7. Chit-kho͘ siāng ē-kì-lih lí | 這箍 siāng 會記 lih 你

7. Chit-kho͘ siāng ē-kì lih lí

Chai-iáⁿ che, i kám-kak heng-khám-lāi ká-ná ū sáⁿ siám kòe. M̄-koh i tùi chit-lō ki-iân bô kám-kak kî-koài, tian-tò kî-koài ka-tī ná ē bô kám-kak kî-koài.

M̄-chai án-nóa, Shimamura ê sim-lāi ká-ná khòaⁿ ē chhut, tī i ê chéng-thâu-á ē-kì-lih ê cha-bó͘, hām hit-ê ba̍k-chiu chiò-tio̍h teng-hóe ê cha-bó͘ tiong-kan, eng-tong ū bó͘-chióng ê khan-liân, khó-lêng ū sáⁿ tāi-chì ē hoat-seng. Kám sī i iáu bōe ùi hông-hun kéng-sek ê kiàⁿ chhéⁿ lâi? I án-ne nauh: he hông-hun kéng-sek ê lâu-tāng, kám m̄-sī sî-kan tih kòe ê siōng-teng (象徵) ah?

Chhu-seh kùi-cheh chêng ê kheh-chàn sī lâng-kheh siāng chió ê sî-chūn. Shimamura ùi sit-lāi un-chôaⁿ chhut-lâi ê sî, sì-kè í-keng tiām chiuh-chiuh ah. Kū lo-lo ê cháu-lông, i múi ta̍h chi̍t-pō͘, mûi ê po-lê lóng chùn kah khia̍k-khia̍k kiò. Tī tn̂g-lông bóe siàu-pâng ê oat-kak, chi̍t-ê cha-bó͘ thêng-thêng khiā tī hia, yi ê saⁿ-á-ki léng-léng thoa tī o͘-kim ê chhâ-tē-pán. 

Khòaⁿ tio̍h he tn̂g saⁿ-á-ki, i kiaⁿ chi̍t-tiô, kám sī í-keng chò gē-tòaⁿ ah? M̄-koh yi bô kiâⁿ kòe-lâi, hûn-su mā bô chò chhut gêng-chiap ê tōng-chok, hūiⁿ-hūiⁿ khòaⁿ yi khiā tio̍h bô tín-tāng ê chu-sè, hō͘ i kám-siū tio̍h chi̍t-chióng chin-chêng. I kín kiâⁿ óa yi, tiām-tiām lâi kàu cha-bó͘ ê sin-piⁿ. Cha-bó͘ pe̍h-hún kāu-kāu ê bīn pún-chiâⁿ boeh bî-chhiò, soah piàn-chò chi̍t-ê ài-khàu-bīn. Nn̄g-lâng tō tiām-tiām kiâⁿ hiàng pâng-keng khì.

Sui-bóng í-keng ū hit-lō koan-hē, m̄-koh i bô siá-phe lâi, bô lâi sio-kìⁿ, mā bô chiàu iak-sok kià bú-hêng (舞型) ê chheh lâi. Chāi cha-bó͘ khòaⁿ, i tiāⁿ-tio̍h sī tih kā chhiò koh kā bē-kì-lih ah. Chiàu-lí, Shimamura tio̍h seng hōe sit-lé, a̍h sī kóng lí-iû, m̄-koh Shimamura liân khòaⁿ to bô kā khòaⁿ, tō it-ti̍t kiâⁿ, kám-kak yi m̄-nā bô chek-pī i ê ì-sù, tian-tò chi̍t-sim kheng-bō͘ ka-tī. Chū án-ne, hō͘ i oa̍t-lú kám-kak, chit-sî bô-lūn i kóng sáⁿ, lóng hō͘ yi kám-kak m̄-sī chin-sim. I khì hō͘ yi siu-ho̍k ah, kui-sim chìm tī hoaⁿ-hí tiong-kan, it-ti̍t kiâⁿ kàu lâu-thui-thâu, i kā tò-chhiú gia̍h kàu cha-bó͘ bīn-chêng, kí-cháiⁿ chhun chhut-lâi, kóng:

"Chit-kho͘ siāng ē-kì lih lí."

"Sī án-ne oh?"

Cha-bó͘ kā he chéng-thâu-á tēⁿ leh bô pàng, khan i ê chhiú peh chiūⁿ lâu.

