八十四天沒有魚

He was an old man who fished alone in a skiff in the Gulf Stream and he had gone eighty-four days now without taking a fish.

他是個老人，獨自駕一條小船在灣流上打魚，如今已經八十四天沒有捕到一條魚了。

In the first forty days a boy had been with him.

頭四十天，有個男孩跟著他。

But after forty days without a fish the boy's parents had told him that the old man was now definitely and finally salao, which is the worst form of unlucky, and the boy had gone at their orders in another boat which caught three good fish the first week.

可是四十天沒魚以後，男孩的父母告訴他，說那老人如今確確實實、徹徹底底是個 salao（倒楣透頂）了——那是最糟的一種倒楣；男孩便奉命上了另一條船，那條船頭一個禮拜就捕到三條好魚。

It made the boy sad to see the old man come in each day with his skiff empty and he always went down to help him carry either the coiled lines or the gaff and harpoon and the sail that was furled around the mast.

每天看老人空著船回來，男孩心裡難受，他總是下去幫忙搬東西——不是盤起來的釣線，就是搭鉤和魚叉，還有那面捲收在桅杆上的帆。

The sail was patched with flour sacks and, furled, it looked like the flag of permanent defeat.

那帆是用麵粉袋補起來的，捲收起來的時候，看上去就像一面永久敗北的旗子。

The old man was thin and gaunt with deep wrinkles in the back of his neck.

老人瘦，而且憔悴，後頸上有深深的皺紋。

The brown blotches of the benevolent skin cancer the sun brings from its reflection on the tropic sea were on his cheeks.

他兩頰有褐色的斑塊，那是熱帶海面反射的陽光帶來的、無害的皮膚癌。

The blotches ran well down the sides of his face and his hands had the deep-creased scars from handling heavy fish on the cords.

斑塊一路長到臉的兩側往下去；他的手上有深深皺起的疤，是拉扯釣線上的大魚留下的。

But none of these scars were fresh.

可是這些疤沒有一道是新的。

They were as old as erosions in a fishless desert.

它們舊得像一片沒有魚的沙漠裡的侵蝕。

Everything about him was old except his eyes and they were the same color as the sea and were cheerful and undefeated.

他身上一切都是老的，只有眼睛例外；那雙眼睛和海一樣的顏色，快活，而且不曾被打敗。

"Santiago," the boy said to him as they climbed the bank from where the skiff was hauled up.

「聖狄雅哥，」男孩對他說，那時他們正從拖上岸的小船那邊爬上堤。

"I could go with you again. We've made some money."

「我可以再跟你出海。我們賺了一點錢了。」

The old man had taught the boy to fish and the boy loved him.

是老人教會男孩打魚的，男孩愛他。

"No," the old man said. "You're with a lucky boat. Stay with them."

「不行，」老人說。「你在一條走運的船上。跟著他們。」

"But remember how you went eighty-seven days without fish and then we caught big ones every day for three weeks."

「可是你記得嗎，你有一次八十七天沒魚，後來我們接連三個禮拜天天捕到大魚。」

"I remember," the old man said. "I know you did not leave me because you doubted."

「我記得，」老人說。「我知道你離開我，不是因為你懷疑我。」

"It was papa made me leave. I am a boy and I must obey him."

「是爸爸叫我走的。我是小孩，我得聽他的。」

"I know," the old man said. "It is quite normal."

「我知道，」老人說。「這很正常。」

"He hasn't much faith."

「他信心不夠。」

"No," the old man said. "But we have. Haven't we?"

「是啊，」老人說。「可是我們有。不是嗎？」

"Yes," the boy said. "Can I offer you a beer on the Terrace and then we'll take the stuff home."

「有，」男孩說。「我請你到露台喝杯啤酒好嗎，然後我們再把東西搬回家。」

"Why not?" the old man said. "Between fishermen."

「有何不可？」老人說。「打魚人之間嘛。」

They sat on the Terrace and many of the fishermen made fun of the old man and he was not angry.

他們坐在露台上，好些漁夫拿老人開玩笑，他也不生氣。

Others, of the older fishermen, looked at him and were sad.

另外一些，年紀比較大的漁夫，看著他，心裡難過。

But they did not show it and they spoke politely about the current and the depths they had drifted their lines at and the steady good weather and of what they had seen.

可是他們沒表現出來，只客客氣氣地談海流、談他們把釣線放到多深、談這一向穩定的好天氣、談他們見過的東西。

The successful fishermen of that day were already in and had butchered their marlin out and carried them laid full length across two planks, with two men staggering at the end of each plank, to the fish house where they waited for the ice truck to carry them to the market in Havana.

