The Old Man And The Sea C8

　　Hedid not remember when he had first started to talk aloud when he was byhimself. He had sung when he was by himself in the old days and he had sung atnight sometimes when he was alone steering on his watch in the smacks or in theturtle boats. He had probably started to talk aloud, when alone, when the boyhad left. But he did not remember. When he and the boy fished together theyusually spoke only when it was necessary. They talked at night or when theywere storm-bound by bad weather. It was considered a virtue not to talkunnecessarily at sea and the old man had always considered it so and respected it. But now he said his thoughts aloudmany times since there was no one that they could annoy.

　　他记不起他是什么时候第一次开始在独自待着的当儿自言自语的了。往年他独自待着时曾唱歌来着，有时候在夜里唱，那是在小渔船或捕海龟的小艇上值班掌舵时的事。他大概是在那孩子离开了他、他独自待着时开始自言自语的。不过他记不清了。他跟孩子一块儿捕鱼时，他们一般只在有必要时才说话。他们在夜间说话来着，要不，碰到坏天气，被暴风雨困在海上的时候。没有必要不在海上说话，被认为是种好规矩，老人一向认为的确如此，始终遵守它。可是这会儿他把心里想说的话说出声来有好几次了，因为没有旁人会受到他说话的打扰。

　　"Ifthe others heard me talking out loud they would think that I am crazy," hesaid aloud. "But since I am not crazy, I do not care. And the rich haveradios to talk to them in their boats and to bring them the baseball."

　　“要是别人听到我在自言自语，会当我发疯了，”他说出声来。“不过既然我没有发疯，我就不管，还是要说。有钱人在船上有收音机对他们谈话，还把棒球赛的消息告诉他们。”

　　Nowis no time to think baseball, he thought. Now is the time to think of only onething. That which I was born for. There might be a big one around that school,he thought. I picked up only a straggler from the albacore that were feeding.But they are working far out and fast. Everything that shows on the surfacetoday travels very fast and to the north-east. Can that be the time of day? Oris it some sign of weather that I do not know?

　　现在可不是思量棒球赛的时刻，他想。现在只应该思量一桩事。就是我生来要干的那桩事。那个鱼群周围很可能有一条大的，他想。我只逮住了正在吃小鱼的金枪鱼群中一条失散的。可是它们正游向远方，游得很快。今天凡是在海面上露面的都游得很快，向着东北方向。难道一天的这个时辰该如此吗？要不，这是什么我不懂得的天气征兆？

　　Hecould not see the green of the shore now but only the tops of the blue hillsthat showed white as though they were snow-capped and the clouds that lookedlike high snow mountains above them. The sea was very dark and the light madeprisms in the water. The myriad flecks of the plankton were annulled now by thehigh sun and it was only the great deep prisms in the blue water that the oldman saw now with his lines going straight down into the water that was a miledeep.

　　他眼下已看不见海岸的那一道绿色了，只看得见那些青山的仿佛积着白雪的山峰，以及山峰上空象是高耸的雪山般的云块。海水颜色深极了，阳光在海水中幻成彩虹七色。那数不清的斑斑点点的浮游生物，由于此刻太阳升到了头顶上空，都看不见了，眼下老人看得见的仅仅是蓝色海水深处幻成的巨大的七色光带，还有他那几根笔直垂在有一英里深的水中的钓索。

　　Thetuna, the fishermen called all the fish of that species tuna and onlydistinguished among them by their proper names when they came to sell them orto trade them for baits, were down again. The sun was hot now and the old manfelt it on the back of his neck and felt the sweat trickle down his back as herowed.

　　渔夫们管所有这种鱼都叫金枪鱼，只有等到把它们卖出，或者拿来换鱼饵时，才分别叫它们各自的专用名字。这时它们又沉下海去了。阳光此刻很热，老人感到脖颈上热辣辣的，划着划着，觉得汗水一滴滴地从背上往下淌。

　　Icould just drift, he thought, and sleep and put a bight of line around my toeto wake me. But today is eighty-five days and I should fish the day well.

　　我大可随波逐流，他想，管自睡去，预先把钓索在脚趾上绕上一圈，有动静时可以把我弄醒。不过今天是第八十五天，我该一整天好好钓鱼。

　　Justthen, watching his lines, he saw one of the projecting green sticks dipsharply.

