老管家 / An Old Butler

老管家 金雨田	An Old Butler By Jin Yu Tian
探訪瀑布不成，隨興來到福隆港山腰的一間西式別墅前，本有停車暫借問，大夥在這別致的老屋前拍家家照的意思。	FAILING to visit the waterfall, we went on nevertheless with our rambling ride until we came to a Western-style villa half way up the Fraser Hill.  Finding the venerable mansion a nice backdrop for some family photos, we walked up to ask for permission.
只見側門口出現了一男一女，男的臉帶慈祥，搭訕起來，原來是管家，女的是主人。我們想這兒一定有英式下午茶，果然是。	A man and a woman appeared at the side-gate.  A conversation being started, it transpired that the kind-faced old man was the butler and the lady, the mistress of the house.  We guessed a British-style afternoon tea was being served, and sure it was.
屋外爬滿了攀墻青綠，屋內清一色西方格調，音樂輕揚，幾個隔間裏，有些客人在看書，屋外有人在淡淡的陽光下品茗，欣賞雲過重山。	The house was covered with green climbers outside and decorated in a purely Western tone inside.  Amid the soft music, some guests could be seen reading in the partitioned corners in the hall.  Outdoors, others were enjoying tea in the mild sunlight, admiring the clouds floating over the hills.
管家强調他們的糕餅和果子醬都是自家手藝，一名客人拿小碟多討點兒，口口聲聲表示就是爲這果子醬而來。	All the cakes and jam were home-made, claimed the butler, with emphasis.  Indeed, a guest with a small dish was asking for a bit more jam, saying he had exactly come for that delicacy.
這間別墅戰時爲國際紅十字會所建，後來轉贈英軍，英軍再轉送給馬來西亞政府，說來還有點歷史因緣呢。女主人是後來的屋主，還會彈彈鋼琴娛賓，管家說她也是新加坡人，等會兒會過來和大家寒暄。我們離去時女主人始終不見影，或許她的優雅，被小孩的嬉鬧給嚇了。	The villa had a history, as we were told.  It was first built during the war by the International Red Cross, which then gave it to the British army, who in turn passed it over to the Malaysian government.  The lady became its owner later.  Now she was playing the piano for her visitors.  She was Singaporean too, the butler told us, and would come and have a chat with us in a while.  Yet we didn’t have the pleasure of meeting her, not even till we left.  Perhaps the kids in our company, frolicking around the place, scared away the elegant hostess.
入晚，我們在小鎮遇見遲來的聖誕老人沿戶傳佳音，孩子們樂壞了，領隊的，不正是那總挂著笑容的老管家?	After nightfall in the little town we came across a belated Santa Claus spreading Christmas tidings from door to door.  Our children were overjoyed as the man turned out to be none other than the old butler, smiling as ever, now leading a merry crowd.
	(Tr. by Allen Zhuang)

原載新加坡《聯合早報》（2000）；收入《不着地族 / A Lift-Off People》 (潘正鐳著、Allen Zhuang 英譯；Singapore: All Publishing House, 2002);
2014-12-21 譯者貼於原先的 坡港英華 / SingaKong Chinese & English 網誌，今重貼於此；曾有讀者 Ivy 在此留言、譯者答覆，今一併抄錄於 Comment 內。

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