1.2 Thàn-chia̍h cha-bó͘ nî-lāu khah-chhám sí
Khó-sioh,
hiah-ê sîn-pì lóng tòe chit ê lú-sîn siau-sit ah. Sui-bóng in phah-piàⁿ teh
chhōe, in kan-ta khòaⁿ tio̍h chú-lâng sí-liáu boeh bē ê mi̍h-kiāⁿ, lóng khòaⁿ
bô i chāi-seⁿ teh bē ê mi̍h-kiāⁿ. Án-ne í-gōa, ta̍t-tit bé ê mi̍h-kiāⁿ iáu sī
chin chē. Ka-kū lóng chin ko-kip; ū chí-tôaⁿ (rosewood) kap Buhl miâ-ka tiau-khek
ê kūi-á kap toh-á, Sevres kap Tiong-kok hoe-pân, Tek-kok Saxe ê sió tiau-siōng,
tiû-toān, thian-gô jiông, siù-hoe-tòa; ài siáⁿ ū siáⁿ.
Góa
tòe hiah-ê hòⁿ-kî ê siāng-liû lú-sū tī pâng-keng nih se̍h. In seng ji̍p-khì
chi̍t keng ū Posu chit-phín ê pâng-keng, góa chiah tú boeh ji̍p-khì, in tō sûi
koh chhut-lâi, chhùi chhiò-chhiò, ká-ná kiàn-siàu ka-tī ê hòⁿ-kî-sim. Góa
koh-khah siūⁿ boeh khòaⁿ chit keng. Che sī chi̍t keng se-chng pâng, khǹg tio̍h
só͘-ū ê hòa-chong iōng-phín, tī chia ē-tàng khòaⁿ chhut sí-chiá chāi-sè ê sî ê
hi-hoa kap chhia-chhí.
Khò
piah ū chi̍t tè saⁿ chhioh khoah, la̍k chhioh tn̂g ê tōa toh, kok chióng Aucoc
kap Odiot miâ-pâi ê chu-pó tī toh-téng siám-siám hoat-kng. Che sī liáu-put-khí
ê siu-chi̍p, jî-chhiáⁿ hit chióng cha-bó͘ hòa-chong só͘ su-iàu ê chiâⁿ chheng
hāng sió mi̍h-kiāⁿ, m̄-sī kim tō-sī gîn. Chiah-ê siu-chi̍p kan-ta ē-tàng
bān-bān chū-chi̍p, bô khó-lêng iû kāng ê pau-chhī ê cha-po͘ pau-pān chiâu-chê.
Khòaⁿ
tio̍h hông pau-chhī ê cha-bó͘ ê se-chng pâng, góa pēng bô tio̍h-kiaⁿ, tian-tò kám-kak
sim-sek, siông-sè kàm-sióng, hoat-hiān chiah-ê cheng-sim tiau-khek ê mi̍h-kiāⁿ
lóng ū bô-kāng ê lâng-miâ thâu-jī kap bô-kāng ê hui-chiong. Góa chi̍t ê chi̍t ê
khòaⁿ, múi ê lóng siūⁿ tio̍h sī chi̍t kái ê kiàn-siàu-tāi. Góa kóng, Sîn chin
thiàⁿ-sioh chit ê khó-liân ê gín-á, hō͘ i sí tī bōe lāu í-chêng, tī bí-lē kap
chhia-chhí tiong-kan, m̄-bián cho-siū thàn-chia̍h cha-bó͘ nî-lāu khah chhám sí
ê chiat-bôa.
Ū siáⁿ pí soe-lāu khah hō͘-lâng siong-sim, iû-kî sī
tùi thàn-chia̍h cha-bó͘? Lāu--lâi i bô chun-giâm, bô lâng ài chhap i. M̄-sī
kú-kú hoán-hóe ta̍h chhò kha-pō͘, chí-sī hoán-hóe kè-ōe sit-sǹg, kim-chîⁿ
o͘-pe̍h khai, che sī lán ē thiaⁿ tio̍h ê in ê khó-liân tāi. Góa ū bat chi̍t ê
í-chêng chin "hòng-tōng" ê lāu cha-bó͘, kòe-khì lâu hō͘ i ê, chí-sī
chi̍t ê kap i í-chêng chha-put-to pêⁿ súi ê cha-bó͘-kiáⁿ. In lāu-bú m̄-bat kā
chit ê khó-liân ê gín-á kóng kòe "Lí sī goán kiáⁿ," kan-ta ài i kā
ióng-ló, tō ná i bat kā chhiâⁿ tōa án-ne. Cha-bó͘-kiáⁿ hō-chò Louise, chin
thiaⁿ lāu-bú ê ōe, sui-bóng bô ì-goān, bô jia̍t-chêng, mā bô thiòng-lo̍k, tō
hi-seng ka-tī khì thàn-chia̍h, tō ná-chhiūⁿ ū lâng kà i siáⁿ-mih hâng-gia̍p, i
tō chò siáⁿ-mih kāng-khoán.