　　就在这时，他凝视着钓索，看见其中有一根挑出在水面上的绿色钓竿猛地往水中一沉。

　　"Yes,"he said. "Yes," and shipped his oars without bumping the boat. Hereached out for the line and held it softly between the thumb and forefinger ofhis right hand. He felt no strain nor weight and he held the line lightly. Thenit came again. This time it was a tentative pull, not solid nor heavy, and heknew exactly what it was. One hundred fathoms down a marlin was eating thesardines that covered the point and the shank of the hook where the hand-forgedhook projected from the head of the small tuna.

　　“来啦，”他说。“来啦，”说着从桨架上取下双桨，没有让船颠簸一下。他伸手去拉钓索，把它轻轻地夹在右手大拇指和食指之间。他感到钓索并不抽紧，也没什么分量，就轻松地握着。跟着它又动了一下。这回是试探性的一拉，拉得既不紧又不重，他就完全明白这是怎么回事了。在一百英寻的深处有条大马林鱼正在吃包住钓钩尖端和钩身的沙丁鱼，这个手工制的钓钩是从一条小金枪鱼的头部穿出来的。

　　Theold man held the line delicately, and softly, with his left hand, unleashed itfrom the stick. Now he could let it run through his fingers without the fishfeeling any tension.

　　老人轻巧地攥着钓索，用左手把它从竿子上轻轻地解下来。他现在可以让它穿过他手指间滑动，不会让鱼感到一点儿牵引力。

　　Thisfar out, he must be huge in this month, he thought. Eat them, fish. Eat them.Please eat them. How fresh they are and you down there six hundred feet in thatcold water in the dark. Make another turn in the dark and come back and eatthem.

　　在离岸这么远的地方，它长到本月份，个头一定挺大了，他想。吃鱼饵吧，鱼啊。吃吧。请你吃吧。这些鱼饵多新鲜，而你啊，待在这六百英尺的深处，在这漆黑黑的冷水里。在黑暗里再绕个弯子，拐回来把它们吃了吧。

　　Hefelt the light delicate pulling and then a harder pull when a sardine‘s head must have been more difficult to break from the hook. Thenthere was nothing.

　　他感到微弱而轻巧地一拉，跟着较猛烈地一拉，这时准是有条沙丁鱼的头很难从钓钩上扯下来。然后没有一丝动静了。

　　"Comeon," the old man said aloud. "Make another turn. Just smell them. Aren‘t they lovely? Eat them good now and then there is the tuna. Hardand cold and lovely. Don‘t be shy, fish. Eatthem."

　　“来吧，”老人说出声来。“再绕个弯子吧。闻闻这些鱼饵。它们不是挺鲜美吗？趁它们还新鲜的时候吃了，回头还有那条金枪鱼。又结实，又凉快，又鲜美。别怕难为情，鱼儿。把它们吃了吧。”

　　Hewaited with the line between his thumb and his finger, watching it and theother lines at the same time for the fish might have swum up or down. Then camethe same delicate pulling touch again.

　　他把钓索夹在大拇指和食指之间等待着。同时盯着它和其他那几根钓索，因为这鱼可能已游到了高一点的地方或低一点的地方。跟着又是那么轻巧地一拉。

　　"He‘ll take it," the old man said aloud. "God help him to takeit."

　　“它会咬饵的，”老人说出声来。“求天主帮它咬饵吧。”

　　Hedid not take it though. He was gone and the old man felt nothing.

　　然而它没有咬饵。它游走了，老人没感到有任何动静。

　　"Hecan‘t have gone," he said. "Christ knows hecan‘t have gone. He‘s making aturn. Maybe he has been hooked before and he remembers something of it."

　　“它不可能游走的，”他说。“天知道它是不可能游走的。它正在绕弯子呐。也许它以前上过钩，还有点儿记得。”

　　Thenhe felt the gentle touch on the line and he was happy.

　　跟着他感到钓索轻轻地动了一下，他高兴了。

　　"Itwas only his turn," he said. "He‘ll takeit."

　　“它刚才不过是在转身，”他说。“它会咬饵的。”