The Old Man And The Sea C24

　　The old man saw the brown fins coming along the wide trail the fish must make in the water. They were not even quartering on the scent. They were headed straight for the skiff swimming side by side.

　　老人看见两片褐色的鳍正顺着那鱼必然在水里留下的很宽的臭迹游来。它们竟然不用到处来回搜索这臭迹。它们笔直地并肩朝小船游来。

　　He jammed the tiller, made the sheet fast and reached under the stern for the club. It was an oar handle from a broken oar sawed off to about two and a half feet in length. He could only use it effectively with one hand because of the grip of the handle a nd he took good hold of it with his right hand, flexing his hand on it, as he watched the sharks come. They were both galanos.

　　他刹住了舵把，系紧帆脚索，伸手到船梢下去拿棍子。它原是个桨把，是从一支断桨上锯下的，大约两英尺半长。因为它上面有个把手，他只能用一只手有效地使用，于是他就用右手好好儿攥住了它，弯着手按在上面，一面望着鲨鱼在过来。两条都是加拉诺鲨。

　　I must let the first one get a good hold and hit him on the point of the nose or straight across the top of the head, he thought.

　　我必须让第一条鲨鱼好好咬住了才打它的鼻尖，或者直朝它头顶正中打去，他想。

　　The two sharks closed together and as he saw the one nearest him open his jaws and sink them into the silver side of the fish, he raised the club high and brought it down heavy and slamming onto the top of the shark‘s broad head. He felt the rubbery solid ity as the club came down. But he felt the rigidity of bone too and he struck the shark once more hard across the point of the nose as he slid down from the fish.

　　两条鲨鱼一起紧逼过来，他一看到离他较近的那条张开嘴直咬进那鱼的银色胁腹，就高高举起棍子，重重地打下去，砰的一声打在鲨鱼宽阔的头顶上。棍子落下去，他觉得好象打在坚韧的橡胶上。但他也感觉到坚硬的骨头，他就趁鲨鱼从那鱼身上朝下溜的当儿，再重重地朝它鼻尖上打了一下。

　　The other shark had been in and out and now came in again with his jaws wide. The old man could see pieces of the meat of the fish spilling white from the corner of his jaws as he bumped the fish and closed his jaws. He swung at him and hit only the head and the shark looked at him and wrenched the meat loose. The old man swung the club down again as he slipped away to swallow and hit only the heavy solid rubberiness.

　　另一条鲨鱼刚才窜来后就走了，这时又张大了嘴扑上来。它直撞在鱼身上，闭上两颚，老人看见一块块白色的鱼肉从它嘴角漏出来。他抡起棍子朝它打去，只打中了头部，鲨鱼朝他看看，把咬在嘴里的肉一口撕下了。老人趁它溜开去把肉咽下时，又抡起棍子朝它打下去，只打中了那厚实而坚韧的橡胶般的地方。

　　"Come on, galano," the old man said. "Come in again."

　　“来吧，加拉诺鲨，”老人说。“再过来吧。”

　　The shark came in a rush and the old man hit him as he shut his jaws. He hit him solidly and from as high up as he could raise the club. This time he felt the bone at the base of the brain and he hit him again in the same place while the shark tore the me at loose sluggishly and slid down from the fish.

　　鲨鱼冲上前来，老人趁它合上两颚时给了它一下。他结结实实地打中了它，是把棍子举得尽量高才打下去的。这一回他感到打中了脑子后部的骨头，于是朝同一部位又是一下，鲨鱼呆滞地撕下嘴里咬着的鱼肉，从鱼身边溜下去了。

　　The old man watched for him to come again but neither shark showed. Then he saw one on the surface swimming in circles. He did not see the fin of the other.

　　老人守望着，等它再来，可是两条鲨鱼都没有露面。接着他看见其中的一条在海面上绕着圈儿游着。他没有看见另外一条的鳍。

　　I could not expect to kill them, he thought. I could have in my time. But I have hurt them both badly and neither one can feel very good. If I could have used a bat with two hands I could have killed the first one surely. Even now, he thought.

