4.3 請讀這張批

4.3 Chiáⁿ tha̍k chit tiuⁿ phe

I ná chhiūⁿ ioh tio̍h góa ê sim-su, tō án-ne kă kóng:

"Lí ū tha̍k kòe chit pún chheh bô?"

"Tha̍k thàu-thàu ah."

"Góa tī thâu-ia̍h siá ê ōe, lí ū siáⁿ siūⁿ-hoat?"

"Góa chi̍t-ē tō siūⁿ tio̍h kóng, lí sàng hō͘ i chit pún chheh ê cha-bó͘, it-tēng m̄-sī phó͘-thong ê cha-bó͘, in-ūi góa m̄ siong-sìn hiah-ê jī chí-sī siá hó-khòaⁿ ê."

"Bô m̄-tio̍h. Hit-ê ko͘-niû sī thian-sài. Lí khòaⁿ, tha̍k chit-tiuⁿ phe." I ná kóng ná kau hō͘ góa chi̍t-tiuⁿ phe, che ká-ná tha̍k kòe chin chē piàn ah.

Góa kā phe phah-khui, lāi-té án-ne siá:

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"GÓA CHHIN-ÀI Ê ARMAND: -- Lí ê phe góa siu tio̍h ah. Lí iáu sī chiâⁿ hó, góa kám-siā Sîn. Tio̍h ah, góa ê pêng-iú, góa phòa-pēⁿ lah, sī tī-bē-hó ê pēⁿ; m̄-koh lí tùi góa ê koan-sim, kiám-khin liáu góa ê thòng-khó͘. Góa koh oa̍h bô kú ah, góa siūⁿ, góa sī bô hok-khì koh tēⁿ siá góa tú chiap-tio̍h ê chit-tiuⁿ chiâⁿ kám-sim ê phe ê chhiú ah; nā ū siáⁿ ē-tàng tī-hó góa, phe nih ê ōe-kù tō sī ah lah. Góa bē koh khòaⁿ tio̍h lí ah, in-ūi góa tit-boeh sí ah, lí iū-koh lī góa kúi-chheng lí. Góa khó-liân ê pêng-iú ah! Lí pún-lâi ê Margurite í-keng lóng piàn ah. Lí mài koh khòaⁿ tio̍h taⁿ ê i khó-lêng tùi lí khah hó. Lí mn̄g kóng, góa sī-m̄-sī ē goân-liōng lí; oh, pêng-iú, góa chin-sim goân-liōng lí, in-ūi lí ē siong tio̍h góa, tō-sī tāi-piáu lí sī ài góa. Góa í-keng tó tī bîn-chhn̂g chi̍t kò goe̍h, ūi-tio̍h lí tùi góa ê khòaⁿ-tiōng, góa ta̍k-kang lóng siá ji̍t-kì, chū lán lī-khui tō khai-sí, it-ti̍t boeh siá kàu góa bô hoat-tō͘ koh siá ûi-chí. Lí tùi góa ê koan-sim nā sī chin ê, Armand, tńg-lâi ê sî, chhiáⁿ lí khì chhōe Julie Duprat. I ē kā góa ê ji̍t-kì hō͘ lí. Lí tō ē-tàng tī lāi-bīn chai-iáⁿ lán nn̄g lâng tiong-kan hoat-seng ê tāi-chì ê goân-in kap lí-iû. Julie tùi góa chiâⁿ hó; goán chhiâng-chāi kóng khí lí. Lí ê phe lâi ê sî, i mā tī hia, khòaⁿ phe ê sî, góan nn̄g ê lóng khàu ah.

"Lí nā bô koh siá-phe lâi, góa í-keng kā i kóng, kiò i tī lí tńg-lâi Fransi ê sî kā chiah-ê ji̍t-kì kau hō͘ lí. Lí m̄-bián kă soeh-siā. Chiah-ê ji̍t-kì siá tio̍h góa ê seng-oa̍h ê khoài-lo̍k sî-chūn, che tùi góa chiâⁿ hó, tha̍k he nā ē-tàng hō͘ lí tùi kòe-khì ê chi̍t-kóa liōng-kái, án-ne góa mā ē tit-tio̍h bô-hān ê an-ùi. Góa chin siūⁿ boeh lâu chē siáⁿ hō͘ lí chò kì-liām, m̄-koh chia ê ta̍k-hāng mi̍h-kiāⁿ lóng hông cha-hong ah, bô chi̍t-hāng sī góa ê ah.

