4.4 我 tú 讀, 伊面 tō 倚來

4.4 Góa tú tha̍k, i bīn tō óa--lâi [Tâi-gí gí-im]

"Iâu-khek? Kî-koài."

"I ta̍k-hāng ē, siáng chai i koh ē pìⁿ siáⁿ chhut-thâu."

Chit-sî, chi̍t-ê sì-cha̍p hòe chó-iū ê cha-po͘ phah-khui thoah-mn̂g, chhiáⁿ ko͘-niû-á khì chia̍h-pn̄g. I sī mā tòa tī sió kheh-chàn ê ke-bah tiàm thâu-ke. Bú-niû kap Yuriko chah ka-tī ê tī tâng-chê kòe keh-piah pâng, chia̍h thâu-ke chhun ê ke-bah hóe-ko. In tńg-lâi chit pêng pâng-keng ê sî, ke-bah thâu-ke khin-khin phok bú-niû ê keng-thâu. In lāu-bú khòaⁿ tio̍h, pìⁿ-bīn kā kóng:

"Oeh, mài kha̍p hit ê gín-á! I iáu sī chāi-sek ko͘-niû neh."

Bú-niû ná kiò "A-peh, a-peh," ná iang ke-bah thâu-ke tha̍k "Mito Komon Bān-iû-kì" (水戶黃門漫遊記, sī chi̍t-ê kiap-gī kò͘-sū) hō͘ thiaⁿ. M̄-koh i chin kín tō khiā-khí-lâi kiâⁿ-khui. Bú-niû pháiⁿ-sè ti̍t-chiap tùi góa kóng, "kè-sio̍k tha̍k hō͘ góa thiaⁿ lah," tō kiû in lāu-bú iang--góa. Góa móa-sim kî-thāi, tō kā kó͘-chheh the̍h--khí-lâi. Kó-jiân, bú-niû sûi tō kín-kín óa-sin kòe-lâi góa chia. Góa chi̍t khai-sí tha̍k, i ê bīn tō khò-óa--lâi, kiông-boeh tah tī góa ê keng-thâu, piáu-chêng jīn-chin, ba̍k-chiu kim-sih-sih, nih to bô nih, it-ti̍t khòaⁿ góa ê hia̍h-thâu. Che ká-ná sī i thiaⁿ lâng tha̍k-chheh ê sî ê si̍p-koàn-sèng tōng-chok. Tú-chiah hām ke-bah thâu-ke mā kiông-boeh bīn kha̍p bīn. Che góa lóng khòaⁿ hiān-hiān. I ê ba̍k-chiu o͘ koh kim koh tōa-lúi, siám-sih tio̍h bí-lē ê kng, che sī i choân-sin siōng súi ê só͘-chāi. Ba̍k-chiu phôe ê têng-sûn sòaⁿ-tiâu súi kah kóng bē chhut-lâi. Koh-lâi, tō-sī i chhiò--khí-lâi ná chhiūⁿ hoe. Iōng "chhiò--khí-lâi ná chhiūⁿ hoe" chit kù ōe lâi biô-siá i si̍t-chāi chin thò-tòng.

Kòe bô gōa kú, chhan-thiaⁿ ê lú-tiong kòe lâi chiap bú-niû. Bú-niû saⁿ chhēng-hó, kă kóng:

"Góa liam-piⁿ tńg--lâi, chhiaⁿ lí tán leh koh tha̍k--lo̍h-khì.

Jiân-āu kiâⁿ-kàu cháu-lông, chhim-chhim kiâⁿ-lé.

"Góa boeh khì loh."

"Choa̍t-tùi m̄-thang chhiùⁿ-koa oh." lāu-bú kóng. Bú-niû the̍h-khí kó͘, khin-khin tìm-thâu. Lāu-bú oa̍t-thâu kă kóng:

"I chit-chūn teh piàn-siaⁿ..."

Bú-niû thêng-thêng chē tī chhan-thiaⁿ ê jī-lâu teh kòng-kó͘. Ùi chia khòaⁿ--kòe-khì, i ê pōe-iáⁿ ná-chhiūⁿ tō tī keh-piah ê iàn-se̍k. Kó͘-siaⁿ hō͘ góa ê sim-chêng khin-sang, sóng-khoài.

--

4.4 我 tú 讀, 伊面 tō 倚來 [台語語音]

"謠曲? 奇怪."