Chū sè-hàn tō it-ti̍t khòaⁿ tio̍h hòng-tōng ê
seng-oa̍h, ka-siōng to-pēⁿ ê thé-chit, i í-keng oân-choân bô hun-pia̍t hó kap
bái ê tì-sek, tō sǹg Sîn ū hō͘ i, mā bô lâng siūⁿ boeh kā hoat-tián. Góa
éng-oán ē kì-tit chit ê ko͘-niû, i ta̍k-kang chóng-sī tī chha-put-to kāng chi̍t
ê sî-kan iû in lāu-bú tòe tiâu-tiâu kiâⁿ kòe ū lō͘-chhiū ê tōa-lō͘, tō ná
chèng-siông bú-kiáⁿ sio-kiap chò-hóe kāng-khoán. Hit-sî góa iáu chin siàu-liân,
chin kín tō chiap-siū hit ê sî-tāi ê tō-tek koan-liām. M̄-koh, góa ē kì-tit,
khòaⁿ tio̍h chit khoán ok-chit ê kàm-sī hêng-ûi, chóng-sī ín-khí góa ê khin-sī
kap thó-ià. I ê bīn mā piáu-hiān chhut bô hoat-tō͘ hêng-iông ê chhù-lú chiah ū
ê thian-chin kap ut-chut khó͘-náu ê piáu-chêng. I tō ná-chhiūⁿ Úi-khut Lú-lông
ê tiau-siōng (figure of Resignation).
1.2 趁食查某年老較慘死
可惜,
hiah-ê 神祕攏綴這个女神消失 ah. 雖罔 in
拍拚 teh 揣,
in 干焦看著主人死了欲賣 ê 物件, 攏看無伊在生 teh 賣 ê 物件.
Án-ne 以外, 值得買 ê 物件猶是真濟. 家具攏真高級; 有紫檀
(rosewood) kap Buhl 名家雕刻 ê 櫃仔
kap 桌仔, Sevres kap 中國花瓶, 德國
Saxe ê 小雕像, 綢緞, 天鵝絨, 繡花帶; 愛啥有啥.
我綴
hiah-ê 好奇 ê 上流女士 tī 房間
nih se̍h. In 先入去一間有 Posu 織品 ê 房間, 我才拄欲入去,
in tō 隨 koh 出來, 喙笑笑, 敢若見笑家己 ê 好奇心. 我閣較想欲看這間. 這是一間梳妝房, 囥著所有 ê 化妝用品,
tī 遮會當看出死者在世 ê 時 ê 虛花 kap 奢侈.
靠壁有一塊三尺闊, 六尺長 ê 大桌, 各種
Aucoc kap Odiot 名牌 ê 珠寶 tī 桌頂閃閃發光. 這是了不起 ê 收集, 而且彼種查某化妝所需要 ê 成千項小物件, 毋是金 tō
是銀. Chiah-ê 收集干焦會當慢慢聚集, 無可能由仝个包飼 ê 查埔包辦
chiâu 齊.
看著
hông 包飼 ê 查某 ê 梳妝房, 我並無著驚, 顛倒感覺心適, 詳細鑑賞, 發現
chiah-ê 精心雕刻 ê 物件攏有無仝 ê 人名頭字
kap 無仝 ê 徽章. 我一个一个看, 每个攏想著是一改 ê 見笑代. 我講, 神真疼惜這个可憐 ê 囡仔, 予伊死 tī
未老以前, tī 美麗
kap 奢侈中間, 毋免遭受趁食查某年老較慘死 ê 折磨.
