32. Che samisen sī sáng tôaⁿ ê? | 這 samisen 是 sáng 彈 ê?

32. Che samisen sī sáng tôaⁿ ê?

"Sī án-ne oh. Lí kiâⁿ che kiā-lō͘, ē chhu tó bô?"

"Nā lo̍h-hō͘, goán chă-kiáⁿ ē lâi chhōa. Àm-sî góa kā chng lih ê lâng lia̍h-liông, bē lâi chia. Kheh-chàn ê lú-tiong chhêng-chāi chhiò kóng, sī goán thâu-ke m̄-hŏa chhut-lâi, bô hoat-tō͘ ah!"

"Gín-á lóng tōa-hàn ah hioh?"

"Sī ah. Tōa cha-bó͘-kiáⁿ cha̍p-saⁿ hòe." Yi ná kóng, lâi kàu pâng-keng, tiām-tiām kā lia̍h chi̍t-khùn, jiân-āu khi-thâu thiaⁿ he ùi tatami-pâng thoân lâi ê samisen khîm-siaⁿ.

"Sī sáng tih tôaⁿ ah?"

"Thiaⁿ samisen ê siaⁿ, lí ē chai sī tá chi̍t-ê gē-tòaⁿ?"

"Ū-ê thiaⁿ ē chhut, thiaⁿ bē chhut ê mā ū. Thâu-ke San, lí ê chhut-sin tiāⁿ-tio̍h chiâⁿ hó, hûn-su ê kin-bah chiâⁿ jiû-núi."

"Kám bē ngē-chiaⁿ?"

"Ngē-chiaⁿ, ām-kún kin sió-khóa ngē-chiaⁿ. M̄-koh hûn-su sù-thīn, bē pûi bē sán. Lí bô lim-chiú hoⁿh?"

"Lí chiâⁿ chheng-chhó neh."

"Hām Thâu-ke San kāng hêng-thé ê lâng-kheh, góa bat saⁿ ê."

"Che sī chin phó͘-thong ê hêng-thé mah."

"Boeh án-nóa kóng? Bô lim-chiú tō bô chin-chiàⁿ ê thiòng-lo̍k, lim-chiú ē-tàng kái iu-chiû ah."

"Lín thâu-ke ū lim-chhiú hoⁿh?"

"Lim kah chiâⁿ hāi."

"Che kē-lō͘ ê samisen sī sáng tôaⁿ ê?"

"Hm."

"Lí mā ē-hiáu tôaⁿ hoⁿh?"

"Tio̍h. Ùi káu-hòe o̍h kàu jī-cha̍p. Chū-chiông ū thâu-ke, í-keng cha̍p-gō͘-tang bô tôaⁿ ah."

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32. 這 samisen 是 sáng 彈 ê?

"是 án-ne oh. 你行這崎路, 會趨倒無?"

"若落雨, 阮 chă 囝會來 chhōa. 暗時我 kā 庄 lih ê 人掠龍, 袂來遮. 客棧 ê 女中 chhêng 在笑講, 是阮頭家 m̄-hŏa 出來, 無法度 ah!"

"囡仔攏大漢 ah hioh?"

"是 ah. 大查某囝十三歲." 她 ná 講, 來到房間, 恬恬 kā 掠一睏, 然後 khi 頭聽彼 ùi tatami 房傳來 ê samisen 琴聲.

"是 sáng tih 彈 ah?"

"聽 samisen ê 聲, 你會知是 tá 一个藝旦?"

"有ê 聽會出, 聽袂出 ê mā 有. 頭家 San, 你 ê 出身定著誠好, 魂軀 ê 筋肉誠柔 núi."

"敢袂硬 chiaⁿ?"

"硬 chiaⁿ, 頷頸筋小可硬 chiaⁿ. 毋過魂軀四伨, 袂肥袂瘦. 你無啉酒 hoⁿh?"

"你誠清楚 neh."

"和頭家 San 仝形體 ê 人客, 我 bat 三个."

"這是真普通 ê 形體 mah."

"欲 án-nóa 講? 無啉酒 tō 無真正 ê 暢樂, 啉酒會當解憂愁 ah."

"恁頭家有啉酒 hoⁿh?"

"啉 kah 誠害."

"這低路 ê samisen 是 sáng 彈 ê?"

"Hm."

"你 mā 會曉彈 hoⁿh?"

"著. Ùi 九歲學到二十. 自從有頭家, 已經十五冬無彈 ah."

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32.

"You don't find the road a little slippery?" 

"When it rains my daughter comes to call for me. At night I take care of the people in the village, and never come up this far. The maids at the inn are always joking and saying its because my husband won't let me go out at night."

 "Your children are growing up?"

"The oldest girl is twelve." They had reached Shimamura's room, and they were silent for a time as the massaging began. The sound of a samisen came to them from the distance.

"Who would that be, I wonder."

<lyou can always tell which geisha it is by the tone?"

" I can tell some of them. Some I can't. You must not have to work. Feel how nice and soft you are."

"No stiff muscles on me."

"A little stiff here at the base of the neck. But you're just right, not too fat and not too thin. And you don't drink, do you?"

"You can tell that?"

"I have three other customers with physiques exactly like yours."

"A common sort of physique."

"But when you don't drink, you don't know what it is really to enjoy yourself-to forget everything that happens."

"Your husband drinks, does he?"

"Much too much."

"But whoever it is, she's not much of a mUSl-

cian."

"Very poor indeed."

"Do you play yourself?"

"I did when I was young. From the time I was eight till I was nineteen. I haven't played in fifteen years now. Not since I was married."

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