那天有收穫的漁夫早就回來了，把馬林魚剖好，整條橫放在兩塊木板上抬著，每塊木板兩頭各有一個人踉蹌地扛著，送到魚棚去，等冰車來把魚運到哈瓦那的市場。

Those who had caught sharks had taken them to the shark factory on the other side of the cove where they were hoisted on a block and tackle, their livers removed, their fins cut off and their hides skinned out and their flesh cut into strips for salting.

捕到鯊魚的人，把鯊魚送到海灣對面的鯊魚工廠，在那裡用滑車吊起來，取出肝、割下鰭、剝掉皮，肉切成一條一條的拿去醃。

When the wind was in the east a smell came across the harbour from the shark factory; but today there was only the faint edge of the odour because the wind had backed into the north and then dropped off and it was pleasant and sunny on the Terrace.

起東風的時候，鯊魚工廠的氣味會飄過港灣；不過今天只有一絲淡淡的邊角，因為風轉到北邊去、接著就停了，露台上陽光很好，很舒服。

"Santiago," the boy said.

「聖狄雅哥，」男孩說。

"Yes," the old man said.

「嗯，」老人說。

He was holding his glass and thinking of many years ago.

他握著酒杯，想著許多年前的事。

"Can I go out to get sardines for you for tomorrow?"

「我可以去替你弄明天用的沙丁魚嗎？」

"No. Go and play baseball. I can still row and Rogelio will throw the net."

「不用。去打你的棒球。我還划得動船，撒網有羅赫里歐。」

"I would like to go. If I cannot fish with you, I would like to serve in some way."

「我想去。既然不能跟你出海打魚，我總想幫上點什麼忙。」

"You bought me a beer," the old man said. "You are already a man."

「你請我喝了啤酒，」老人說。「你已經是個大人了。」

"How old was I when you first took me in a boat?"

「你第一次帶我上船的時候，我幾歲？」

"Five and you nearly were killed when I brought the fish in too green and he nearly tore the boat to pieces. Can you remember?"

「五歲。那次我把魚拉上來的時候牠還太生猛，牠差點把船撞爛，你差點沒命。你記得嗎？」

"I can remember the tail slapping and banging and the thwart breaking and the noise of the clubbing.

「我記得魚尾巴啪啪地拍打，橫座板斷掉，還有棍子打下去的聲音。

I can remember you throwing me into the bow where the wet coiled lines were and feeling the whole boat shiver and the noise of you clubbing him like chopping a tree down and the sweet blood smell all over me."

我記得你把我丟到船頭，丟進那堆濕漉漉盤起來的釣線裡，我感覺到整條船在抖，聽見你打牠的聲音像砍樹一樣，還有滿身甜膩的血腥味。」

"Can you really remember that or did I just tell it to you?"

「你真的記得，還是我講給你聽的？」

"I remember everything from when we first went together."

「打從我們第一次一起出海起，我什麼都記得。」

The old man looked at him with his sun-burned, confident loving eyes.

老人看著他，那雙被太陽曬過的眼睛裡有信心，也有愛。

"If you were my boy I'd take you out and gamble," he said. "But you are your father's and your mother's and you are in a lucky boat."

「你要是我的孩子，我就帶你出去賭一把，」他說。「可是你是你爸媽的孩子，而且你在一條走運的船上。」

"May I get the sardines? I know where I can get four baits too."

「我可以去弄沙丁魚嗎？我還知道哪裡弄得到四條餌。」

"I have mine left from today. I put them in salt in the box."

「我今天剩的還有。我用鹽醃在箱子裡了。」

"Let me get four fresh ones."

「讓我去弄四條新鮮的。」

"One," the old man said.

「一條，」老人說。

His hope and his confidence had never gone.

他的希望和信心從來沒有離開過他。

But now they were freshening as when the breeze rises.

可是這會兒，它們正在轉旺，像起風的時候那樣。

"Two," the boy said.

「兩條，」男孩說。

"Two," the old man agreed. "You didn't steal them?"

「兩條，」老人同意了。「你不是偷來的吧？」

"I would," the boy said. "But I bought these."

「我會偷的，」男孩說。「不過這些是買的。」

"Thank you," the old man said.

「謝謝你，」老人說。

He was too simple to wonder when he had attained humility.

他太單純了，不會去琢磨自己是什麼時候達到謙卑的。

But he knew he had attained it and he knew it was not disgraceful and it carried no loss of true pride.