"Góa ê pêng-iú, lí liáu-kái bô? Góa tit-boeh sí ah, tī bîn-chhn̂g, góa thiaⁿ tio̍h ū lâng tī kheh-thiaⁿ kiâⁿ-lâi kiâⁿ-khì; góa ê chè-chú phài i lâi hia koán-kò͘ mi̍h-kiāⁿ, pa̍t-lâng bē sái the̍h cháu, góa nā bô sí, mā bô mi̍h-kiāⁿ sī góa ê ah lah. Góa hi-bāng in ē-sái tán góa sí-liáu chiah pān phah-bē.

"Oh, lâng chiâⁿ bô-chêng! a̍h-sī, sī góa ê m̄-tio̍h, Sîn sī kong-chèng, bô-su ê!

"Hó ah, chhin-ài ê, lí lâi góa ê phah-bē hōe, bé kóa mi̍h-kiāⁿ, in-ūi m̄-koán góa chhàng siáⁿ hō͘ lí, in khó-lêng ē khòng-kò lí chhim-chiàm cha-hong ê mi̍h-kiāⁿ.

"Góa boeh lī-khui ê sèⁿ-miā ū-kàu pi-ai!

"Sîn nā khéng hō͘ góa sí chìn-chêng koh khòaⁿ tio̍h lí tō hó ah. Chin khó-lêng chū án-ne chài-hōe lah, pêng-iú. Goân-liōng góa bô hoat-tō͘ koh siá lo̍h-khì, kóng boeh thè góa i-pēⁿ ê, chóng-sī kă pàng-hoeh, góa ê chhiú bô hoat-tō͘ koh siá ah.

"MARGUERITE GAUTIER."

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4.3 請讀這張批

伊 ná 像臆著我 ê 心思, tō án-ne kă 講:

"你有讀過這本冊無?"

"讀透透 ah."

"我 tī 頭頁寫 ê 話, 你有啥想法?"

"我一下 tō 想著講, 你送予伊這本冊 ê 查某, 一定毋是普通 ê 查某, 因為我毋相信 hiah-ê 字只是寫好看 ê."

"無毋著. 彼个姑娘是天使. 你看, 讀這張批." 伊 ná 講 ná 交予我一張批, 這敢若讀過真濟遍 ah.

我 kā 批拍開, 內底 án-ne 寫:

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"我親愛 Ê ARMAND: -- 你 ê 批我收著 ah. 你猶是誠好, 我感謝神. 著 ah, 我 ê 朋友, 我破病 lah, 是治袂好 ê 病; 毋過你對我 ê 關心, 減輕了我 ê 痛苦. 我 koh 活無久 ah, 我想, 我是無福氣 koh 捏寫我拄接著 ê 這張誠感心 ê 批 ê 手 ah; nā 有啥會當治好我, 批 nih ê 話句 tō 是 ah lah. 我袂 koh 看著你 ah, 因為我得欲死 ah, 你又 koh 離我幾千里. 我可憐 ê 朋友 ah! 你本來 ê Margurite 已經攏變 ah. 你莫 koh 看著今 ê 伊可能對你較好. 你問講, 我是毋是會原諒你; oh, 朋友, 我真心原諒你, 因為你會傷著我, tō 是代表你是愛我. 我已經倒 tī 眠床一個月, 為著你對我 ê 看重, 我逐工攏寫日記, 自咱離開 tō 開始, 一直欲寫到我無法度 koh 寫為止. 你對我 ê 關心 nā 是真 ê, Armand, 轉來 ê 時, 請你去揣 Julie Duprat. 伊會 kā 我 ê 日記予你. 你 tō 會當 tī 內面知影咱兩人中間發生 ê 代誌 ê 原因 kap 理由. Julie 對我誠好; 阮常在講起你. 你 ê 批來 ê 時, 伊 mā tī 遐, 看批 ê 時, 阮兩个攏哭 ah.

