The Old Man And The Sea C9

　　Hewas happy feeling the gentle pulling and then he felt something hard andunbelievably heavy. It was the weight of the fish and he let the line slipdown, down, down, unrolling off the first of the two reserve coils. As it wentdown, slipping lightly th rough the old man‘s fingers,he still could feel the great weight, thought the pressure of his thumb andfinger were almost imperceptible.

　　感到这轻微的一拉，他很高兴，接着他感到有些猛拉的感觉，很有份量，叫人难以相信。这是鱼本身的重量造成的，他就松手让钓索朝下溜，一直朝下，朝下溜，从那两卷备用钓索中的一卷上放出钓索。它从老人的指间轻轻地滑下去的时候，他依旧感到很大的分量，尽管他的大拇指和食指施加的压力简直小得觉察不到。

　　"Whata fish," he said. "He has it sideways in his mouth now and he ismoving off with it."

　　“多棒的鱼啊，”他说。“它正把鱼饵斜叼在嘴里，带着它在游走呐。”

　　Thenhe will turn and swallow it, he thought. He did not say that because he knewthat if you said a good thing it might not happen. He knew what a huge fishthis was and he thought of him moving away in the darkness with the tuna heldcrosswise in his mouth. At that moment he felt him stop moving but the weightwas still there. Then the weight increased and he gave more line. He tightenedthe pressure of his thumb and finger for a moment and the weight increased andwas going straight down.

　　它就会掉过头来把饵吞下去的，他想。他没有把这句话说出声来，因为他知道，一桩好事如果说破了，也许就不会发生了。他知道这条鱼有多大，他想象到它嘴里横衔着金枪鱼，在黑暗中游走。这时他觉得它停止不动了，可是分量还是没变。跟着分量越来越重了，他就再放出一点钓索。他一时加强了大拇指和食指上的压力，于是钓索上的分量增加了，一直传到水中深处。

　　"He‘s taken it," he said. "Now I‘lllet him eat it well."

　　“它咬饵啦，”他说。“现在我来让它美美地吃一顿。”

　　Helet the line slip through his fingers while he reached down with his left handand made fast the free end of the two reserve coils to the loop of the tworeserve coils of the next line. Now he was ready. He had three forty-fathomcoils of line in reserve now, as well as the coil he was using.

　　他让钓索在指间朝下溜，同时伸出左手，把两卷备用钓索的一端紧系在旁边那根钓索的两卷备用钓索上。他如今准备好了。他眼下除了正在使用的那钓索卷儿，还有三个四十英寻长的卷儿可供备用。

　　"Eatit a little more," he said. "Eat it well."

　　“再吃一些吧，”他说。“美美地吃吧。”

　　Eatit so that the point of the hook goes into your heart and kills you, hethought. Come up easy and let me put the harpoon into you. All right. Are youready? Have you been long enough at table?

　　吃了吧，这样可以让钓钩的尖端扎进你的心脏，把你弄死，他想。轻松愉快地浮上来吧，让我把鱼叉刺进你的身子。得了。你准备好了？你进餐得时间够长了吗？

　　"Now!he said aloud and struck hard with both hands, gained a yard of line and thenstruck again and again, swinging with each arm alternately on the cord with allthe strength of his arms and the pivoted weight of his body.

　　“着啊！”他说出声来，用双手使劲猛拉钓索，收进了一码，然后连连猛拉，使出胳膊上的全副劲儿，拿身子的重量作为支撑，挥动双臂，轮换地把钓索往回拉。

　　Nothinghappened. The fish just moved away slowly and the old man could not raise himan inch. His line was strong and made for heavy fish and he held it against hisback until it was so taut that beads of water were jumping from it. Then itbegan to make a slow hissing sound in the water and he still held it, bracinghimself against the thwart and leaning back against the pull. The boat began tomove slowly off toward the north-west.

　　什么用也没有。那鱼只顾慢慢地游开去，老人无法把它往上拉一英寸。他这钓索很结实，是制作来钓大鱼的，他把它套在背上猛拉，钓索给绷得太紧，上面竟蹦出水珠来。随后它在水里渐渐发出一阵拖长的咝咝声，但他依旧攥着它，在座板上死劲撑住了自己的身子，仰着上半身来抵消鱼的拉力。船儿慢慢地向西北方向驶去。

　　Thefish moved steadily and they traveled slowly on the calm water. The other baitswere still in the water but there was nothing to be done.

　　大鱼一刻不停地游着，鱼和船在平静的水面上慢慢地行进。另外那几个鱼饵还在水里，没有动静，用不着应付。

　　"Iwish I had the boy," the old man said aloud. "I‘m being towed by a fish and I‘m the towingbitt. I could make the line fast. But then he could break it. I must hold himall I can and give him line when he must have it. Thank God he is traveling andnot going down."

