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. In the first forty days a boy had been with him.
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. 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. The sail was patched with flour sacks and, furled, it looked like the flag of permanent defeat.
The old man was thin and gaunt with deep wrinkles in the back of his neck. The brown blotches of the benevolent skin cancer the sun brings from its reflection on the tropic sea were on his cheeks. 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. But none of these scars were fresh. They were as old as erosions in a fishless desert.
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他身上的一切都显得古老,除了那双眼睛,它们像海水一般蓝,是愉快而不肯认输的。
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Everything about him was old except his eyes and they were the same color as the sea and were cheerful and undefeated.
They sat on the Terrace and many of the fishermen made fun of the old man and he was not angry. Others, of the older fishermen, looked at him and were sad. 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.
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. 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.
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.
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19
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“圣地亚哥,”孩子说。
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19
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“Santiago,“ the boy said.
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20
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“哦,”老人说。他正握着酒杯,思量好多年前的事儿。
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20
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“Yes,“ the old man said. He was holding his glass and thinking of many years ago.
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21
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“要我去弄点沙丁鱼来给你明天用吗?”
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21
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“Can I go out to get sardines for you for tomorrow?“
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22
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“不。打棒球去吧。我划船还行,罗赫略会给我撒网的。”
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22
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“No. Go and play baseball. I can still row and Rogelio will throw the net.“
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23
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“我很想去。即使不能陪你钓鱼,我也很想给你多少做点事。”
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23
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“I would like to go. If I cannot fish with you, I would like to serve in some way.“
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24
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“你请我喝了杯啤酒,”老人说。“你已经是个大人啦。”
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“You bought me a beer,“ the old man said. “You are already a man.“
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25
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“你头一回带我上船,我有多大?”
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“How old was I when you first took me in a boat?“
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26
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“五岁,那天我把一条鲜龙活跳的鱼拖上船去,它差一点把船撞得粉碎,你也差一点给送了命。还记得吗?”
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26
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“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?“
“I can remember the tail slapping and banging and the thwart breaking and the noise of the clubbing. 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 sweat blood smell all over me.“
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“你当真记得那回事儿,还是我不久前刚跟你说过?”
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“Can you really remember that or did I just tell it to you?“
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“打从我们头一回一起出海时起,什么事儿我都记得清清楚楚。”
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“I remember everything from when we first went together.“
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老人用他那双常遭日晒而目光坚定的眼睛爱怜地望着他。
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The old man looked at him with his sun-burned, confident loving eyes.
“Thank you,“ the old man said. He was too simple to wonder when he had attained humility. But he knew he had attained it and he knew it was not disgraceful and it carried no loss of true pride.
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40
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“看这海流,明儿会是个好日子,”他说。
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40
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“Tomorrow is going to be a good day with this current,“ he said.
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41
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“你打算上哪儿?”孩子问。
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41
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“Where are you going?“ the boy asked.
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42
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“驶到远方,等转了风才回来。我想天亮前就出发。”
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“Far out to come in when the wind shifts. I want to be out before it is light.“
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“我要想法叫船主人也驶到远方,”孩子说。“这样,如果你确实钓到了大鱼,我们可以赶去帮你的忙。”
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“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.“
They picked up the gear from the boat. 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.
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. 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.
They walked up the road together to the old man’s shack and went in through its open door. 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. The mast was nearly as long as the one room of the shack. The shack was made of the tough budshields 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.
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. These were relics of his wife. 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.
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58
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“有什么吃的东西?”
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58
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“What do you have to eat?“ the boy asked.
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59
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“有锅鱼煮黄米饭。要吃点吗?”
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59
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“A pot of yellow rice with fish. Do you want some?“
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60
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“不。我回家去吃。要我给你生火吗?”
