"But I try not to borrow. First you borrow. Then you beg."

“不過我不想借錢。第一步是借錢。下一步就要討飯?。”

"You'll not fish without eating while I'm alive." "Then live a long time and take care of yourself," the old man said.

“只要我活著，你就決不會不吃飯就去打魚。”“這么說，祝你長壽，多保重自己吧，”老人說。

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.

問題只在于我的運氣就此不好了。可是誰說得準呢？說不定今天就轉運。每一天都是一個新的日子。走運當然是好。不過我情愿做到分毫不差。這樣，運氣來的時候，你就有所準備了。

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.

人們大都對海龜殘酷無情，因為一只海龜給剖開、殺死之后，它的心臟還要跳動好幾個鐘點。然而老人想，我也有這樣一顆心臟，我的手腳也跟它們的一樣。

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.

我一定不能讓它明白它有多大的力氣，明白如果飛逃的話，它能干出什么來。我要是它，我眼下就要使出渾身的力氣，一直飛逃到什么東西繃斷為止。但是感謝上帝它們沒有我們這些要殺害它們的人聰明，盡管它們比我們高尚，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，我當初不知道這魚竟這么大。”“可是我要把它宰了，”他說。“不管它多么了不起，多么神氣。”然而這是不公的，他想。不過我要讓它知道人有多少能耐，人能忍受多少磨難。

"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.

“我跟那孩子說過來著，我是個不同尋常的老頭兒，”他說。“現在是證實這話的時候了。” 他已經證實過上千回了，這算不上什么。眼下他正要再證實一回。每一回都是重新開始，他這樣做的時候，從來不去想過去。

Man is not much beside the great birds and beasts. Still would rather be that beast down there in the darkness of the sea.

人跟偉大的鳥獸相比，真算不上什么。我還是情愿做那只待在黑暗的深水里的動物。

"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."

“這條魚也是我的朋友，”他說出聲來。“我從沒看見過或聽說過這樣的魚。不過我必須把它弄死。我很高興，我們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。可是他們配吃它嗎？不配，當然不配。憑它的舉止風度和它的高度的尊嚴來看，誰也不配吃它。

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.

我不懂這些事兒，他想。可是我們不必去弄死太陽或月亮或星星，這是好事。在海上過日子，弄死我們自己真正的兄弟，已經夠我們受的了。

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.

接著他的頭腦有點兒不清楚了，他竟然想起，是它在帶我回家，還是我在帶它回家呢？如果我把它拖在船后，那就毫無疑問了。如果這魚丟盡了面子，給放在這小船上，那么也不會有什么疑問。可是他們是并排地拴在一起航行的，所以老人想，只要它高興，讓它把我帶回家去得了。我不過靠了詭計才比它強的，可它對我并無惡意。

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。但愿這是一場夢，我根本沒有釣到這條魚，正獨自躺在床上鋪的舊報紙上。不過人不是為失敗而生的，他說。一個人可以被毀滅，但不能給打敗。

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.

也許殺死這條魚是一樁罪過。我看該是的，盡管我是為了養活自己并且給許多人吃用才這樣干的。不過話得說回來，什么事都是罪過啊。別想罪過了吧。現在想它也實在太遲了，而且有些人是拿了錢來干這個的。讓他們去考慮吧。你天生是個漁夫，正如那魚天生就是一條魚一樣。

"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."

半條魚，他說。你原來是條完整的。我很抱歉，我出海太遠了。我把你我都毀了。不過我們殺死了不少鯊魚，你跟我一起，還打傷了好多條。你殺死過多少啊，好魚？你頭上長著那只長嘴，可不是白長的啊。

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."

要是它們夜里來，你該怎么辦？你又有什么辦法？“跟它們斗，”他說。“我要跟它們斗到死。”

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.

他感到說不定自己已經死了。他合上雙手，摸摸掌心。這雙手沒有死，他只消把它們開合一下，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.

夜里有些鯊魚來咬這死魚的殘骸，就象人從飯桌上撿面包屑吃一樣。老人不去理睬它們，除了掌舵以外他什么都不理睬。他只留意到船舷邊沒有什么沉重的東西，小船這時駛來多么輕松，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."

“它們把我打敗了，馬諾林，”他說。“它們確實把我打敗了。”“它沒有打敗你。那條魚可沒有。”“對。真個的。是后來才吃敗仗的。”

"Now we fish together again." "No. I am not lucky. I am not lucky anymore."

“現在我們又可以一起釣魚了。”“不。我運氣不好。我再不會交好運了。”

"The hell with luck," the boy said. "I'll bring the luck with me."

“去它的好運，” 孩子說。“我會帶來好運的。”

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.

在大路另一頭老人的窩棚里，他又睡著了。他依舊臉朝下躺著，孩子坐在他身邊，守著他。老人正夢見獅子。