81. Lí boeh tit-tio̍h hit-ê ko͘-niû bô? | 你欲得著彼个姑娘無?

81. Lí boeh tit-tio̍h hit-ê ko͘-niû bô?

Yoko it-ti̍t hām gín-á kóng-ōe. Yi lī-khui e̍k-keng liáu-āu, he siaⁿ-im iáu chhiūⁿ phín-á siaⁿ lâu tī hia se̍h. Mûi chêng chhit kah o͘ koh kim ê tē-pán téng, chi̍t-kha tông-bo̍k ê samisen siuⁿ-á tī chhiu-thiⁿ àm-mê ê che̍k-chēng tiong-kan khǹg tī hia, ín-khí Shimamura ê hòⁿ-kî. I chù-ì khòaⁿ siuⁿ-á téng ê lâng-miâ ê sî, Komako ùi sé-óaⁿ-pôaⁿ ê siaⁿ hit-pêng kiâⁿ kòe-lâi.

"Lí tih khòaⁿ sáⁿ?"

"Chit-lâng tī chia keh-mê?"

"Sáng? Ah, he oh? Lí chin gōng neh. Chit-ê mi̍h-kiāⁿ ē-tàng mo͘h leh kiâⁿ-lâi kiâⁿ-khì? Ū-sî-á kúi-ā kang lóng khǹg tī chia." Yi chi̍t-ē chhiò, tō kan-khó͘ kah ba̍k-chiu kheh-kheh chhoán-khùi. Pàng lo̍h chhiú giú tio̍h ê kûn-ki, yi siàng hō͘ Shimamura:

"Neh, lí sàng góa túiⁿ hó bô?"

"Ná tio̍h túiⁿ?"

"Bē-sái, bē-sái, tio̍h túiⁿ. Kin-á-ji̍t sī pún-tē-lâng ê iàn-hōe, ta̍k-ê lóng khì sòa-thoaⁿ, kan-ta chhun góa. Ka-chài chia iáu ū pa̍t-ê iàn-hōe, nā bô cha-bó͘-phōaⁿ túiⁿ ê sî chhōe góa tâng-chê sé un-chôaⁿ, góa koh bô tī chhù, án-ne bē-sái."

Sui-bóng chùi bâng-bâng, Komako iáu ē-tàng liú-lia̍h kiâⁿ lo̍h-kiā:

"Lí kā hit-ê ko͘-niû khì kah khàu neh."

"Án-ne kóng, yi khak-si̍t sió-khóa tih siáu neh."

"Lí án-ne khòaⁿ lâng, kám chin hó-sńg?"

"He m̄-sī lí seng kóng ê? Yi siūⁿ tio̍h lí kóng yi ē khí-siáu, chiah khì kah khàu chhut-lâi."

"Nā án-ne tō bô-iàu-kín."

"Kòe bô cha̍p-hun-cheng, yi tō tī e̍k-keng, iōng hó-thiaⁿ ê siaⁿ-im chhiùⁿ-koa."

"Tī e̍k-keng chhiùⁿ-koa sī hit-ê ko͘-niû ê koài-phiah."

"Yi téng-chin kiû góa, tio̍h hó-hó chiàu-kò͘ lí."

"Sam-pat. M̄-koh, chit-lō tāi-chì, lí ná tio̍h the̍h lâi kā góa tián?"

"Kā lí tián? Kî-koài, góa bē liáu-kái, nā kóng tio̍h hit-ê ko͘-niû ê tāi-chì, lí tō hiah-nī bín-kám?"

"Lí boeh tit-tio̍h hit-ê ko͘-niû bô?"

"Lí khòaⁿ, kóng tùi tá-ūi khì ah?"

--

81. 你欲得著彼个姑娘無?

Yoko 一直和囡仔講話. 她離開浴間了後, 彼聲音猶像品仔聲留 tī 遐踅. Mûi 前拭 kah 烏 koh 金 ê 地板頂, 一跤桐木 ê samisen 箱仔 tī 秋天暗暝 ê 寂靜中間囥 tī 遐, 引起 Shimamura ê 好奇. 伊注意看箱仔頂 ê 人名 ê 時, Komako ùi 洗碗盤 ê 聲彼爿行過來.

"你 tih 看啥?"

"這人 tī 遮隔暝?"

"Sáng? Ah, 彼 oh? 你真戇 neh. 這个物件會當 mo͘h leh 行來行去? 有時仔幾 ā 工攏囥 tī 遮." 她一下笑, tō 艱苦 kah 目睭瞌瞌喘氣. 放落手搝著 ê 裙裾, 她摔予 Shimamura:

"Neh, 你送我 túiⁿ 好無?"

"那著 túiⁿ?"

"袂使, 袂使, 著 túiⁿ. 今仔日是本地人 ê 宴會, 逐个攏去紲攤, 干焦賰我. 佳哉遮猶有別个宴會, 若無查某伴 túiⁿ ê 時揣我同齊洗溫泉, 我 koh 無 tī 厝, án-ne 袂使."

雖罔醉茫茫, Komako 猶會當扭掠行落崎:

"你 kā 彼个姑娘氣 kah 哭 neh."

"Án-ne 講, 她確實小可 tih 痟 neh."

"你 án-ne 看人, 敢真好耍?"

"彼毋是你先講 ê? 她想著你講她會起痟, 才氣 kah 哭出來."

"若 án-ne tō 無要緊."

"過無十分鐘, 她 tō tī 浴間, 用好聽 ê 聲音唱歌."

"Tī 浴間唱歌是彼个姑娘 ê 怪癖."

"她頂真求我, 著好好照顧你."

"三八. 毋過, chit-lō 代誌, 你那著提來 kā 我展?"

"Kā 你展? 奇怪, 我袂了解, 若講著彼个姑娘 ê 代誌, 你 tō hiah-nī 敏感?"

"你欲得著彼个姑娘無?"

"你看, 講對 tá 位去 ah?"

--

81.

She chattered on as she dressed the child and led it from the bath, and even when she was gone her voice seemed to echo on like a flute. On the worn floor of the hallway, polished to a dark glow, a geisha had left behind a samisen box, the very embodiment of quiet in the late autumn night. As Shimamura was looking for the owner's name, Komako came out from the direction of the clattering dishes.

"What are you looking at?"

"Is she staying the night?"

"Who? Oh, her. Don't be foolish. You think we carry these with us whereycr we go, do you? Sometimes we leave them at an inn for days on end." She laughed, but almost immediately she was breathing painfully and her eyes were screwed tightly shut. Dropping her long skirts, she fell against Shimamura. "Take me home, please."

"You don't have to go, do you?"

"It's no good. I have to go. The rest went on to

other parties and left me behind. No one will say anything if I don't stay too long--I had business here. But if they stop by my house on their way to the bath and find me away, they'll start talking."

Drunk though she was, she walked briskly down the steep hill.

"You made that girl weep."

"She does seem a trifle crazy."

"And do you enjoy making such remarks?" 

"But didn't you say it yourself? She remembered how you said she would go crazy, and it was then that she broke down-mostly out of resentment, I suspect."

"Oh? It's all right, then."

"And not ten minutes later she was in the bath, singing in fine voice."

"She's always liked to sing in the bath."

"She said very seriously that I must be good to you."

"Isn't she foolish, though? But you didn't have to tell me."

"Tell you? Why is it that you always seem so touchy when that girl is mentioned?"

"Would you like to have her?"

"See? What call is there for a remark like that?" 

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