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60
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“No. I will eat at home. Do you want me to make the fire?“
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61
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“不用。过一会儿我自己来生。也许就吃冷饭算了。”
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61
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“No. I will make it later on. Or I may eat the rice cold.“
There was no cast net and the boy remembered when they had sold it. But they went through this fiction every day. There was no pot of yellow rice and fish and the boy knew this too.
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65
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“八十五是个吉利的数目,”老人说。“你可想看到我逮住一条去掉了下脚有一千多磅重的鱼?”
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65
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“Eighty-five is a lucky number,“ the old man said. “How would you like to see me bring one in that dressed out over a thousand pounds?“
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66
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“我拿鱼网捞沙丁鱼去。你坐在门口晒晒太阳可好?”
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66
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“I’ll get the cast net and go for sardines. Will you sit in the sun in the doorway?“
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67
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“好吧。我有张昨天的报纸,我来看看棒球消息。”
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67
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“Yes. I have yesterday’s paper and I will read the baseball.“
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68
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孩子不知道昨天的报纸是不是也是乌有的。但是老人把它从床下取出来了。
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The boy did not know whether yesterday’s paper was fiction too. But the old man brought it out from under the bed.
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“佩里科在杂货铺里给我的,”他解释说。
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“Perico gave it to me at the bodega,“ he explained.
“I’ll be back when I have the sardines. I’ll keep yours and mine together on ice and we can share them in the morning. When I come back you can tell me about the baseball.“
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71
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“扬基队不会输。”
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71
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“The Yankees cannot lose.“
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72
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“可是我怕克利夫兰印第安人队会赢。”
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72
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“But I fear the Indians of Cleveland.“
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73
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“相信扬基队吧,好孩子。别忘了那了不起的迪马吉奥。”
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73
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“Have faith in the Yankees my son. Think of the great DiMaggio.“
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74
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“我担心底特律老虎队,也担心克利夫兰印第安人队。”
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74
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“I fear both the Tigers of Detroit and the Indians of Cleveland.“
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75
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“当心点,要不然连辛辛那提红队和芝加哥白短袜队,你都要担心啦。”
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75
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“Be careful or you will fear even the Reds of Cincinnati and the White Sox of Chicago.“
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76
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“你好好儿看报,等我回来了给我讲讲。”
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76
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“You study it and tell me when I come back.“
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77
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“你看我们该去买张末尾是八五的彩票吗?明儿是第八十五天。”
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77
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“Do you think we should buy a terminal of the lottery with an eighty-five? Tomorrow is the eighty-fifth day.“
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78
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“这样做行啊,”孩子说。“不过你上次创纪录的是八十七天,这怎么说?”
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78
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“We can do that,“ the boy said. “But what about the eighty-seven of your great record?“
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79
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“这种事儿不会再发生。你看能弄到一张末尾是八五的吗?”
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79
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“It could not happen twice. Do you think you can find an eighty-five?“
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80
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“我可以去订一张。”
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80
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“I can order one.“
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81
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“订一张。这要两块半。我们向谁去借这笔钱呢?”
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81
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“One sheet. That’s two dollars and a half. Who can we borrow that from?“
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82
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“这个容易。我总能借到两块半的。”
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82
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“That’s easy. I can always borrow two dollars and a half.“
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83
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“我看没准儿我也借得到。不过我不想借钱。第一步是借钱。下一步就要讨饭啰。”
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83
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“I think perhaps I can too. But I try not to borrow. First you borrow. Then you beg.“
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84
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“穿得暖和点,老大爷,”孩子说。“别忘了,我们这是在九月里。”
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84
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“Keep warm old man,“ the boy said. “Remember we are in September.“
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85
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“正是大鱼露面的月份,”老人说。“在五月里,人人都能当个好渔夫的。”
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85
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“The month when the great fish come,“ the old man said. “Anyone can be a fisherman in May.“
When the boy came back the old man was asleep in the chair and the sun was down. The boy took the old army blanket off the bed and spread it over the back of the chair and over the old man’s shoulders. They were strange shoulders, still powerful although very old, and the neck was still strong too and the creases did not show so much when the old man was asleep and his head fallen forward.
