11.7 新 England 崁掉舊 England

11.7 Sin England khàm-tiāu kū England

Taⁿ in tng-teh thiah kùi-cho̍k ê chhū, Georgia sî-tāi ê tōa-lâu tit-boeh siau-sit ah. Fritchley, chi̍t tòng oân-bí Georgia hong-keh ê tōa-chhù, Connie ê chhia keng-kòe ê sî, mā tng-teh thiah. Tōa-lâu pó-iáng kah chin hó, chiàn-cheng í-chêng, Weatherley ka-cho̍k tī hia tòa kah chin phok-sóng. M̄-koh taⁿ, tòa che siuⁿ tōa, siuⁿ kùi, kap chng-kha bô ha̍h. Kùi-cho̍k lóng poaⁿ khì khah hó-sńg ê só͘-chāi, tī hia in tōa chhut-chhiú khai-chîⁿ, m̄-bián chai chîⁿ sī án-chóaⁿ thàn ê.

Che tō-sī le̍k-sú. Chi̍t ê England khàm kòe iáu chi̍t ê. Khòng-tiûⁿ hō͘ hiah-ê tōa-chhù hó-gia̍h. Taⁿ in koh kā hiah-ê thiah-tiāu, tō ná í-chêng in thiah-tiāu chhun-sià. Kang-gia̍p ê England khàm kòe lông-gia̍p ê England. Chi̍t chióng ì-gī khàm-tiāu lēng-gōa chi̍t chióng ì-gī. Sin England khàm-tiāu kū England. Tāi-chì ê liân-sio̍k m̄-sī iú-ki ê, sī ki-khì-sek ê.

Connie sio̍k tī ū-êng ê kai-kip, it-hiòng lia̍h-tiâu kū England ê bóe-liu. Keng-kòe kúi-nā nî, yi chiah chai, he í-keng chin-chiàⁿ hō͘ chit ê khó-phà ê sin koh ut-chut ê England só͘ khàm-kòe, chit-chióng khàm-kòe ē kè-sio̍k, it-ti̍t kàu oân-choân ûi-chí. Fritchley í-keng siau-sit ah, Eastwood mā siau-sit ah, Shipley tng-teh siau-sit: Winter Oân-gōe só͘ ì-ài ê Shipley.

Connie tī Shipley hia thêng chi̍t khùn. Āu hoe-hn̂g ê tōa-mn̂g lī khòng-tiûⁿ thih-lō͘ ê pêng-kau-tō pēng bô hn̄g; Shipley khòng-tiûⁿ tō tī chhiū-nâ koh kòe hia. Tōa-mn̂g khui-khui, in-ūi khòng-kang iu-sian ē-tàng kiâⁿ kòe hoe-hn̂g. In mā ē tī hoe-hn̂g nih se̍h-lâi se̍h-khì.

Chhia kiâⁿ kòe phòe-kéng ê chúi-tî, he lāi-té ū chē-chē khòng-kang hìⁿ-sak ê pò-chóa, iân sió-lō͘ lâi kàu chhù chêng. Che sī khí tī 18 sè-kí tiong-kî ê boah-chio̍h-hoe ê khó-ài kiàn-tio̍k. Hia iáu ū chi̍t tiâu súi-súi chèng Au-chiu âng-tāu-sam (yew) ê sió-hāng, ǹg chi̍t keng khah kū ê chhù, tōa-chhù ê kheh-tn̂g chēng-chēng tián-khui, Georgia hong-keh ê po-lê-thang ná hoaⁿ-hí ê ba̍k-chiu teh nih. Āu-piah ū kúi-nā khu chin-chiàⁿ súi ê hoe-hn̂g.

Connie kám-kak lāi-té ê chhiâⁿ-kek pí Wragby hó chin chē. Chia khah kng-liāng, khah oa̍h-phoat, ū-hêng koh iu-ngá. Pâng-keng tah hún-sek ê keh-pang, thian-pông ū kim-chhái, hāng-hāng lóng chin chéng-chê, só͘-ū ê pò͘-tì lóng oân-boán, bô sioh pún-chîⁿ. Sīm-chì cháu-lông mā khoan-khoah, khó-ài, oan-oat iu-ngá, chhiong-móa oa̍h-la̍t.

