53. Chin-chē ū-si̍t ê iù-thâng-á
Chit-chng ê kòe-nî sī jī-goe̍h chhe-it, só͘-í ū tiū-chháu-soh. Chū án-ne, gín-á sio-cheⁿ peh chiūⁿ lé-tn̂g ê chhù-téng, e-e-kheh-kheh tī hia chhiùⁿ kóaⁿ-chiáu koa. Liáu-āu, koh ji̍p-khì lé-tn̂g lih, tiám teng-hóe, tī hia keh-mê, it-ti̍t kàu thiⁿ-kuiⁿ. Tī cha̍p-gō͘ hit-kang thiⁿ tú kuiⁿ ê sî, in koh chi̍t-kái tī lé-tn̂g ê chhù-téng chhiùⁿ kóaⁿ-chiáu koa.
Hit-sî sī seh chek kah siāng kāu ê sî-chūn, Shimamura ū hām Komako iak-sok, kóng boeh lâi khòaⁿ kóaⁿ-chiáu cheh.
"Jī-goe̍h góa túiⁿ pún-ke hiu-ká. Siūⁿ-kóng lí it-tēng ē lâi, chiah tī cha̍p-sì hit-ji̍t kóaⁿ tún lâi. Boeh-chai, góa ē-sái tiàm hia ke kā chiàu-kò͘--kúi-kang."
"Sáng phòa-pēⁿ hioh?"
"Goán sai-hū túiⁿ káng-khu liáu, tit-tio̍h hì-iām. Tú hó góa mā túiⁿ hia, chiap-tio̍h tiān-pò, góa tō khì kā chiàu-kò͘ ah."
"Ū hó khí-lâi bô?"
"Bô."
"Án-ne chìn hāi." Shimamura ká-ná in-ūi sit-iak tih hōe-sit-lé, mā ká-ná in-ūi sai-hū ê sí tih piáu-sī ai-tō.
"Hmh." Komako sûi khin-khin iô-thâu, the̍h chhiú-kin-á chhit toh-á:
"Thâng chiâⁿ kāu."
Ùi kē-toh-á téng chē-chē ū-si̍t ê iù-thâng-á lak lo̍h tatami. Kúi-chiah sè-chiah ia̍h-á ûi tī tiān-hóe poe-lâi poe-khì.
Kúi-ā khoán sùiⁿ bē chheng ê lah-sap ia̍h-á chi̍t-tiám chi̍t-tiám thêng tī thih-se-thang gōa, phû-hiān tī bêng-liāng ê goe̍h-kuiⁿ ē.
"Ūi thiàⁿ, ūi thiàⁿ." Komako hut-jiân siang-chhiú chhah-ji̍p io-tòa, phak tī Shimamura ê kha-thâu-u.
Yi he pe̍h-hún boah kāu-kāu ê ām-kún āu-niā, chi̍t-ē-á tō ū khah sè lah-sap ia̍h-á ê poe-thâng lak tī hia. Ū-ê khòaⁿ tio̍h ê tiong-kan tō sí khì ah, bē tín-tāng.
He ām-kún pí kū-nî khah chho͘, ū pûi-iû. Í-keng mā jī-it hòe ah, Shimamura sim-lāi án-ne siūⁿ.
--
53. 真濟有翼 ê 幼蟲仔
這庄 ê 過年是二月初一, 所以有稻草索. 自 án-ne, 囡仔相爭 peh 上禮堂 ê 厝頂, e-e-kheh-kheh tī 遐唱趕鳥歌. 了後, koh 入去禮堂 lih, 點燈火, tī 遐隔暝, 一直到天 kuiⁿ. Tī 十五彼工天拄 kuiⁿ ê 時, in koh 一改 tī 禮堂 ê 厝頂唱趕鳥歌.
彼時是雪積 kah 上厚 ê 時陣, Shimamura 有和 Komako iak 束, 講欲來看趕鳥節.
"二月我 túiⁿ 本家休假. 想講你一定會來, 才 tī 十四彼日趕 tún 來. 欲知, 我會使踮遐加 kā 照顧幾工."
"Sáng 破病 hioh?"
"阮師傅 túiⁿ 港區了, 得著肺炎. 拄好我 mā túiⁿ 遐, 接著電報, 我 tō 去 kā 照顧 ah."
"有好起來無?"
"無."
"Án-ne 晉害." Shimamura ká-ná 因為失 iak tih 會失禮, mā ká-ná 因為師傅 ê 死 tih 表示哀悼.
"Hmh." Komako 隨輕輕搖頭, 提手巾仔拭桌仔:
"蟲誠厚."
Ùi 低桌仔頂濟濟有翼 ê 幼蟲仔 lak 落 tatami. 幾隻細隻蝶仔圍 tī 電火飛來飛去.
幾 ā 款 sùiⁿ 袂清 ê 垃圾蝶仔一點一點停 tī 鐵紗窗外, 浮現 tī 明亮 ê 月 kuiⁿ 下.
"胃疼, 胃疼." Komako 忽然雙手插入腰帶, 仆 tī Shimamura ê 跤頭趺.
她彼白粉抹厚厚 ê 頷頸後陵, 一下仔 tō 有較細垃圾蝶仔 ê 飛蟲 lak tī 遐. 有 ê 看著 ê 中間 tō 死去 ah, 袂振動.
He 頷頸比舊年較粗, 有肥油. 已經 mā 二一歲 ah, Shimamura 心內 án-ne 想.
--
53.
Since the New Year was celebrated here early in February, the traditional straw ropes were still strung up over the village doorways. On the fourteenth the children gathered the ropes and burned them in a red bonfire before the snow palace. They pushed and jostled one another on the roof and sang the bird-chasing song, and afterwards, setting out lights, they spent the night in the palace. At dawn on the fifteenth they again climbed to the roof to sing the bird-chasing song.
It was then that the snow was deepest, and Shimamura had told Komako he would come for the festival.
"I was at home in February. I took a vacation. I was sure you would be here on the fourteenth, and I came back especially. I could have stayed to take care of her longer if I had known."
"Was someone ill?"
"The music teacher. She had pneumonia down on the coast. The telegram came when I was at home, and I went down to take care of her."
"Did she get better?"
"No."
"I'm sorry." Shimamura's words could have
been either an expression of sympathy or an apology for the broken promise.
Komako shook her head mildly, and wiped at the table with her handkerchief. "The place is alive with insects." A swarm of tiny winged insects fell from the table to the floor. Several small moths were circling the light.
Moths, how many kinds he could not tell, dotted the screen, floating on the clear moonlight. "My stomach aches." Komako thrust both hands tight inside her obi, and her head fell to Shimamura's knee. "My stomach aches."
Insects smaller than moths gathered on the thick white powder at her neck. Some of them died there as Shimamura watched.
The flesh on her neck and shoulders was richer than it had been the year before. She is just twenty, he told himself.
--
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