我成了拖纜樁

The old man held the line delicately, and softly, with his left hand, unleashed it from the stick.

老人輕巧而柔和地捏著線，用左手把它從木棍上解了下來。

Now he could let it run through his fingers without the fish feeling any tension.

這樣他就能讓線從指間滑過去，而魚感覺不到任何拉力。

This far out, he must be huge in this month, he thought.

在這麼遠的外海，又是這個月份，牠一定很大，他想。

Eat them, fish. Eat them.

吃吧，魚。吃吧。

Please eat them.

求你吃了牠們吧。

How fresh they are and you down there six hundred feet in that cold water in the dark.

牠們多新鮮，而你在下面六百英尺的冷水和黑暗裡。

Make another turn in the dark and come back and eat them.

在黑暗裡再繞一圈，回來把牠們吃了。

He felt the light delicate pulling and then a harder pull when a sardine's head must have been more difficult to break from the hook.

他感覺到那輕巧細微的拉扯，接著是一下更重的拉——一定是有條沙丁魚的頭比較難從鉤上扯下來。

Then there was nothing.

然後什麼也沒有了。

"Come on," the old man said aloud. "Make another turn. Just smell them. Aren't they lovely? Eat them good now and then there is the tuna. Hard and cold and lovely. Don't be shy, fish. Eat them."

「來吧，」老人出聲說。「再繞一圈。聞一聞就好。牠們不是很棒嗎？現在好好吃了牠們，後面還有鮪魚。又硬又冷又好。別客氣，魚。吃吧。」

He waited with the line between his thumb and his finger, watching it and the other lines at the same time for the fish might have swum up or down.

他捏著線在拇指和食指之間等，一面盯著它，一面同時看著別的線，因為那魚可能往上游、也可能往下游。

Then came the same delicate pulling touch again.

接著同樣那細微的一拉又來了。

"He'll take it," the old man said aloud. "God help him to take it."

「牠會咬的，」老人出聲說。「求上帝幫牠咬下去。」

He did not take it though.

可是牠沒有咬。

He was gone and the old man felt nothing.

牠走了，老人什麼也感覺不到。

"He can't have gone," he said. "Christ knows he can't have gone. He's making a turn. Maybe he has been hooked before and he remembers something of it."

「牠不可能走了，」他說。「基督知道牠不可能走了。牠在繞圈。說不定牠從前被鉤過，還記得一點那件事。」

Then he felt the gentle touch on the line and he was happy.

接著他感覺到線上那輕輕的一觸，他高興起來。

"It was only his turn," he said. "He'll take it."

「那只是牠在繞圈，」他說。「牠會咬的。」

He was happy feeling the gentle pulling and then he felt something hard and unbelievably heavy.

他高興地感覺著那輕輕的拉扯，接著他感覺到某種堅實而重得難以置信的東西。

It was the weight of the fish and he let the line slip down, down, down, unrolling off the first of the two reserve coils.

那是那條魚的重量；他讓線往下滑，往下，往下，把兩盤備用線裡的頭一盤放了出去。

As it went down, slipping lightly through the old man's fingers, he still could feel the great weight, though the pressure of his thumb and finger were almost imperceptible.

線一路往下滑，輕輕地從老人指間溜過，他仍然感覺得到那巨大的重量，儘管他拇指和食指施的力幾乎察覺不出來。

"What a fish," he said. "He has it sideways in his mouth now and he is moving off with it."

「好一條魚，」他說。「牠這會兒把餌橫叼在嘴裡，正帶著它往外游。」

Then he will turn and swallow it, he thought.

接著牠會轉身把它吞下去，他心裡想。

He did not say that because he knew that if you said a good thing it might not happen.

這句他沒有說出口，因為他知道，好事要是說出口，就可能不會發生。

He knew what a huge fish this was and he thought of him moving away in the darkness with the tuna held crosswise in his mouth.

他知道這是一條多大的魚，他想著牠在黑暗裡游開的樣子，嘴裡橫叼著那條鮪魚。

At that moment he felt him stop moving but the weight was still there.

就在那一刻，他感覺到牠停下不動了，可是那重量還在。

Then the weight increased and he gave more line.

接著重量加重了，他又放出一些線。

He tightened the pressure of his thumb and finger for a moment and the weight increased and was going straight down.