"你 nā 無 koh 寫批來, 我已經 kā 伊講, 叫伊 tī 你轉來 Fransi ê 時 kā chiah-ê 日記交予你. 你毋免 kă 說謝. Chiah-ê 日記寫著我 ê 生活 ê 快樂時陣, 這對我誠好, 讀彼 nā 會當予你對過去 ê 一寡諒解, án-ne 我 mā 會得著無限 ê 安慰. 我真想欲留 chē 啥予你做紀念, 毋過遮 ê 逐項物件攏 hông 查封 ah, 無一項是我 ê ah.

"我 ê 朋友, 你了解無? 我得欲死 ah, tī 眠床, 我聽著有人 tī 客廳行來行去; 我 ê 債主派伊來遐管顧物件, 別人袂使提走, 我 nā 無死, mā 無物件是我 ê ah lah. 我希望 in 會使等我死了才辦拍賣.

"Oh, 人誠無情! 抑是, 是我 ê 毋著, 神是公正, 無私 ê!

"好 ah, 親愛 ê, 你來我 ê 拍賣會, 買寡物件, 因為毋管我藏啥予你, in 可能會控告你侵占查封 ê 物件.

"我欲離開 ê 性命有夠悲哀!

"神 nā 肯予我死進前 koh 看著你 tō 好 ah. 真可能自 án-ne 再會 lah, 朋友. 原諒我無法度 koh 寫落去, 講欲替我醫病 ê, 總是 kă 放血, 我 ê 手無法度 koh 寫 ah.

"MARGUERITE GAUTIER."

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4.3

It was as if he guessed my desire, for he said to me: 

"Have you read the volume?" 

"All through." 

"What did you think of the two lines that I wrote in it?" 

"I realized at once that the woman to whom you had given the volume must have been quite outside the ordinary category, for I could not take those two lines as a mere empty compliment." 

"You were right. That woman was an angel. See, read this letter." And he handed to me a paper which seemed to have been many times reread. 

I opened it, and this is what it contained: 

"MY DEAR ARMAND:--I have received your letter. You are still good, and I thank God for it. Yes, my friend, I am ill, and with one of those diseases that never relent; but the interest you still take in me makes my suffering less. I shall not live long enough, I expect, to have the happiness of pressing the hand which has written the kind letter I have just received; the words of it would be enough to cure me, if anything could cure me. I shall not see you, for I am quite near death, and you are hundreds of leagues away. My poor friend! your Marguerite of old times is sadly changed. It is better perhaps for you not to see her again than to see her as she is. You ask if I forgive you; oh, with all my heart, friend, for the way you hurt me was only a way of proving the love you had for me. I have been in bed for a month, and I think so much of your esteem that I write every day the journal of my life, from the moment we left each other to the moment when I shall be able to write no longer. If the interest you take in me is real, Armand, when you come back go and see Julie Duprat. She will give you my journal. You will find in it the reason and the excuse for what has passed between us. Julie is very good to me; we often talk of you together. She was there when your letter came, and we both cried over it. 

"If you had not sent me any word, I had told her to give you those papers when you returned to France. Do not thank me for it. This daily looking back on the only happy moments of my life does me an immense amount of good, and if you will find in reading it some excuse for the past. I, for my part, find a continual solace in it. I should like to leave you something which would always remind you of me, but everything here has been seized, and I have nothing of my own. 

"Do you understand, my friend? I am dying, and from my bed I can hear a man walking to and fro in the drawing-room; my creditors have put him there to see that nothing is taken away, and that nothing remains to me in case I do not die. I hope they will wait till the end before they begin to sell. 

"Oh, men have no pity! or rather, I am wrong, it is God who is just and inflexible! 

"And now, dear love, you will come to my sale, and you will buy something, for if I put aside the least thing for you, they might accuse you of embezzling seized goods. 

"It is a sad life that I am leaving! 

"It would be good of God to let me see you again before I die. According to all probability, good-bye, my friend. Pardon me if I do not write a longer letter, but those who say they are going to cure me wear me out with bloodletting, and my hand refuses to write any more. 

"MARGUERITE GAUTIER." 

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