老人与海51 文本已添加

51

At one time whenhe was feeling so badly toward the end, he had thought perhaps it was a dream.

有一个时期，眼看事情要告吹了，他感到非常难受，以为这也许是一场梦。

Then when he hadseen the fish come out of the water and hang motionless in the sky before hefell, he was sure there was some great strangeness and he could not believe it.

等他后来看到鱼跃出水面，在落下前一动不动地悬在半空中的那一刹那，他确信此中准有什么莫大的奥秘，使他无法相信。

Then he could notsee well, although now he saw as well as ever.(tiller: a bar or lever attachedto the head of the rudder, to turn the rudder in steering.)

当时他看不大清楚，尽管眼下他又象往常那样看得很清楚了。

Now he knew therewas the fish and his hands and back were no dream.

    现在他知道这鱼就在这里，他的双手和背脊都不是梦中的东西。

The hands curequickly, he thought. I bled them clean and the salt water will heal them. Thedark water of the true gulf is the greatest healer that there is.

这双手很快就会痊愈的，他想。它们出血出得很多，海水会把它们治好的。这真正的海湾中的深暗的水是世上最佳的治疗剂。

 All I must do is keep the head clear. Thehands have done their work and we sail well.

我只消保持头脑清醒就行。这两只手已经尽了自己的本份，我们航行得很好。

With his mouthshut and his tail straight up and down we sail like brothers. Then his headstarted to become a little unclear and he thought, is he bringing me in or am Ibringing him in?

鱼闭着嘴，尾巴直上直下地竖着，我们象亲兄弟一样航行着。接着他的头脑有点儿不清楚了，他竟然想起，是它在带我回家，还是我在带它回家呢？

If I were towinghim behind there would be no question. Nor if the fish were in the skiff, withall dignity gone, there would be no question either.

如果我把它拖在船后，那就毫无疑问了。如果这鱼丢尽了面子，给放在这小船上，那么也不会有什么疑问。

But they weresailing together lashed side by side and the old man thought, let him bring mein if it pleases him.

可是他们是并排地拴在一起航行的，所以老人想，只要它高兴，让它把我带回家去得了。

I am only betterthan him through trickery and he meant me no harm.

我不过靠了诡计才比它强的，可它对我并无恶意。

They sailed welland the old man soaked his hands in the salt water and tried to keep his headclear.

他们航行得很好，老人把手浸在盐水里，努力保持头脑清醒。

There were highcumulus clouds and enough cirrus above them so that the old man knew the breezewould last all night.

积云堆聚得很高，上空还有相当多的卷云，因此老人看出这风将刮上整整一夜。

The old man lookedat the fish constantly to make sure it was true. It was an hour before thefirst shark hit him. The shark was not an accident.

  老人时常对鱼望望，好确定真有这么回事。这时候是第一条鲨鱼来袭击它的前一个钟点。 这条鲨鱼的出现不是偶然的。

He had come upfrom deep down in the water as the dark cloud of blood had settled anddispersed in the mile deep sea.

当那一大片暗红的血朝一英里深的海里下沉并扩散的时候，它从水底深处上来了。

He had come up sofast and absolutely without caution that he broke the surface of the blue waterand was in the sun.

它窜上来得那么快，全然不顾一切，竟然冲破了蓝色的水面，来到了阳光里。

 Then he fell back into the sea and picked upthe scent and started swimming on the course the skiff and the fish had taken.

跟着它又掉回海里，嗅到了血腥气的踪迹，就顺着小船和那鱼所走的路线游去。

Sometimes he lostthe scent. But he would pick it up again, or have just a trace of it and heswam fast and hard on the course.

有时候它迷失了那气味。但是它总会重新嗅到，或者就嗅到那么一点儿，它就飞快地使劲跟上。