他把拇指和食指的力道加緊了一瞬間，那重量更沉了，而且正筆直往下去。

"He's taken it," he said. "Now I'll let him eat it well."

「牠咬下去了，」他說。「現在我要讓牠好好吃。」

He let the line slip through his fingers while he reached down with his left hand and made fast the free end of the two reserve coils to the loop of the two reserve coils of the next line.

他讓線從指間滑出去，同時伸下左手，把那兩盤備用線的活頭繫牢在下一條線那兩盤備用線的圈上。

Now he was ready.

現在他準備好了。

He had three forty-fathom coils of line in reserve now, as well as the coil he was using.

除了正在用的那一盤，他這會兒還有三盤四十噚的線備用。

"Eat it a little more," he said. "Eat it well."

「再多吃一點，」他說。「好好吃。」

Eat it so that the point of the hook goes into your heart and kills you, he thought.

吃吧，吃到鉤尖扎進你的心臟把你弄死，他心裡想。

Come up easy and let me put the harpoon into you.

輕輕地浮上來，讓我把魚叉扎進你身體。

All right. Are you ready? Have you been long enough at table?

好了。你準備好了嗎？你在餐桌上待得夠久了吧？

"Now!" he said aloud and struck hard with both hands, gained a yard of line and then struck again and again, swinging with each arm alternately on the cord with all the strength of his arms and the pivoted weight of his body.

「現在！」他出聲喊，雙手猛地一拉，搶回一碼線，接著一次又一次地拉，兩條手臂輪流在線上甩動，用上兩臂全部的力氣和整個身體轉動的重量。

Nothing happened.

什麼也沒發生。

The fish just moved away slowly and the old man could not raise him an inch.

那魚只是慢慢地游開，老人一寸也拉不起牠來。

His line was strong and made for heavy fish and he held it against his back until it was so taut that beads of water were jumping from it.

他的線很結實，本來就是為重魚做的；他把線抵在背上撐住，撐到線繃得水珠都從上面彈跳出來。

Then it began to make a slow hissing sound in the water and he still held it, bracing himself against the thwart and leaning back against the pull.

接著線在水裡開始發出緩慢的嘶嘶聲，他還是撐著，兩腳頂住橫座板，身子往後仰著抵住那股拉力。

The boat began to move slowly off toward the North-West.

船開始慢慢地朝西北方移動。

The fish moved steadily and they travelled slowly on the calm water.

魚穩穩地走，他們就在平靜的水面上慢慢地行進。

The other baits were still in the water but there was nothing to be done.

別的餌還在水裡，可是也沒辦法。

"I wish I had the boy," the old man said aloud.

「我希望男孩在這裡，」老人出聲說。

"I'm being towed by a fish and I'm the towing bitt. I could make the line fast. But then he could break it. I must hold him all I can and give him line when he must have it. Thank God he is travelling and not going down."

「我被一條魚拖著走，而我成了拖纜樁。我大可以把線繫死。可是那樣牠就可能把線扯斷。我得盡我所能撐住牠，牠非要線的時候就給牠。謝天謝地牠是在往前走，不是往下沉。」

What I will do if he decides to go down, I don't know.

要是牠決定往下沉，我該怎麼辦，我不知道。

What I'll do if he sounds and dies I don't know.

要是牠潛到深處死掉，我該怎麼辦，我也不知道。

But I'll do something. There are plenty of things I can do.

可是我總會想出辦法。我能做的事情多得很。

He held the line against his back and watched its slant in the water and the skiff moving steadily to the North-West.

他把線抵在背上撐著，看著它在水裡的斜度，看著小船穩穩地朝西北方走。

This will kill him, the old man thought.

這樣會把牠拖死的，老人想。

He can't do this forever.

牠不可能永遠這樣下去。

But four hours later the fish was still swimming steadily out to sea, towing the skiff, and the old man was still braced solidly with the line across his back.

可是四個鐘頭以後，那魚還在穩穩地往外海游，拖著小船，而老人還牢牢地撐著，線橫在他背上。

"It was noon when I hooked him," he said. "And I have never seen him."

「我是中午釣上牠的，」他說。「而我從來沒見過牠。」

He had pushed his straw hat hard down on his head before he hooked the fish and it was cutting his forehead.

釣上魚之前他把草帽用力壓緊在頭上，這會兒帽子正割著他的額頭。

He was thirsty too and he got down on his knees and, being careful not to jerk on the line, moved as far into the bow as he could get and reached the water bottle with one hand.