可是他知道自己達到了，也知道這並不可恥，而且絲毫無損於真正的驕傲。

"Tomorrow is going to be a good day with this current," he said.

「照這個海流，明天會是個好日子，」他說。

"Where are you going?" the boy asked.

「你要去哪裡？」男孩問。

"Far out to come in when the wind shifts. I want to be out before it is light."

「往遠處去，等風轉了再回來。我想在天亮以前就出海。」

"I'll try to get him to work far out," the boy said. "Then if you hook something truly big we can come to your aid."

「我會想辦法讓他把船開遠一點，」男孩說。「這樣你要是釣到什麼真正的大傢伙，我們可以來幫你。」

"He does not like to work too far out."

「他不喜歡跑太遠。」

"No," the boy said. "But I will see something that he cannot see such as a bird working and get him to come out after dolphin."

「是不喜歡，」男孩說。「不過我會看見他看不見的東西，比方說一隻正在覓食的鳥，再哄他往外開去追鬼頭刀。」

"Are his eyes that bad?"

「他眼睛壞成那樣？」

"He is almost blind."

「他幾乎瞎了。」

"It is strange," the old man said. "He never went turtle-ing. That is what kills the eyes."

「怪了，」老人說。「他從來沒去捕過海龜。捕海龜才傷眼睛。」

"But you went turtle-ing for years off the Mosquito Coast and your eyes are good."

「可是你在蚊子海岸捕了好些年海龜，你的眼睛還是好的。」

"I am a strange old man."

「我是個怪老頭。」

"But are you strong enough now for a truly big fish?"

「可是你現在的力氣，對付得了一條真正的大魚嗎？」

"I think so. And there are many tricks."

「我想可以。何況竅門多得很。」

"Let us take the stuff home," the boy said. "So I can get the cast net and go after the sardines."

「我們把東西搬回家吧，」男孩說。「這樣我好去拿撒網，去弄沙丁魚。」

They picked up the gear from the boat.

他們把船上的傢伙收起來。

The old man carried the mast on his shoulder and the boy carried the wooden box with the coiled, hard-braided brown lines, the gaff and the harpoon with its shaft.

老人把桅杆扛在肩上，男孩搬那只木箱，裡頭裝著盤好的、編得硬邦邦的褐色釣線，還有搭鉤和連著柄的魚叉。

The box with the baits was under the stern of the skiff along with the club that was used to subdue the big fish when they were brought alongside.

裝餌的箱子擱在小船的船尾底下，旁邊還有那根棍子——大魚拉到船邊時，就用它把魚制伏。

No one would steal from the old man but it was better to take the sail and the heavy lines home as the dew was bad for them and, though he was quite sure no local people would steal from him, the old man thought that a gaff and a harpoon were needless temptations to leave in a boat.

沒有人會偷老人的東西，不過帆和粗釣線還是搬回家的好，因為露水對它們不好；而且，儘管他很確定本地人不會偷他的，老人總覺得把搭鉤和魚叉留在船上，是多餘的誘惑。

They walked up the road together to the old man's shack and went in through its open door.

他們一起沿著路走上去，到老人的棚屋，從那扇敞著的門走進去。

The old man leaned the mast with its wrapped sail against the wall and the boy put the box and the other gear beside it.

老人把桅杆連同捲著的帆靠在牆上，男孩把木箱和其他傢伙放在旁邊。

The mast was nearly as long as the one room of the shack.

那桅杆幾乎和棚屋的那一個房間一樣長。

The shack was made of the tough bud-shields of the royal palm which are called guano and in it there was a bed, a table, one chair, and a place on the dirt floor to cook with charcoal.

棚屋是用皇家棕櫚那種堅韌的葉鞘蓋的——那東西叫 guano；屋裡有一張床、一張桌子、一把椅子，泥地上還有個生炭火做飯的地方。

On the brown walls of the flattened, overlapping leaves of the sturdy fibered guano there was a picture in color of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and another of the Virgin of Cobre.

那褐色的牆是用纖維強韌的 guano 葉子壓平、一片疊一片鋪成的，牆上掛著一張彩色的耶穌聖心像，還有一張科夫雷聖母像。

These were relics of his wife.

這些是他妻子的遺物。

Once there had been a tinted photograph of his wife on the wall but he had taken it down because it made him too lonely to see it and it was on the shelf in the corner under his clean shirt.

牆上原本還有一張他妻子的著色照片，可是他把它取下來了，因為看了太寂寞；照片如今擱在角落的架子上，壓在他那件乾淨襯衫底下。