　　我没法指望打死它们了，他想。我年轻力壮时能行。不过我已经把它们俩都打得受了重伤，它们中哪一条都不会觉得好过。要是我能用双手抡起一根棒球棒，我准能把第一条打死。即使现在也能行，他想。

　　He did not want to look at the fish. He knew that half of him had been destroyed. The sun had gone down while he had been in the fight with the sharks.

　　他不愿朝那条鱼看。他知道它的半个身子已经被咬烂了。他刚才跟鲨鱼搏斗的时候，太阳已经落下去了。

　　"It will be dark soon," he said. "Then I should see the glow of Havana. If I am too far to the eastward I will see the lights of one of the new beaches."

　　“马上就要断黑了，”他说。“那时候我将看见哈瓦那的灯火。如果我往东走得太远了，我会看见一个新开辟的海滩上的灯光。”

　　I cannot be too far out now, he thought. I hope no one has been too worried. There is only the boy to worry, of course. But I am sure he would have confidence. Many of the older fishermen will worry. Many others too, he thought. I live in a good town.

　　我现在离陆地不会太远，他想。我希望没人为此担心。当然啦，只有那孩子会担心。可是我相信他一定有信心。好多老渔夫也会担心的。还有不少别的人，他想。我住在一个好镇子里啊。

　　He could not talk to the fish anymore because the fish had been ruined too badly. Then something came into his head.

　　他不能再跟这鱼说话了，因为它给糟蹋得太厉害了。接着他头脑里想起了一件事。

　　"Half fish," he said. "Fish that you were. I am sorry that I went too far out. I ruined us both. But we have killed many sharks, you and I, and ruined many others. How many did you ever kill, old fish? You do not have that spear on your head for nothing."

　　“半条鱼，”他说。“你原来是条完整的。我很抱歉，我出海太远了。我把你我都毁了。不过我们杀死了不少鲨鱼，你跟我一起，还打伤了好多条。你杀死过多少啊，好鱼？你头上长着那只长嘴，可不是白长的啊。”

　　He liked to think of the fish and what he could do to a shark if he were swimming free. I should have chopped the bill off to fight them with, he thought. But there was no hatchet and then there was no knife.

　　他喜欢想到这条鱼，想到如果它在自由地游着，会怎样去对付一条鲨鱼。我应该砍下它这长嘴，拿来跟那些鲨鱼斗，他想。但是没有斧头，后来又弄丢了那把刀子。

　　But if I had, and could have lashed it to an oar butt, what a weapon. Then we might have fought them together. What will you do now if they come in the night? What can you do?

　　但是，如果我把它砍下了，就能把它绑在桨把上，该是多好的武器啊。这样，我们就能一起跟它们斗啦。要是它们夜里来，你该怎么办？你又有什么办法？

　　"Fight them," he said. "I‘ll fight them until I die."

　　“跟它们斗，”他说。“我要跟它们斗到死。”

　　But in the dark now and no glow showing and no lights and only the wind and the steady pull of the sail he felt that perhaps he was already dead. He put his two hands together and felt the palms. They were not dead and he could bring the pain of life by s imply opening and closing them. He leaned his back against the stern and knew he was not dead. His shoulders told him.

　　但是，在眼下的黑暗里，看不见天际的反光，也看不见灯火，只有风和那稳定地拉曳着的帆，他感到说不定自己已经死了。他合上双手，摸摸掌心。这双手没有死，他只消把它们开合一下，就能感到生之痛楚。他把背脊靠在船梢上，知道自己没有死。这是他的肩膀告诉他的。

　　I have all those prayers I promised if I caught the fish he thought. But I am too tired to say them now. I better get the sack and put it over my shoulders.

　　我许过愿，如果逮住了这条鱼，要念多少遍祈祷文，他不过我现在太累了，没法念。我还是把麻袋拿来披在肩上。