M̄-koh, Leslie Winter ko͘-chi̍t-lâng. I chhim-chhim ài i ê chhù. M̄-koh i ê chhù hām ka-tī ê saⁿ-ê khòng-tiûⁿ sio keh-piah. I ê siūⁿ-hoat chin khai-hòng. I chiâⁿ hoan-gêng khòng-kang lâi i ê hoe-hn̂g. I ē hó-gia̍h kám m̄-sī in-ūi khòng-kang! Só͘-í, tng i khòaⁿ tio̍h chi̍t-tīn chi̍t-tīn bô-thé-biān ê lâng tī phòe-kéng ê chúi-tî -- m̄-koh bô tī hoe-hn̂g su-jîn ê pō͘-hūn, bô, he i keh kah chin bêng -- i ē kóng: "khòng-kang sui-jiân bô lo̍k-á hiah sek-ha̍p phòe-kéng, m̄-koh in ke chiâⁿ ū lī-ek."

M̄-koh he sī tī Victoria lú-ông āu pòaⁿ kî kim-chîⁿ im-kha-ba̍k ê n̂g-kim sî-tāi, hit-sî ê khòng-kang lóng sī "láu-si̍t kang-lâng."

Winter bat pòaⁿ phō-khiàm kā chit-khoán ōe kóng hō͘ i ê kùi-pin, hit-sî ê Wales Ông-chú thiaⁿ. Ông-chú iōng i te̍k-iú ê Eng-gí kháu-im kā ìn:

"Lí bô m̄-tio̍h. Nā-kóng Sandringham hoe-hn̂g ē-bīn ū thô͘-thòaⁿ, góa ē tī chháu-phí khui khòng-tiûⁿ, kā tòng-chò it-liû ê hoe-hn̂g kéng-tì. Oh, góa chiâⁿ chêng-goān iōng hit-ê kè-siàu kā hoe-lo̍k ōaⁿ-chò khòng-kang. Góa thiaⁿ-kóng, lí ê kang-lâng mā lóng sī hó-lâng."

M̄-koh, hit-sî ê Ông-chú hoān-sè tùi kim-chîⁿ ê bí-lē kap kang-gia̍p-hòa ê hó-chhù siūⁿ kah siuⁿ kòe-thâu.

Chóng-sī, Ông-chú chiâⁿ-chò Kok-ông, chit-ê Kok-ông mā í-keng sí ah, chit-má sī lēng-gōa chi̍t ê Kok-ông, i ê chú-iàu kong-lêng ká-ná sī chú-chhî ám-môe chè-pîn ê khai-bō͘.

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11.7 新 England 崁掉舊 England

今 in tng-teh 拆貴族 ê 厝, Georgia 時代 ê 大樓得欲消失 ah. Fritchley, 一棟完美 Georgia 風格 ê 大厝, Connie ê 車經過 ê 時, mā tng-teh 拆. 大樓保養 kah 真好, 戰爭以前, Weatherley 家族 tī 遐蹛 kah 真博爽. M̄-koh 今, 蹛這 siuⁿ 大, siuⁿ 貴, kap 庄跤無合. 貴族攏搬去較好耍 ê 所在, tī 遐 in 大出手開錢, 毋免知錢是按怎趁 ê.

這 tō 是歷史. 一个 England 崁過猶一个. 礦場予 hiah-ê 大厝好額. 今 in koh kā hiah-ê 拆掉, tō ná 以前 in 拆掉村舍. 工業 ê England 崁過農業 ê England. 一種意義崁掉另外一種意義. 新 England 崁掉舊 England. 代誌 ê 連續毋是有機 ê, 是機器式 ê.

Connie 屬 tī 有閒 ê 階級, 一向掠牢舊 England ê 尾溜. 經過幾若年, 她才知, 彼已經真正予這个可怕 ê 新 koh 鬱卒 ê England 所崁過, 這種崁過會繼續, 一直到完全為止. Fritchley 已經消失 ah, Eastwood mā 消失 ah, Shipley tng-teh 消失: Winter 員外所意愛 ê Shipley.

Connie tī Shipley 遐停一睏. 後花園 ê 大門離礦場鐵路 ê 平交道並無遠; Shipley 礦場 tō tī 樹林 koh 過遐. 大門開開, 因為礦工優先 ē-tàng 行過花園. In mā 會 tī 花園 nih 踅來踅去.

車行過配景 ê 水池, 彼內底有濟濟礦工 hìⁿ 捒 ê 報紙, 沿小路來到厝前. 這是起 tī 18 世紀中期 ê 抹石灰 ê 可愛建築. 遐猶有一條媠媠種歐洲紅豆杉 (yew) ê 小巷, ǹg 一間較舊 ê 厝, 大厝 ê 客堂靜靜展開, Georgia 風格 ê 玻璃窗 ná 歡喜 ê 目睭 teh nih. 後壁有幾若區真正媠 ê 花園.

Connie 感覺內底 ê chhiâⁿ-kek 比 Wragby 好真濟. 遮較光亮, 較活潑, 有型 koh 優雅. 房間搭粉色 ê 隔枋, 天篷有金彩, 項項攏真整齊, 所有 ê 布置攏圓滿, 無惜本錢. 甚至走廊 mā 寬闊, 可愛, 彎斡優雅, 充滿活力.

