“不过我不想借钱。第一步是借钱。下一步就要讨饭啰。” "You'll not fish without eating while I'm alive." "Then live a long time and take care of yourself," the old man said. “只要我活着，你就决不会不吃饭就去打鱼。”“这么说，祝你长寿，多保重自己吧，”老人说。 Only I have no luck any more. But who knows? Maybe today. Every day is a new day. It is better to be lucky. But I would rather be exact. Then when luck comes you are ready. 问题只在于我的运气就此不好了。可是谁说得准呢？说不定今天就转运。每一天都是一个新的日子。走运当然是好。不过我情愿做到分毫不差。这样，运气来的时候，你就有所准备了。 Most people are heartless about turtles because a turtle's heart will beat for hours after he has been cut up and butchered. But the old man thought, I have such a heart too and my feet and hands are like theirs. 人们大都对海龟残酷无情，因为一只海龟给剖开、杀死之后，它的心脏还要跳动好几个钟点。然而老人想，我也有这样一颗心脏，我的手脚也跟它们的一样。 I must never let him learn his strength nor what he could do if he made his run. If I were him I would put in everything now and go until something broke. But, thank God, they are not as intelligent as we who kill them; although they are more noble and more able. 我一定不能让它明白它有多大的力气，明白如果飞逃的话，它能干出什么来。我要是它，我眼下就要使出浑身的力气，一直飞逃到什么东西绷断为止。但是感谢上帝它们没有我们这些要杀害它们的人聪明，尽管它们比我们高尚，更有能耐。 "Christ, I did not know he was so big." "I'll kill him though," he said. "In all his greatness and his glory." Although it is unjust, he thought. But I will show him what a man can do and what a man endures. “天啊，我当初不知道这鱼竟这么大。”“可是我要把它宰了，”他说。“不管它多么了不起，多么神气。”然而这是不公平的，他想。不过我要让它知道人有多少能耐，人能忍受多少磨难。 "I told the boy I was a strange old man," he said. "Now is when I must prove it." The thousand times that he had proved it meant nothing. Now he was proving it again. Each time was a new time and he never thought about the past when he was doing it. “我跟那孩子说过来着，我是个不同寻常的老头儿，”他说。“现在是证实这话的时候了。” 他已经证实过上千回了，这算不上什么。眼下他正要再证实一回。每一回都是重新开始，他这样做的时候，从来不去想过去。 Man is not much beside the great birds and beasts. Still would rather be that beast down there in the darkness of the sea. 人跟伟大的鸟兽相比，真算不上什么。我还是情愿做那只待在黑暗的深水里的动物。 "The fish is my friend too," he said aloud. "I have never seen or heard of such a fish. But I must kill him. I am glad we do not have to try to kill the stars." “这条鱼也是我的朋友，”他说出声来。“我从没看见过或听说过这样的鱼。不过我必须把它弄死。我很高兴，我们不必去弄死那些星星。” How many people will he feed, he thought. But are they worthy to eat him? No, of course not. There is no one worthy of eating him from the manner of his behaviour and his great dignity. 它能供多少人吃啊他想。可是他们配吃它吗？不配，当然不配。凭它的举止风度和它的高度的尊严来看，谁也不配吃它。 I do not understand these things, he thought. But it is good that we do not have to try to kill the sun or the moon or the stars. It is enough to live on the sea and kill our true brothers. 我不懂这些事儿，他想。可是我们不必去弄死太阳或月亮或星星，这是好事。在海上过日子，弄死我们自己真正的兄弟，已经够我们受的了。 Then his head started to become a little unclear and he thought, is he bringing me in or am I bringing him in? If I were towing him behind there would be no question. Nor if the fish were in the skiff, with all dignity gone, there would be no question either. But they were sailing together lashed side by side and the old man thought, let him bring me in if it pleases him. I am only better than him through trickery and he meant me no harm. 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？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。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。我不过靠了诡计才比它强的，可它对我并无恶意。 It was too good to last, he thought. I wish it had been a dream now and that I had never hooked the fish and was alone in bed on the newspapers. "But man is not made for defeat," he said. "A man can be destroyed but not defeated." 光景太好了，不可能持久的，他想。但愿这是一场梦，我根本没有钓到这条鱼，正独自躺在床上铺的旧报纸上。不过人不是为失败而生的，他说。一个人可以被毁灭，但不能给打败。 Perhaps it was a sin to kill the fish. I suppose it was even though I did it to keep me alive and feed many people. But then everything is a sin. Do not think about sin. It is much too late for that and there are people who are paid to do it. Let them think about it. You were born to be a fisherman as the fish was born to be a fish. 也许杀死这条鱼是一桩罪过。我看该是的，尽管我是为了养活自己并且给许多人吃用才这样干的。不过话得说回来，什么事都是罪过啊。别想罪过了吧。现在想它也实在太迟了，而且有些人是拿了钱来干这个的。让他们去考虑吧。你天生是个渔夫，正如那鱼天生就是一条鱼一样。 "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。 What will you do now if they come in the night? What can you do? "Fight them," he said. "I'll fight them until I die." 要是它们夜里来，你该怎么办？你又有什么办法？“跟它们斗，”他说。“我要跟它们斗到死。” 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 simply opening and closing them. 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。 In the night sharks hit the carcass as someone might pick up crumbs from the table. The old man paid no attention to them and did not pay any attention to anything except steering. He only noticed how lightly and how well the skiff sailed now there was no great weight beside her. 夜里有些鲨鱼来咬这死鱼的残骸，就象人从饭桌上捡面包屑吃一样。老人不去理睬它们，除了掌舵以外他什么都不理睬。他只留意到船舷边没有什么沉重的东西，小船这时驶来多么轻松，多么出色。 "They beat me, Manolin," he said. "They truly beat me." "He didn't beat you. Not the fish." "No. Truly. It was afterwards." “它们把我打败了，马诺林，”他说。“它们确实把我打败了。”“它没有打败你。那条鱼可没有。”“对。真个的。是后来才吃败仗的。” "Now we fish together again." "No. I am not lucky. I am not lucky anymore." “现在我们又可以一起钓鱼了。”“不。我运气不好。我再不会交好运了。” "The hell with luck," the boy said. "I'll bring the luck with me." “去它的好运，” 孩子说。“我会带来好运的。” Up the road, in his shack, the old man was sleeping again. He was still sleeping on his face and the boy was sitting by him watching him. The old man was dreaming about the lions. 在大路另一头老人的窝棚里，他又睡着了。他依旧脸朝下躺着，孩子坐在他身边，守着他。老人正梦见狮子。 |