有啥比衰老較予人傷心, 尤其是對趁食查某? 老來伊無尊嚴, 無人愛
chhap 伊. 毋是久久反悔踏錯跤步, 只是反悔計畫失算, 金錢烏白開, 這是咱會聽著 ê
in ê 可憐代. 我有捌一个以前真
"放蕩" ê 老查某, 過去留予伊 ê,
只是一个 kap 伊以前差不多平媠 ê 查某囝.
In 老母毋 bat kā 這个可憐 ê 囡仔講過
"你是阮囝," 干焦愛伊 kā
養老, tō 若伊
bat kā 晟大 án-ne. 查某囝號做
Louise, 真聽老母 ê 話, 雖罔無意願, 無熱情,
mā 無暢樂, tō 犧牲家己去趁食,
tō 若像有人教伊啥物行業, 伊 tō 做啥物仝款.
自細漢 tō 一直看著放蕩 ê 生活, 加上多病 ê 體質, 伊已經完全無分別好 kap 䆀 ê 智識, tō 算神有予伊, mā 無人想欲 kā 發展. 我永遠會記得這个姑娘, 伊逐工總是 tī 差不多仝一个時間由 in 老母綴牢牢行過有路樹 ê 大路, tō ná 正常母囝相夾做伙仝款. 彼時我猶真少年, 真緊 tō 接受彼个時代 ê 道德觀念. 毋過, 我會記得, 看著這款惡質 ê 監視行為, 總是引起我 ê 輕視 kap 討厭. 伊 ê 面 mā 表現出無法度形容 ê 處女才有 ê 天真 kap 鬱卒苦惱 ê 表情. 伊 tō 若像委屈女郎 ê 雕像 (figure of
Resignation).
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1.2
Unfortunately the mystery had vanished with the goddess, and, for all their endeavours, they discovered only what was on sale since the owner's decease, and nothing of what had been on sale during her lifetime. For the rest, there were plenty of things worth buying. The furniture was superb; there were rosewood and buhl cabinets and tables, Sevres and Chinese vases, Saxe statuettes, satin, velvet, lace; there was nothing lacking.
I sauntered through the rooms, following the inquisitive ladies of distinction. They entered a room with Persian hangings, and I was just going to enter in turn, when they came out again almost immediately, smiling, and as if ashamed of their own curiosity. I was all the more eager to see the room. It was the dressing-room, laid out with all the articles of toilet, in which the dead woman's extravagance seemed to be seen at its height.
On a large table against the wall, a table three feet in width and six in length, glittered all the treasures of Aucoc and Odiot. It was a magnificent collection, and there was not one of those thousand little things so necessary to the toilet of a woman of the kind which was not in gold or silver. Such a collection could only have been got together little by little, and the same lover had certainly not begun and ended it.
Not being shocked at the sight of a kept woman's dressing-room, I amused myself with examining every detail, and I discovered that these magnificently chiselled objects bore different initials and different coronets. I looked at one after another, each recalling a separate shame, and I said that God had been merciful to the poor child, in not having left her to pay the ordinary penalty, but rather to die in the midst of her beauty and luxury, before the coming of old age, the courtesan's first death.
Is there anything sadder in the world than the old age of vice, especially in woman? She preserves no dignity, she inspires no interest. The everlasting repentance, not of the evil ways followed, but of the plans that have miscarried, the money that has been spent in vain, is as saddening a thing as one can well meet with. I knew an aged woman who had once been "gay," whose only link with the past was a daughter almost as beautiful as she herself had been. This poor creature to whom her mother had never said, "You are my child," except to bid her nourish her old age as she herself had nourished her youth, was called Louise, and, being obedient to her mother, she abandoned herself without volition, without passion, without pleasure, as she would have worked at any other profession that might have been taught her.
The constant sight of dissipation, precocious dissipation, in addition to her constant sickly state, had extinguished in her mind all the knowledge of good and evil that God had perhaps given her, but that no one had ever thought of developing. I shall always remember her, as she passed along the boulevards almost every day at the same hour, accompanied by her mother as assiduously as a real mother might have accompanied her daughter. I was very young then, and ready to accept for myself the easy morality of the age. I remember, however, the contempt and disgust which awoke in me at the sight of this scandalous chaperoning. Her face, too, was inexpressibly virginal in its expression of innocence and of melancholy suffering. She was like a figure of Resignation.
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