2.1 伊死 tō 若藝術品毀壞

Tē 2 Chiong

2.1 I sí tō ná gē-su̍t-phín húi-hoāi

Phah-bē ê ji̍t-chí sī 16 hō. Chham-koan ê ji̍t-chí kap phah-bē tiong-kan ū làng chi̍t kang, thang pak lo̍h tiàu-kòa ê mi̍h-kiāⁿ kap ûi-nî, téng-téng.

Góa tú ùi gōa-kok tńg-lâi, pêng-iú tiong-kan bô lâng kā Marguerite sí ê siau-sit thong-pò hō͘ góa, che mā sī chū-jiân ê tāi-chì. Marguerite sī chi̍t ê súi cha-bó͘; m̄-koh chit chióng cha-bó͘ chāi seⁿ sui-jiân ín-khí chin chē ōe-tê, sí liáu soah bô siáⁿ lâng ài kóng in. In ná thiⁿ-chheⁿ ê khí-lo̍h, bô lâng chù-ì. In sí ê sî nā iáu siàu-liân, só͘-ū in ê ài-jîn lóng ē tâng-chê chai, in-ūi tī Paris múi chi̍t ê chhut-miâ ê cha-bó͘, chha-put-to i só͘-ū ê ài-jîn tiong-kan lóng sī pêng-iú. Ū-sî in ē kau-ōaⁿ chi̍t-kóa kòe-khì ê sió kò͘-sū, jiân-āu ta̍k lâng ê seng-oa̍h chiàu-siông, ká-ná chit hāng tāi-chì m̄-bat hoat-seng, koh-khah m̄-bián kóng ē lâu ba̍k-sái.

Tong-kin, kàu liáu jī-gō͘ hòe, ba̍k-sái sī hi-kî ê mi̍h-kiāⁿ, bē-sái o͘-pe̍h lâu. Siōng chē ê sī, siūⁿ boeh kiáⁿ-jî iú-hàu, pē-bó nā khéng hù-chhut, ūi tio̍h in ê hù-chhut, kiáⁿ-jî chiah ē tī pē-bó sí ê sî khàu.

Tùi góa lâi kóng, sui-bóng bô chi̍t hāng Marguerite ê mi̍h-kiāⁿ ū góa ê thâu-jī, m̄-koh in-ūi góa tú-chiah kóng ê, chhut-chū pún-sèng khoan-iông kap thian-seng ê tông-chêng, sú góa it-ti̍t siūⁿ i ê sí, khó-lêng ū kóa chhiau-kòe. Góa ē kì-tit tiāⁿ-tiāⁿ tī Bois chhiū-nâ tú tio̍h Marguerite, i chha-put-to ta̍k kang lóng chē chi̍t tâi iû nn̄g chiah la̍t-sek koân-bé só͘ thoa ê nâ-sek sì-lián bé-chhia khì hia. Góa ū chù-ì tio̍h, i ū chi̍t chióng kap i hit khoán cha-bó͘ bô-kāng ê khì-chit, i si̍t-chè thoat-sio̍k ê bí-lē kèng-ka hián-chhut chit chióng khì-chit.

In hit chióng put-hēng ê lâng chhut-mn̂g, chóng-sī ài ū lâng chò-phōaⁿ. In-ūi cha-po͘-lâng lóng kiaⁿ lâng khòaⁿ tio̍h hām in chò-tīn, in iū koh ài lâng chò-phōaⁿ, só͘-í chhōe lâi chò-phōaⁿ ê, m̄-sī khah sàn bô bé-chhia ê, tō sī án-chóaⁿ chng mā bô hong-ūn ê lāu cha-bó͘. Chiah-ê chò-phōaⁿ ê, lí nā mn̄g in, tō ē-tàng chai-iáⁿ in só͘ pôe ê cha-bó͘ ê té-sè.