"伊逐項會, siáng 知伊 koh 會 pìⁿ 啥齣頭."

這時, 一个四十歲左右 ê 查埔拍開挩門, 請姑娘仔去食飯. 伊是 mā 蹛 tī 小客棧 ê 雞肉店頭家. 舞娘 kap Yuriko 扎家己 ê 箸同齊過隔壁房, 食頭家賰 ê 雞肉火鍋. In 轉來這爿房間 ê 時, 雞肉頭家輕輕 phok 舞娘 ê 肩頭. In 老母看著, pìⁿ 面 kā 講:

"Oeh, 莫磕彼个囡仔! 伊猶是在室姑娘 neh."

舞娘 ná 叫 "阿伯, 阿伯," ná 央雞肉頭家讀 "Mito Komon 漫遊記" (水戶黃門漫遊記, 是一个俠義故事) 予聽. 毋過伊真緊 tō 徛起來行開. 舞娘歹勢直接對我講, "繼續讀予我聽 lah," tō 求 in 老母央我. 我滿心期待, tō kā 古冊提起來. 果然, 舞娘隨 tō 緊緊倚身過來我遮. 我一開始讀, 伊 ê 面 tō 靠倚來, 強欲貼 tī 我 ê 肩頭, 表情認真, 目睭金爍爍, nih to 無 nih, 一直看我 ê 額頭. 這 ká-ná 是伊聽人讀冊 ê 時 ê 習慣性動作. 拄才和雞肉頭家 mā 強欲面磕面. 這我攏看現現. 伊 ê 目睭烏 koh 金 koh 大蕊, 閃爍著美麗 ê 光, 這是伊全身上媠 ê 所在. 目睭皮 ê 重巡線條媠甲講袂出來. 閣來, 就是伊笑起來 ná 像花. 用 "笑起來若像花" 這句話來描寫伊實在真妥當.

過無偌久, 餐廳 ê 女中過來接舞娘. 舞娘衫穿好, kǎ 講:

"我 liām-mi轉來, 請你等 leh koh 讀落去.

然後行到走廊, 深深行禮.

"我欲去 loh."

"絕對毋通唱歌 oh." 老母講. 舞娘提起鼓, 輕輕 tìm 頭. 老母越頭 kă 講:

"伊這陣 teh 變聲..."

舞娘 thêng-thêng 坐 tī 餐廳 ê 二樓 teh 摃鼓. Ùi 遮看過去, 伊 ê 背影若像 tō tī 隔壁 ê 宴席. 鼓聲予我 ê 心情輕鬆, 爽快.

--

4.4

"Noh drama? It sounds strange."

"He's a jack-of-all-trades. You never know what he'll do."

A man of about forty who said he was a poulterer was also staying at the lodging house. He opened the partition between the rooms and invited the girls to have dinner with him. The dancing girl took her chopsticks and went over with Yuriko. They picked through the chicken stew that remained after the man had ravaged the pot. As the girls were returning to their own room, the man patted the dancing girl's shoulder. The woman glared at him.

"Hey, don't touch her. She's an innocent virgin."

The dancing girl addressed the man as "uncle" and asked him to read "The Story of the Lord of Mito" to her, but he left immediately. She didnot want to ask me directly, so she told the woman that she would like me to read the rest of "The Story of the Lord of Mito" for her. I picked up the book, with a certain expectation in my heart. Just as I hoped, the dancing girl scooted over beside me. Once I began reading, she brought her face close enough to touch my shoulder, her expression serious. Her eyes sparkled as she gazed at my forehead without blinking. It seemed to be her habit when she was being read to. Earlier, I had noticed that she had held her face right beside the poulterer. The dancing girl's most beautiful feature was her sparkling big dark eyes. The curve of her double eyelids was unspeakably lovely. Next was her flowerlike smile. In her case, the word "flowerlike" was absolutely accurate.

A moment later, the maid from the inn came to call for the dancing girl. She put on her costume.

"I'll be back soon, so please wait. And read the rest to me."

Out in the hallway she bowed low.

"I'll return soon."

"Don't sing," the woman said. The dancing girl picked up her drum and nodded slightly. The woman turned back to me.

"Her voice is changing now."

The dancing girl knelt properly in the second floor of the restaurant, beating the drum. I could watch her back from the window as though she were in the next room. The sound of the drum set my heart dancing.