-- 

7. 這箍 siāng 會記 lih 你

知影這, 伊感覺胸坎內 ká-ná 有 sáⁿ 閃過. 毋過伊對 chit-lō 機緣無感覺奇怪, 顛倒奇怪 ka-tī 那會無感覺奇怪.

毋知 án-nóa, Shimamura ê 心內 ká-ná 看會出, tī 伊 ê 指頭仔會記 lih ê 查某, 和彼个目睭照著燈火 ê 查某中間, 應當有某種 ê 牽連, 可能有 sáⁿ 代誌會發生. 敢是伊猶未 ùi 黃昏景色 ê 鏡醒來? 伊 án-ne nauh: he 黃昏景色 ê 流動, 敢毋是時間 tih 過 ê siōng-teng (象徵) ah?

趨雪季節前 ê 客棧是人客上少 ê 時陣. Shimamura ùi sit 內溫泉出來 ê 時, 四界已經恬 chiuh-chiuh ah. 舊 lo-lo ê 走廊, 伊每踏一步, mûi ê 玻璃攏顫 kah khia̍k-khia̍k 叫. Tī 長廊尾數房 ê 斡角, 一个查某 thêng-thêng 徛 tī 遐, 她 ê 衫仔裾冷冷拖 tī 烏金 ê 柴地板. 

看著 he 長衫仔裾, 伊驚一趒, 敢是已經做藝旦 ah? 毋過她無行過來, 魂軀 mā 無做出迎接 ê 動作, hūiⁿ-hūiⁿ 看她徛著無振動 ê 姿勢, 予伊感受著一種真情. 伊緊行倚她, 恬恬來到查某 ê 身邊. 查某白粉厚厚 ê 面本成欲微笑, 煞變做一个愛哭面. 兩人 tō 恬恬行向房間去.

雖罔已經有 hit-lō 關係, 毋過伊無寫批來, 無來相見, mā 無照 iak 束寄 bú-hêng (舞型) ê 冊來. 在查某看, 伊定著是 tih kā 笑 koh kā 袂記 lih ah. 照理, Shimamura 著先會失禮, 抑是講理由, 毋過 Shimamura 連看 to 無 kā 看, tō 一直行, 感覺她 m̄-nā 無責備伊 ê 意思, 顛倒一心傾慕 ka-tī. 自 án-ne, 予伊越 lú 感覺, 這時無論伊講 sáⁿ, 攏予她感覺毋是真心. 伊去予她收服 ah, 規心浸 tī 歡喜中間, 一直行到樓梯頭, 伊 kā 倒手攑到查某面前, kí-cháiⁿ 伸出來, 講:

"這箍 siāng 會記 lih 你."

"是 án-ne oh?"

查某 kā he 指頭仔捏 leh 無放, 牽伊 ê 手 peh 上樓.

--

7.

He felt a current pass through him, and yet the coincidence did not seem especially remarkable. Indeed he was surprised at himself for being so little surprised.

Somewhere in his heart Shimamura saw a question, as clearly as if it were standing there before him: was there something, what would happen, between the woman his hand remembered and the woman in whose eye that mountain light had glowed? Or had he not yet shaken off the spell of the evening landscape in that mirror? He wondered whether the flowing landscape was not perhaps symbolic of the passage of time.

The hot-spring inn had its fewest guests in the weeks before the skiing season began, and by the time Shimamura had come up from the bath the place seemed to be asleep. The glass doors rattled slightly each time he took a step down the sagging corridor. At the end, where it turned past the office, he saw the tall figure of the woman, her skirts trailing coldly off across the dark floor.

He started back as he saw the long skirts--had she finally become a geisha? She did not come toward him, she did not bend in the slightest movement of recognition. From the distance he caught something intent and serious in the still form. He hurried up to her, but they said nothing even when he was beside her. She started to smile through the thick, white geisha's powder. Instead she melted into tears, and the two of them walked off silently toward his room.

In spite of what had passed between them, he had not written to her, or come to see her, or sent her the dance instructions he had promised. She was no doubt left to think that he had laughed at her and forgotten her. It should therefore have been his part to begin with an apology or an excuse, but as they walked along, not looking at each other, he could tell that, far from blaming him, she had room in her heart only for the pleasure of regaining what had been lost. He knew that if he spoke he would only make himself seem the more wanting in seriousness. Overpowered by the woman, he walked along wrapped in a soft happiness. Abruptly, at the foot of the stairs, he shoved his left fist before her eyes, with only the forefinger extended.

"This remembered you best of all."

"Oh?" The woman took the finger in her hand and clung to it as though to lead him upstairs.

--