Marguerite kap lâng bô-kāng. Chē bé-chhia tī Champs-Elysees sî, i chóng-sī ka-ti chi̍t ê, chīn-liōng chē tò-hiàⁿ, kôaⁿ-thiⁿ chhēng phôe-chháu tōa-i, joa̍h-thiⁿ chhēng khin-piān ê saⁿ-kûn; sui-bóng i tiāⁿ-tiāⁿ tú tio̍h se̍k-sāi ê lâng, ū-sî i ē tùi in iōng bî-chhiò phah chio-ho͘, hit chióng bî-chhiò sī kong-chiok hu-jîn chiah ū ê. I mā bô chhiūⁿ pa̍t-lâng án-ne, ùi Rond-Point it-ti̍t chē-kàu Champs-Elysees bóe tō hoan-thâu tò-tńg. I ti̍t-ti̍t khì-kàu Bois, tī hia lo̍h bé-chhia, sàn-pō͘ chi̍t tiám-cheng, koh chiūⁿ chhia, chiah kín-kín sái-chhia tńg-khì.

Só͘-ū chiah-ê í-chêng góa chhin-ba̍k khòaⁿ kòe ê chōng-hóng koh hō͘ góa siūⁿ-khí, góa m̄-kam i sí, tō ná lán-lâng m̄-kam bí-lē gē-su̍t-phín ê húi-hoāi kāng-khoán.

Lán bô khó-lêng khòaⁿ tio̍h pí Marguerite ê súi koh-khah bê-lâng ê lah. I seⁿ-chò chiok koân koh sán, m̄-koh i ū chin hó ê gē-su̍t châi-lêng, kan-ta khò chhēng-chhah tō ē-tàng kā che thian-seng ê khiàm-khoeh am-khàm kòe-khì. I ê kasmir moa-kin tn̂g kàu thô͘-kha, siang-pêng ū si-á tn̂g-kûn ê khoah-piⁿ, i lom-leh khoeh tī heng-chêng ê kāu chhiú-lông, sì-piⁿ ûi tio̍h ê áu-hûn, an-pâi kah chiâⁿ khiáu-tì, bô-lūn án-chóaⁿ khòaⁿ, he gōa-hêng ê sòaⁿ-tiâu tō sī bô thang hiâm. I ê thâu chiah sī súi, sī siōng bê-lâng ê só͘-chāi, he sè-sè ah, si-jîn Musset khó-lêng ē án-ne kóng: ká-ná in lāu-bú ūi tio̍h boeh cheng-sim chè-chō, só͘-í án-ne kā seⁿ.

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第 2 章

2.1 伊死 tō 若藝術品毀壞

拍賣 ê 日子是 16 號. 參觀 ê 日子 kap 拍賣中間有 làng 一工, 通剝落吊掛 ê 物件 kap 圍簾, 等等.

我拄 ùi 外國轉來, 朋友中間無人 kā Marguerite 死 ê 消息通報予我, 這 mā 是自然 ê 代誌. Marguerite 是一个媠查某; 毋過這種查某在生雖然引起真濟話題, 死了煞無啥人愛講 in. In ná 天星 ê 起落, 無人注意. In 死 ê 時 nā 猶少年, 所有 in ê 愛人攏會同齊知, 因為 tī Paris 每一个出名 ê 查某, 差不多伊所有 ê 愛人中間攏是朋友. 有時 in 會交換一寡過去 ê 小故事, 然後逐人 ê 生活照常, 敢若這項代誌毋捌發生, 閣較毋免講會流目屎.

當今, 到了二五歲, 目屎是稀奇 ê 物件, 袂使烏白流. 上濟 ê 是, 想欲囝兒有孝, 爸母若肯付出, 為著 in ê 付出, 囝兒才會 tī 爸母死 ê 時哭.

對我來講, 雖罔無一項 Marguerite ê 物件有我 ê 頭字, 毋過因為我拄才講 ê, 出自本性寬容 kap 天生 ê 同情, 使我一直想伊 ê 死, 可能有寡超過. 我會記得定定 tī Bois 樹林拄著 Marguerite, 伊差不多逐工攏坐一台由兩隻栗色懸馬所拖 ê 藍色四輪馬車去遐. 我有注意著, 伊有一種 kap 伊彼款查某無仝 ê 氣質, 伊實際脫俗 ê 美麗更加顯出這種氣質.

In 彼種不幸 ê 人出門, 總是愛有人做伴. 因為查埔人攏驚人看著和 in 做陣, in 又 koh 愛人做伴, 所以揣來做伴 ê, 毋是較 sàn 無馬車 ê, tō 是按怎妝 mā 無風韻 ê 老查某. Chiah-ê 做伴 ê, 你若問 in, tō 會當知影 in 所陪 ê 查某 ê 底細.

