來 khè 大魚 ê 骨, ná 像有人抾桌頂 ê 菜屑仔. 老人無 chhap in, 除了駛船, 啥攏無 chhap. 伊干焦注意著, 今船邊無拖重 ah, 船行起來加真輕鬆.

船真 chán, 伊想. 伊猶好好, 除了舵柄, 攏無按怎. 毋過彼換 leh tō 會使 ah.

伊感覺伊已經行入海流, 看會著海岸漁村 ê 燈光. 伊知, 遮是 tó 位, 欲轉厝真簡單.

總講, 風是咱 ê 朋友, 伊想. 毋過伊 koh 加一句: 有時陣是. 大海 ni̍h 有咱 ê 朋友, mā 有咱 ê 敵人. 猶有, 眠床, 伊想. 眠床是我 ê 朋友. 眠床 tō 好, 伊想. 眠床 thōng 好. 戰敗了, 逐項攏輕鬆, 伊想. 到今我才知, 是 chiah 輕鬆. 你予啥拍敗? 伊想.

"無 lah," 伊大聲講. "我出海 siuⁿ 遠."

伊駛船入小港 ê 時, Terrace 無燈火 ah, 伊知, 逐个攏 teh 睏 ah. 風慢慢變大, 今吹甲真強 ah. 毋過港 ni̍h 真安靜, 伊一直 kā 船駛到石頭堆下跤 ê 彼片沙石仔地. 無人幫忙, 伊盡量 kā 船 lu 向前. 然後伊落船, kā 船縛 tī 一粒石頭.

伊剝落桅杆, kā 布帆捲起來, 縛好, 夯 tī 肩頭, 開始 peh 崎. 這時伊才知, 家己有偌 thiám. 伊停睏, 越頭看, 靠路燈 ê 反射, 看著魚 ê 大尾溜 thêng-thêng 徛 tī 小船船尾 ê 後面. 伊看著白白 ê 尻脊骨, 暗茫 ê 魚頭 kap 伸出 ê 長喙, 中間 ê 所在空空無啥.

伊 koh peh 崎, 到頂懸 ê 時, 跋一倒, 自 án-ne 船桅夯 tī 肩頭歇一睏. 伊想欲 peh 起來, 毋過無法度, tō 船桅夯 tī 肩頭 koh 坐遐, 看路. 一隻貓仔遠遠行過, 去無閒伊 ê 代誌, 老人看貓, koh-lâi tō 干焦看彼條路.

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45.

The old man could hardly breathe now and he felt a strange taste in his mouth. It was coppery and sweet and he was afraid of it for a moment. But there was not much of it.

He spat into the ocean and said, “Eat that, galanos. And make a dream you’ve killed a man.”

He knew he was beaten now finally and without remedy and he went back to the stern and found the jagged end of the tiller would fit in the slot of the rudder well enough for him to steer. He settled the sack around his shoulders and put the skiff on her course.

He sailed lightly now and he had no thoughts nor any feelings of any kind. He was past everything now and he sailed the skiff to make his home port as well and as intelligently as he could. In the night sharks hit the carcass as someone might pick up crumbs from the table. The old man paid no attention to them and did not pay any attention to anything except steering. He only noticed how lightly and bow well the skiff sailed now there was no great weight beside her.

She’s good, he thought. She is sound and not harmed in any way except for the tiller. That is easily replaced.

He could feel he was inside the current now and he could see the lights of the beach colonies along the shore. He knew where he was now and it was nothing to get home.

The wind is our friend, anyway, he thought. Then he added, sometimes. And the great sea with our friends and our enemies. And bed, he thought. Bed is my friend. Just bed, he thought. Bed will be a great thing. It is easy when you are beaten, he thought. I never knew how easy it was. And what beat you, he thought.

“Nothing,” he said aloud. “I went out too far.”

When he sailed into the little harbour the lights of the Terrace were out and he knew everyone was in bed. The breeze had risen steadily and was blowing strongly now. It was quiet in the harbour though and he sailed up onto the little patch of shingle below the rocks. There was no one to help him so he pulled the boat up as far as he could. Then he stepped out and made her fast to a rock.

He unstepped the mast and furled the sail and tied it. Then he shouldered the mast and started to climb. It was then he knew the depth of his tiredness. He stopped for a moment and looked back and saw in the reflection from the street light the great tail of the fish standing up well behind the skiff’s stern. He saw the white naked line of his backbone and the dark mass of the head with the projecting bill and all the nakedness between.

He started to climb again and at the top he fell and lay for some time with the mast across his shoulder. He tried to get up. But it was too difficult and he sat there with the mast on his shoulder and looked at the road. A cat passed on the far side going about its business and the old man watched it. Then he just watched the road.

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