第11章 英文版 (1) 文 / 歐內斯特·海明威

    TheOldManandtheSea

    HewasanoldmanwhofishedaloneinaskiffintheGulfStreamandhehadgoneeighty-fourdaysnowwithouttakingafish.Inthefirstfortydaysaboyhadbeenwithhim.Butafterfortydayswithoutafishtheboy』sparentshadtoldhimthattheoldmanwasnowdefinitelyandfinallysalao,whichistheworstformofunlucky,andtheboyhadgoneattheirordersinanotherboatwhichcaughtthreegoodfishthefirstweek.Itmadetheboysadtoseetheoldmancomeineachdaywithhisskiffemptyandhealwayswentdowntohelphimcarryeitherthecoiledlinesorthegaffandharpoonandthesailthatwasfurledaroundthemast.Thesailwaspatchedwithfloursacksand,furled,itlookedliketheflagofpermanentdefeat.

    Theoldmanwasthinandgauntwithdeepwrinklesinthebackofhisneck.Thebrownblotchesofthebenevolentskincancerthesunbringsfromitsreflectiononthetropicseawereonhischeeks.Theblotchesranwelldownthesidesofhisfaceandhishandshadthedeep-creasedscarsfromhandlingheavyfishonthecords.Butnoneofthesescarswerefresh.Theywereasoldaserosionsinafishlessdesert.

    Everythingabouthimwasoldexcepthiseyesandtheywerethesamecolorastheseaandwerecheerfulandundefeated.

    「Santiago,」theboysaidtohimastheyclimbedthebankfromwheretheskiffwashauledup.「Icouldgowithyouagain.We』vemadesomemoney.」

    Theoldmanhadtaughttheboytofishandtheboylovedhim.

    「No,」theoldmansaid.「You』rewithaluckyboat.Staywiththem.」

    「Butrememberhowyouwenteighty-sevendayswithoutfishandthenwecaughtbigoneseverydayforthreeweeks.」

    「Iremember,」theoldmansaid.「Iknowyoudidnotleavemebecauseyoudoubted.」

    「Itwaspapamademeleave.IamaboyandImustobeyhim.」

    「Iknow,」theoldmansaid.「Itisquitenormal.」

    「Hehasn』tbeenmuchfaith.」

    「No,」theoldmansaid.「Butwehave,haven』twe?」

    『Yes,」theboysaid.「CanIofferyouabeerontheTerraceandthenwe』lltakethestuffhome?」

    「Whynot?」theoldmansaid.「Betweenfishermen.」

    TheysatontheTerraceandmanyofthefishermenmadefunoftheoldmanandhewasnotangry.Others,oftheolderfishermen,lookedathimandweresad.Buttheydidnotshowitandtheyspokepolitelyaboutthecurrentandthedepthstheyhaddriftedtheirlinesatandthesteadygoodweatherandofwhattheyhadseen.Thesuccessfulfishermenofthatdaywerealreadyinandhadbutcheredtheirmarlinoutandcarriedthemlaidfulllengthacrosstwoplanks,withtwomenstaggeringattheendofeachplank,tothefishhousewheretheywaitedfortheicetrucktocarrythemtothemarketinHavana.Thosewhohadcaughtsharkshadtakenthemtothesharkfactoryontheothersideofthecovewheretheywerehoistedonablockandtackle,theirliversremoved,theirfinscutoffandtheirhidesskinnedoutandtheirfleshcutintostripsforsalting.

    Whenthewindwasintheeastasmellcameacrosstheharbourfromthesharkfactory;buttodaytherewasonlythefaintedgeoftheodourbecausethewindhadbackedintothenorthandthendroppedoffanditwaspleasantandsunnyontheTerrace.

    「Santiago,」theboysaid.

    「Yes,」theoldmansaid.Hewasholdinghisglassandthinkingofmanyyearsago.

    「CanIgoouttogetsardinesforyoufortomorrow?」

    「No.Goandplaybaseball.IcanstillrowandRogeliowillthrowthenet.」

    「Iwouldliketogo.IfIcannotfishwithyou.Iwouldliketoserveinsomeways.」

    「Youboughtmeabeer,」theoldmansaid.「Youarealreadyaman.」

    「HowoldwasIwhenyoufirsttookmeinaboat?」

    「FiveandyounearlywerekilledwhenIbroughtthefishintoogreenandhenearlytoretheboattopieces.Canyouremember?」

    「Icanrememberthetailslappingandbangingandthethwartbreakingandthenoiseoftheclubbing.Icanrememberyouthrowingmeintothebowwherethewetcoiledlineswereandfeelingthewholeboatshiverandthenoiseofyouclubbinghimlikechoppingatreedownandthesweetbloodsmellalloverme.」

    「CanyoureallyrememberthatordidIjusttellittoyou?」

    「Iremembereverythingfromwhenwefirstwenttogether.」

    Theoldmanlookedathimwithhissun-burned,confidentlovingeyes.

    「IfyouweremyboyI』dtakeyououtandgamble,」hesaid.「Butyouareyourfather』sandyourmother』sandyouareinaluckyboat.」

    「MayIgetthesardines?IknowwhereIcangetfourbaitstoo.」

    「Ihavemineleftfromtoday.Iputtheminsaltinthebox.」

    「Letmegetfourfreshones.」

    「One,」theoldmansaid.Hishopeandhisconfidencehadnevergone.Butnowtheywerefresheningaswhenthebreezerisen.

    「Two,」theboysaid.

    「Two,」theoldmanagreed.「Youdidn』tstealthem?」

    「Iwould,」theboysaid.「ButIboughtthese.」

    「Thankyou,」theoldmansaid.Hewastoosimpletowonderwhenhehadattainedhumility.Butheknewhehadattaineditandheknewitwasnotdisgracefulanditcarriednolossoftruepride.

    「Tomorrowisgoingtobeagooddaywiththiscurrent,」hesaid.

    「Whereareyougoing?」theboyasked.

    「Farouttocomeinwhenthewindshifts.Iwanttobeoutbeforeitislight.」

    「I』lltrytogethimtoworkfarout,」theboysaid.「Thenifyouhooksomethingtrulybigwecancometoyouraid.」

    「Hedoesnotliketoworktoofarout.」

    「No,」theboysaid.「ButIwillseesomethingthathecannotseesuchasabirdworkingandgethimtocomeoutafterdolphin.」

    「Arehiseyesthatbad?」

    「Heisalmostblind.」

    「Itisstrange,」theoldmansaid.「Heneverwentturtle-ing.Thatiswhatkillstheeyes.」

    「Butyouwentturtle-ingforyearsofftheMosquitoCoastandyoureyesaregood.」

    「Iamastrangeoldman.」

    「Butareyoustrongenoughnowforatrulybigfish?」

    「Ithinkso.Andtherearemanytricks.」

    「Letustakethestuffhome,」theboysaid.「SoIcangetthecastnetandgoafterthesardines.」