　　“但愿那孩子在这儿就好了，”老人说出声来，“我正被一条鱼拖着走，成了一根系纤绳的短柱啦。我可以把钓索系在船舷上。不过这一来鱼儿会把它扯断的。我得拚命牵住它，必要的时候给它放出钓索。谢谢老天，它还在朝前游，没有朝下沉。”

　　WhatI will do if he decides to go down, I don‘t know. WhatI‘ll do if he sounds and dies I don‘t now. But I‘ll do something. There areplenty of things I can do.

　　如果它决意朝下沉，我该怎么办？我不知道。如果它潜入海底，死在那儿，我该怎么办？我不知道。可是我必须干些什么。我能做的事情多着呢。

　　Heheld the line against his back and watched its slant in the water and the skiffmoving steadily to the north-west.

　　他攥住了勒在背脊上的钓索，紧盯着它直往水中斜去，小船呢，不停地朝西北方驶去。

　　Thiswill kill him, the old man thought. He can‘t do thisforever. But four hours later the fish was still swimming steadily out to sea,towing the skiff, and the old man was still braced solidly with the line acrosshis back.

　　这样能叫它送命，老人想。它不能一直这样干下去。然而过了四个钟点，那鱼照样拖着这条小船，不停地向大海游去，老人呢，依然紧紧攥着勒在背脊上的钓索。

　　"Itwas noon when I hooked him," he said. "And I have never seenhim."

　　“我是中午把它钓上的，”他说。“可我始终还没见过它。”

　　Hehad pushed his straw hat hard down on his head before he hooked the fish and itwas cutting his forehead. He was thirsty too and he got down on his knees and,being careful not to jerk on the line, moved as far into the bow as he couldget and reached the water bottle with one hand. He opened it and drank alittle. Then he rested against the bow. He rested sitting on the un-steppedmast and sail and tried not to think but only to endure.

　　他在钓上这鱼以前，把草帽拉下，紧扣在脑瓜上，这时勒得他的脑门好痛。他还觉得口渴，就双膝跪下，小心不让扯动钓索，尽量朝船头爬去，伸手去取水瓶。他打开瓶盖，喝了一点儿，然后靠在船头上休息。他坐在从桅座上拔下的绕着帆的桅杆上，竭力不去想什么，只顾熬下去。

　　Thenhe looked behind him and saw that no land was visible. That makes nodifference, he thought. I can always come in on the glow from Havana. There aretwo more hours before the sun sets and maybe he will come up before that. If hedoesn‘t maybe he will come up with the moon. If he doesnot do that maybe he will come up with the sunrise. I have no cramps and I feelstrong. It is he that has the hook in his mouth. But what a fish to pull likethat. He must have his mouth shut tight on the wire. I wish I could see him. Iwith I could see him only once to know what I have against me.

　　等他回顾背后时，一看陆地已没有一丝踪影了。这没有关系，他想。我总能靠着哈瓦那的灯火回港的。太阳下去还有两个钟点，也许不到那时鱼就会浮上来。如果它不上来，也许会随着月出浮上来。如果它不这样干，也许会随着日出浮上来。我手脚没有抽筋，我感到身强力壮。是它的嘴给钓住了啊。不过拉力这样大，该是条多大的鱼啊。它的嘴准是死死地咬住了钢丝钓钩。但愿能看到它。但愿能知道我这对手是什么样儿的，哪怕只看一眼也好。

　　Thefish never changed his course nor his direction all that night as far as theman could tell from watching the stars. It was cold after the sun went down andthe old man‘s sweat dried cold on his back and his armsand his old legs. During the day he had taken the sack that covered the baitbox and spread it in the sun to dry. After the sun went down he tied it aroundhis neck so that it hung down over his back and he cautiously worked it downunder the line that was across his shoulders now. The sack cushioned the lineand he had found a way of leaning forward against the bow so that he was almostcomfortable. The position actually was only somewhat less intolerable; but hethought of it as almost comfortable.

　　老人凭着观察天上的星斗，看出那鱼整整一夜始终没有改变它的路线和方向。太阳下去后，天气转凉了，老人的背脊、胳膊和衰老的腿上的汗水都干了，感到发冷。白天里，他曾把盖在鱼饵匣上的麻袋取下，摊在阳光里晒干。太阳下去了，他把麻袋系在脖子上，让它披在背上，他并且小心地把它塞在如今正挂在肩上的钓索下面。有麻袋垫着钓索，他就可以弯腰向船头靠去，这样简直可说很舒服了。这姿势实在只能说是多少叫人好受一点儿，可是他自以为简直可说很舒服了。

　　Ican do nothing with him and he can do nothing with me, he thought. Not as longas keeps this up.

　　我拿它一点没办法，它也拿我一点没办法，他想。只要它老是这样干下去，双方都一点没办法。