M̄-koh, Leslie Winter 孤一人. 伊深深愛伊 ê 厝. M̄-koh 伊 ê 厝和家己 ê 三个礦場相隔壁. 伊 ê 想法真開放. 伊誠歡迎礦工來伊 ê 花園. 伊會好額敢毋是因為礦工! 所以, 當伊看著一陣一陣無體面 ê 人 tī 配景 ê 水池 -- m̄-koh 無 tī 花園私人 ê 部份, 無, 彼伊隔 kah 真明 -- 伊會講: "礦工雖然無鹿仔 hiah 適合配景, m̄-koh in 加誠有利益."

M̄-koh 彼是 tī Victoria 女王後半期金錢淹跤目 ê 黃金時代, 彼時 ê 礦工攏是 "老實工人."

Winter bat 半抱歉 kā 這款話講予伊 ê 貴賓, 彼時 ê Wales 王子聽. 王子用伊特有 ê 英語口音 kā 應:

"你無毋著. 若講 Sandringham 花園下面有塗炭, 我會 tī 草 phí 開礦場, kā 當做一流 ê 花園景致. Oh, 我誠情願用彼个價數 kā 花鹿換做礦工. 我聽講, 你 ê 工人 mā 攏是好人."

M̄-koh, 彼時 ê 王子凡勢對金錢 ê 美麗 kap 工業化 ê 好處想 kah siuⁿ 過頭.

總是, 王子成做國王, 這个國王 mā 已經死 ah, 這馬是另外一个國王, 伊 ê 主要功能 ká-ná 是主持泔糜濟貧 ê 開幕.

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11.7

Now they are pulling down the stately homes, the Georgian halls are going. Fritchley, a perfect old Georgian mansion, was even now, as Connie passed in the car, being demolished. It was in perfect repair: till the war the Weatherleys had lived in style there. But now it was too big, too expensive, and the country had become too uncongenial. The gentry were departing to pleasanter places, where they could spend their money without having to see how it was made.’

This is history. One England blots out another. The mines had made the halls wealthy. Now they were blotting them out, as they had already blotted out the cottages. The industrial England blots out the agricultural England. One meaning blots out another. The new England blots out the old England. And the continuity is not Organic, but mechanical.

Connie, belonging to the leisured classes, had clung to the remnants of the old England. It had taken her years to realize that it was really blotted out by this terrifying new and gruesome England, and that the blotting out would go on till it was complete. Fritchley was gone, Eastwood was gone, Shipley was going: Squire Winter’s beloved Shipley.

Connie called for a moment at Shipley. The park gates, at the back, opened just near the level crossing of the colliery railway; the Shipley colliery itself stood just beyond the trees. The gates stood open, because through the park was a right-of-way that the colliers used. They hung around the park.

The car passed the ornamental ponds, in which the colliers threw their newspapers, and took the private drive to the house. It stood above, aside, a very pleasant stucco building from the middle of the eighteenth century. It had a beautiful alley of yew trees, that had approached an older house, and the hall stood serenely spread out, winking its Georgian panes as if cheerfully. Behind, there were really beautiful gardens.

Connie liked the interior much better than Wragby. It was much lighter, more alive, shapen and elegant. The rooms were panelled with creamy painted panelling, the ceilings were touched with gilt, and everything was kept in exquisite order, all the appointments were perfect, regardless of expense. Even the corridors managed to be ample and lovely, softly curved and full of life.

But Leslie Winter was alone. He had adored his house. But his park was bordered by three of his own collieries. He had been a generous man in his ideas. He had almost welcomed the colliers in his park. Had the miners not made him rich! So, when he saw the gangs of unshapely men lounging by his ornamental waters—not in the PRIVATE part of the park, no, he drew the line there—he would say: ‘the miners are perhaps not so ornamental as deer, but they are far more profitable.’

But that was in the golden—monetarily—latter half of Queen Victoria’s reign. Miners were then ‘good working men’.

Winter had made this speech, half apologetic, to his guest, the then Prince of Wales. And the Prince had replied, in his rather guttural English:

’You are quite right. If there were coal under Sandringham, I would open a mine on the lawns, and think it first-rate landscape gardening. Oh, I am quite willing to exchange roe-deer for colliers, at the price. Your men are good men too, I hear.’

But then, the Prince had perhaps an exaggerated idea of the beauty of money, and the blessings of industrialism.

However, the Prince had been a King, and the King had died, and now there was another King, whose chief function seemed to be to open soup-kitchens.


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