他也渴了；他跪下來，小心不要扯動釣線，盡量往船頭那邊挪，伸出一隻手去搆那瓶水。

He opened it and drank a little.

他打開瓶子喝了一點。

Then he rested against the bow.

然後他靠著船頭歇著。

He rested sitting on the un-stepped mast and sail and tried not to think but only to endure.

他坐在卸下來的桅杆和帆上歇著，努力什麼都不想，只是撐下去。

Then he looked behind him and saw that no land was visible.

接著他回頭一看，發現已經看不見陸地了。

That makes no difference, he thought.

那沒什麼關係，他想。

I can always come in on the glow from Havana.

我隨時可以靠哈瓦那的光暈找回去。

There are two more hours before the sun sets and maybe he will come up before that.

離日落還有兩個鐘頭，說不定牠在那之前就浮上來。

If he doesn't maybe he will come up with the moon.

要是不浮，說不定月亮出來的時候會浮。

If he does not do that maybe he will come up with the sunrise.

要是那時候還不浮，說不定日出的時候會浮。

I have no cramps and I feel strong.

我沒有抽筋，我覺得有力氣。

It is he that has the hook in his mouth.

嘴裡有鉤子的是牠。

But what a fish to pull like that.

可是能這樣拉的，是怎樣的一條魚啊。

He must have his mouth shut tight on the wire.

牠一定把嘴緊緊閉在那根鋼絲上。

I wish I could see him.

我真希望能看見牠。

I wish I could see him only once to know what I have against me.

我真希望能看牠一眼，哪怕只看一眼，好知道我對上的是什麼。

The fish never changed his course nor his direction all that night as far as the man could tell from watching the stars.

就那人看星星所能判斷的，那魚整夜都沒有改變過航線和方向。

It was cold after the sun went down and the old man's sweat dried cold on his back and his arms and his old legs.

太陽下山以後很冷，老人的汗在他的背上、手臂上和那雙老腿上冷冷地乾了。

During the day he had taken the sack that covered the bait box and spread it in the sun to dry.

白天他把蓋餌箱的那條麻布袋拿出來，攤在太陽下曬乾。

After the sun went down he tied it around his neck so that it hung down over his back and he cautiously worked it down under the line that was across his shoulders now.

太陽下山以後，他把它繫在脖子上，讓它垂在背後，再小心地把它塞到那條這會兒橫在他肩上的線底下。

The sack cushioned the line and he had found a way of leaning forward against the bow so that he was almost comfortable.

那條麻布袋替他墊住了線，而且他找到了一個往前靠著船頭的姿勢，讓他幾乎算舒服。

The position actually was only somewhat less intolerable; but he thought of it as almost comfortable.

那個姿勢其實只是稍微沒那麼難以忍受；可是他把它想成幾乎舒服。

I can do nothing with him and he can do nothing with me, he thought.

我拿牠沒辦法，牠也拿我沒辦法，他想。

Not as long as he keeps this up.

只要牠一直這樣下去，就是這樣。

Once he stood up and urinated over the side of the skiff and looked at the stars and checked his course.

有一回他站起來朝船外小解，看了看星星，校了校航向。

The line showed like a phosphorescent streak in the water straight out from his shoulders.

那條線從他肩上直直伸出去，在水裡像一道發著磷光的痕。

They were moving more slowly now and the glow of Havana was not so strong, so that he knew the current must be carrying them to the eastward.

他們這會兒走得慢些了，哈瓦那的光暈也沒那麼強，所以他知道海流一定在把他們往東帶。

If I lose the glare of Havana we must be going more to the eastward, he thought.

要是我看不見哈瓦那的光了，那我們一定是更往東去了，他想。

For if the fish's course held true I must see it for many more hours.

因為要是那魚的航線不變，我應該還看得見它好幾個鐘頭。

I wonder how the baseball came out in the grand leagues today, he thought.

不知道今天大聯盟的棒球賽結果怎麼樣，他想。

It would be wonderful to do this with a radio.

要是幹這活兒的時候有台收音機，那該多好。

Then he thought, think of it always.

接著他想：要永遠想著它。

Think of what you are doing.

想著你正在做的事。

You must do nothing stupid.

你不可以做任何蠢事。