老人與海中英對照 Chapter 21

老人與海中英對照 Chapter 21

It was there, cleaned and ready, and he picked it up with his left hand and ate it chewing the bones carefully and eating all of it down to the tail.

  它就在那兒,已經洗乾淨,就可以吃了,他就用左手把它撿起,吃起來,細細咀嚼著魚骨,從頭到尾全都吃了。  

  It has more nourishment than almost any fish, he thought. At least the kind of strength that I need. Now I have done what I can, he thought. Let him begin to circle and let the fight come.

  它幾乎比什麼魚都更富有營養,他想。至少能給我所需要的那種力氣。我如今已經做到了我能做到的一切,他想。讓這魚打起轉來,就來交鋒吧。  

  The sun was rising for the third time since he had put to sea when the fish started to circle.

  自從他出海以來,這是第三次出太陽,這時魚打起轉來了。  

  He could not see by the slant of the line that the fish was circling. It was too early for that. He just felt a faint slackening of the pressure of the line and be commenced to pull on it gently with his right hand. It tightened, as always, but just when he reached the point where it would break, line began to come in. He slipped his shoulders and head from under the line and began to pull in line steadily and gently. He used both of his hands in a swinging motion and tried to do the pulling as much as he could with his body and his legs. His old legs and shoulders pivoted with the swinging of the pulling.

  他根據釣索的斜度還看不出魚在打轉。這為時尚早。他僅僅感覺到釣索上的拉力微微減少了一些,就開始用右手輕輕朝里拉。釣索象往常那樣繃緊了,可是拉到快迸斷的當兒,卻漸漸可以回收了。他把釣索從肩膀和頭上卸下來,動手平穩而和緩地回收釣索。他用兩隻手大幅度地一把把拉著,儘量使出全身和雙腿的力氣來拉。他一把把地拉著,兩條老邁的腿兒和肩膀跟著轉動。  

  "It is a very big circle," he said. "But he is circling."

  “這圈子可真大,”他說。“它可總算在打轉啦。”  

  Then the line would not come in any more and he held it until he saw the drops jumping from it in the sun. Then it started out and the old man knelt down and let it go grudgingly back into the dark water.

  跟著釣索就此收不回來了,他緊緊拉著,竟看見水珠兒在陽光裡從釣索上迸出來。隨後釣索開始往外溜了,老人跪下了,老大不願地讓它又漸漸回進深暗的水中。  

  "He is making the far part of his circle now," he said. I must hold all I can, he thought. The strain will shorten his circle each time. Perhaps in an hour I will see him. Now I must convince him and then I must kill him.

  “它正繞到圈子的對面去了,”他說。我一定要拚命拉緊,他想。拉緊了,它兜的圈子就會一次比一次小。也許一個鐘點內我就能見到它。我眼下一定要穩住它,過後我一定要弄死它。 

  But the fish kept on circling slowly and the old man was wet with sweat and tired deep into his bones two hours later. But the circles were much shorter now and from the way the line slanted he could tell the fish had risen steadily while he swam.

  但是這魚只顧慢慢地打著轉,兩小時後,老人渾身汗溼,疲乏得入骨了。不過這時圈子已經小得多了,而且根據釣索的斜度,他能看出魚一邊遊一邊在不斷地上升。 

  For an hour the old man had been seeing black spots before his eyes and the sweat salted his eyes and salted the cut over his eye and on his forehead. He was not afraid of the black spots. They were normal at the tension that he was pulling on the line. Twice, though, he had felt faint and dizzy and that had worried him.

  老人看見眼前有些黑點子,已經有一個鐘點了,汗水中的鹽份漚著他的眼睛,漚著眼睛上方和腦門上的傷口。他不怕那些黑點子。他這麼緊張地拉著釣索,出現黑點子是正常的現象。但是他已有兩回感到頭昏目眩,這叫他擔心。  

  "I could not fail myself and die on a fish like this," he said. "Now that I have him coming so beautifully, God help me endure. I‘ll say a hundred Our Fathers and a hundred Hail Marys. But I cannot say them now."

  “我不能讓自己垮下去,就這樣死在一條魚的手裡,”他說。“既然我已經叫它這樣漂亮地過來了,求天主幫助我熬下去吧。我要念一百遍《天主經》和一百遍《聖母經》。不過眼下還不能念。”  

  Consider them said, he thought. I‘ll say them later.

  就算這些已經念過了吧,他想。我過後會念的。 

  Just then he felt a sudden banging and jerking on the line he held with his two hands. It was sharp and hard-feeling and heavy.

  就在這當兒,他覺得自己雙手攥住的釣索突然給撞擊、拉扯了一下。來勢很猛,有一種強勁的感覺,很是沉重。  

  He is hitting the wire leader with his spear, he thought. That was bound to come. He had to do that. It may make him jump though and I would rather he stayed circling now. The jumps were necessary for him to take air. But after that each one can widen the opening of the hook wound and he can throw the hook.

  它正用它的長嘴撞擊著鐵絲導線,他想。這是免不了的。它不能不這樣幹。然而這一來也許會使它跳起來,我可是情願它眼下繼續打轉的。它必須跳出水面來呼吸空氣。但是每跳一次,釣鉤造成的傷口就會裂得大一些,它可能把釣鉤甩掉。  

  "Don‘t jump, fish," he said. "Don‘t jump."

  “別跳,魚啊,”他說。“別跳啦。” 

  The fish hit the wire several times more and each time he shook his head the old man gave up a little line.

  魚又撞擊了鐵絲導線好幾次,它每次一甩頭,老人就放出一些釣索。 

  I must hold his pain where it is, he thought. Mine does not matter. I can control mine. But his pain could drive him mad.

  我必須讓它的疼痛老是在一處地方,他想。我的疼痛不要緊。我能控制。但是它的疼痛能使它發瘋。


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