Marguerite kap 人無仝. 坐馬車 tī Champs-Elysees 時, 伊總是家己一个, 盡量坐倒 hiàⁿ, 寒天穿皮草大衣, 熱天穿輕便 ê 衫裙; 雖罔伊定定拄著熟似 ê 人, 有時伊會對 in 用微笑拍招呼, 彼種微笑是公爵夫人才有 ê. 伊 mā 無像別人 án-ne, ùi Rond-Point 一直坐到 Champs-Elysees 尾 tō 翻頭倒轉. 伊直直去到 Bois, tī 遐落馬車, 散步一點鐘, koh 上車, 才緊緊駛車轉去.

所有 chiah-ê 以前我親目看過 ê 狀況 koh 予我想起, 我毋甘伊死, tō 若咱人毋甘美麗藝術品 ê 毀壞仝款.

咱無可能看著比 Marguerite ê 媠閣較迷人 ê lah. 伊生做足懸 koh 瘦, 毋過伊有真好 ê 藝術才能, 干焦靠穿插 tō 會當 kā 這天生 ê 欠缺掩崁過去. 伊 ê kasmir 幔巾長到塗跤, 雙爿有絲仔長裙 ê 闊邊, 伊 lom-leh khòe tī 胸前 ê 厚手囊, 四邊圍著 ê 拗痕, 安排甲誠巧致, 無論按怎看, 彼外形 ê 線條 tō 是無通嫌. 伊 ê 頭才是媠, 是上迷人 ê 所在, 彼細細 ah, 詩人 Musset 可能會 án-ne 講: 敢若 in 老母為著欲精心製造, 所以 án-ne kā 生. 

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Chapter 2 

2.1

The sale was to take place on the 16th. A day's interval had been left between the visiting days and the sale, in order to give time for taking down the hangings, curtains, etc. 

I had just returned from abroad. It was natural that I had not heard of Marguerite's death among the pieces of news which one's friends always tell on returning after an absence. Marguerite was a pretty woman; but though the life of such women makes sensation enough, their death makes very little. They are suns which set as they rose, unobserved. Their death, when they die young, is heard of by all their lovers at the same moment, for in Paris almost all the lovers of a well-known woman are friends. A few recollections are exchanged, and everybody's life goes on as if the incident had never occurred, without so much as a tear. 

Nowadays, at twenty-five, tears have become so rare a thing that they are not to be squandered indiscriminately. It is the most that can be expected if the parents who pay for being wept over are wept over in return for the price they pay. 

As for me, though my initials did not occur on any of Marguerite's belongings, that instinctive indulgence, that natural pity that I have already confessed, set me thinking over her death, more perhaps than it was worth thinking over. I remembered having often met Marguerite in the Bois, where she went regularly every day in a little blue coupe drawn by two magnificent bays, and I had noticed in her a distinction quite apart from other women of her kind, a distinction which was enhanced by a really exceptional beauty. 

These unfortunate creatures whenever they go out are always accompanied by somebody or other. As no man cares to make himself conspicuous by being seen in their company, and as they are afraid of solitude, they take with them either those who are not well enough off to have a carriage, or one or another of those elegant, ancient ladies, whose elegance is a little inexplicable, and to whom one can always go for information in regard to the women whom they accompany. 

In Marguerite's case it was quite different. She was always alone when she drove in the Champs- Elysees, lying back in her carriage as much as possible, dressed in furs in winter, and in summer wearing very simple dresses; and though she often passed people whom she knew, her smile, when she chose to smile, was seen only by them, and a duchess might have smiled in just such a manner. She did not drive to and fro like the others, from the Rond-Point to the end of the Champs-Elysees. She drove straight to the Bois. There she left her carriage, walked for an hour, returned to her carriage, and drove rapidly home. 

All these circumstances which I had so often witnessed came back to my memory, and I regretted her death as one might regret the destruction of a beautiful work of art. 

It was impossible to see more charm in beauty than in that of Marguerite. Excessively tall and thin, she had in the fullest degree the art of repairing this oversight of Nature by the mere arrangement of the things she wore. Her cashmere reached to the ground, and showed on each side the large flounces of a silk dress, and the heavy muff which she held pressed against her bosom was surrounded by such cunningly arranged folds that the eye, however exacting, could find no fault with the contour of the lines. Her head, a marvel, was the object of the most coquettish care. It was small, and her mother, as Musset would say, seemed to have made it so in order to make it with care. 

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