The Old Man And The Sea C10

　　Oncehe stood up and urinated over the side of the skiff and looked at the stars andchecked his course. The line showed like a phosphorescent streak in the waterstraight out from his shoulders. They were moving more slowly now and the glowof Havana was not so strong, so that he knew the current must be carrying themto the eastward. If I lose the glare of Havana we must be going more to theeastward, he thought. For if the fish‘s course heldtrue I must see it for many more hours. I wonder how the base ball came out inthe grand leagues today, he thought. It would be wonderful to do this with aradio. Then he thought, think of it always. Think of what you are doing. Youmust do nothing stupid.

　　他有一回站起身来，隔着船舷撒尿，然后抬眼望着星斗，核对他的航向。钓索从他肩上一直钻进水里，看来象一道磷光。鱼和船此刻行动放慢了。哈瓦那的灯火也不大辉煌，他于是明白，海流准是在把他们双方带向东方。如果我就此看不见哈瓦那炫目的灯光，我们一定是到了更东的地方，他想。因为，如果这鱼的路线没有变的话，我准会好几个钟点看得见灯光。不知今天的棒球大联赛结果如何，他想。干这行当有台收音机才美哪。接着他想，老是惦记着这玩意儿。想想你正在干的事情吧。你哪能干蠢事啊。

　　Thenhe said aloud, "I wish I had the boy. To help me and to see this."

　　然后他说出声来：“但愿孩子在就好了。可以帮我一手，让他见识见识这种光景。”

　　Noone should be alone in their old age, he thought. But it is unavoidable. I mustremember to eat the tuna before he spoils in order to keep strong. Remember, nomatter how little you want to, that you must eat him in the morning. Remember,he said to himself.

　　谁也不该上了年纪独个儿待着，他想。不过这也是避免不了的。为了保养体力，我一定要记住趁金枪鱼没坏时就吃。记住了，哪怕你只想吃一点点，也必须在早上吃。记住了，他对自己说。

　　Duringthe night two porpoises came around the boat and he could hear them rolling andblowing. He could tell the difference between the blowing noise the male madeand the sighing blow of the female.

　　夜间，两条海豚游到小船边来，他听见它们翻腾和喷水的声音。他能辩别出那雄的发出的喧闹的喷水声和那雌的发出的喘息般的喷水声。

　　"Theyare good," he said. "They play and make jokes and love one another.They are our brothers like the flying fish."

　　“它们都是好样的，”他说。“它们嬉耍，打闹，相亲相爱。它们是我们的兄弟，就象飞鱼一样。”

　　Thenhe began to pity the great fish that he had hooked. He is wonderful and strangeand who knows how old he is, he thought. Never have I had such a strong fishnor one who acted so strangely. Perhaps he is too wise to jump. He could ruinme by jumping or by a wild rush. But perhaps he has been hooked many timesbefore and he knows that this is how he should make his fight. He cannot knowthat it is only one man against him, nor that it is an old man. But what agreat fish he is and what will be bring in the market if the flesh is good. Hetook the bait like a male and he pulls like a male and his fight has no panicin it. I wonder if he has any plans or if he is just as desperate as I am?

　　跟着他怜悯起这条被他钓住的大鱼来了。它真出色，真奇特，而且有谁知道它年龄多大呢，他想。我从没钓到过这样强大的鱼，也没见过行动这样奇特的鱼。也许它太机灵，不愿跳出水来。它可以跳出水来，或者来个猛冲，把我搞垮。不过，也许它曾上钩过好多次，所以知道应该如何搏斗。它哪会知道它的对手只有一个人，而且是个老头儿。不过它是条多大的鱼啊，如果鱼肉良好的话，在市场上能卖多大一笔钱啊，它咬起饵来象条雄鱼，拉起钓索来也象雄鱼，搏斗起来一点也不惊慌。不知道它有没有什么打算，还是就跟我一样地不顾死活？

　　Heremembered the time he had hooked one of a pair of marlin. The male fish alwayslet the female fish feed first and the hooked fish, the female, made a wild,panic-stricken, despairing fight that soon exhausted her, and all the time themale had stayed with her, crossing the line and circling with her on thesurface. He had stayed so close that the old man was afraid he would cut theline with his tail which was sharp as a scythe and almost of that size andshape. When the old man had gaffed her and clubbed her, holding the rapier billwith its sandpaper edge and clubbing her across the top of her head until hercolour turned to a colour almost like the backing of mirrors, and then, withthe boy‘s aid, hoisted her aboard, the male fish hadstayed by the side of the boat.

　　他想起有一回钓到了一对大马林鱼中的一条。雄鱼总是让雌的先吃，那条上了钩的正是雌鱼，它发了狂，惊慌失措而绝望地挣扎着，不久就筋疲力尽了，那条雄鱼始终待在它身边，在钓索下窜来窜去，陪着它在水面上一起打转。这雄鱼离钓索好近，老人生怕它会用它的尾巴把钓索割断，这尾巴象大镰刀般锋利，大小和形状都和大镰刀差不多。老人用鱼钩把雌鱼钩上来，用棍子揍它，握住了那边缘如沙纸似的轻剑般的长嘴，连连朝它头顶打去，直打得它的颜色变成和镜子背面的红色差不多，然后由孩子帮忙，把它拖上船去，这当儿，雄鱼一直待在船舷边。

　　Then,while the old man was clearing the lines and preparing the harpoon, the malefish jumped high into the air beside the boat to see where the female was andthen went down deep, his lavender wings, that were his pectoral fins, spreadwide and all his wide lavender stripes showing. He was beautiful, the old man remembered,and he had stayed.

　　跟着，当老人忙着解下钓索、拿起鱼叉的时候，雄鱼在船边高高地跳到空中，看看雌鱼在哪里，然后掉下去，钻进深水里，它那淡紫色的翅膀，实在正是它的胸鳍，大大地张开来，于是它身上所有的淡紫色的宽条纹都露出来了。它是美丽的，老人想起，而它始终待在那儿不走。

　　Thatwas the saddest thing I ever saw with them, the old man thought. The boy wassad too and we begged her pardon and butchered her promptly.

　　它们这情景是我看到的最伤心的了，老人想。孩子也很伤心，因此我们请求这条雌鱼原谅，马上把它宰了。

　　"Iwish the boy was here," he said aloud and settled himself against therounded planks of the bow and felt the strength of the great fish through theline he held across his shoulders moving steadily toward whatever he hadchosen.

　　“但愿孩子在这儿就好了，”他说出声来，把身子安靠在船头的边缘已被磨圆的木板上，通过勒在肩上的钓索，感到这条大鱼的力量，它正朝着它所选择的方向稳稳地游去。

　　Whenonce, through my treachery, it had been necessary to him to make a choice, theold man thought.

　　由于我干下了欺骗它的勾当，它不得不作出选择了，老人想。

　　Hischoice had been to stay in the deep dark water far out beyond all snares andtraps and treacheries. My choice was to go there to find him beyond all people.Beyond all people in the world. Now we are joined together and have been sincenoon. And no one to help either one of us.

　　它选择的是待在黑暗的深水里，远远地避开一切圈套、罗网和诡计。我选择的是赶到谁也没到过的地方去找它。到世界上没人去过的地方。现在我跟它给拴在一起了，从中午起就是如此。而且我和它都没有谁来帮忙。

　　PerhapsI should not have been a fisherman, he thought. But that was the thing that Iwas born for. I must surely remember to eat the tuna after it gets light.

　　也许我不该当渔夫，他想。然而这正是我生来该干的行当。我一定要记住，天亮后就吃那条金枪鱼。