His shirt had been patched so many times that it was like the sail and the patches were faded to many different shades by the sun. The old man’s head was very old though and with his eyes closed there was no life in his face. The newspaper lay across his knees and the weight of his arm held it there in the evening breeze. He was barefooted.
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89
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孩子撇下老人走了,等他回来时,老人还是熟睡着。
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89
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The boy left him there and when he came back the old man was still asleep.
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90
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“醒来吧,老大爷,”孩子说,一手搭上老人的膝盖。
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90
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“Wake up old man,“ the boy said and put his hand on one of the old man’s knees.
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91
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老人张开眼睛,他的神志一时仿佛正在从老远的地方回来。随后他微笑了。
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91
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The old man opened his eyes and for a moment he was coming back from a long way away. Then he smiled.
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92
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“你拿来了什么?”他问。
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92
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“What have you got?“ he asked.
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93
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“晚饭,”孩子说。“我们就来吃吧。”
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93
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“Supper,“ said the boy. “We’re going to have supper.“
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94
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“我肚子不大饿。”
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94
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“I’m not very hungry.“
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95
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“得了,吃吧。你不能只打鱼,不吃饭。”
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95
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“Come on and eat. You can’t fish and not eat.“
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96
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“我这样干过,”老人说着,站起身来,拿起报纸,把它折好。
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96
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“I have,“ the old man said getting up and taking the newspaper and folding it.
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97
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跟着他动手折叠毯子。
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97
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Then he started to fold the blanket.
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98
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“把毯子披在身上吧,”孩子说。“只要我活着,你就决不会不吃饭就去打鱼。”
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98
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“Keep the blanket around you,“ the boy said. “You’ll not fish without eating while I’m alive.“
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99
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“这么说,祝你长寿,多保重自己吧,”老人说。“我们吃什么?”
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99
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“Then live a long time and take care of yourself,“ the old man said. “What are we eating?“
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100
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“黑豆饭、油炸香蕉,还有些纯菜。”
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100
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“Black beans and rice, fried bananas, and some stew.“
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101
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孩子是把这些饭菜放在双层饭匣里从露台饭店拿来的。他口袋里有两副刀叉和汤匙,每一副都用纸餐巾包着。
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101
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The boy had brought them in a two-decker metal container from the Terrace. The two sets of knives and forks and spoons were in his pocket with a paper napkin wrapped around each set.
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102
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“这是谁给你的。”
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102
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“Who gave this to you?“
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103
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“马丁。那老板。”
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103
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“Martin. The owner.“
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104
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“我得去谢谢他。”
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104
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“I must thank him.“
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105
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“我已经谢过啦,”孩子说。“你用不着去谢他了。”
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105
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“I thanked him already,“ the boy said. “You don’t need to thank him.“
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106
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“我要给他一块大鱼肚子上的肉,”老人说。“他这样帮助我们不止一次了?”
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106
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“I’ll give him the belly meat of a big fish,“ the old man said. “Has he done this for us more than once?“
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107
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“我想是这样吧。”
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107
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“I think so.“
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108
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“这样的话,我该在鱼肚子肉以外,再送他一些东西。他对我们真关心。”
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108
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“I must give him something more than the belly meat then. He is very thoughtful for us.“
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109
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“他还送了两瓶啤酒。”
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109
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“He sent two beers.“
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110
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“我喜欢罐装的啤酒。”
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110
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“I like the beer in cans best.“
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111
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“我知道。不过这是瓶装的,阿图埃牌啤酒,我还得把瓶子送回去。”
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111
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“I know. But this is in bottles, Hatuey beer, and I take back the bottles.“
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112
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“你真周到,”老人说。“我们就吃好吗?”
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112
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“That’s very kind of you,“ the old man said. “Should we eat?“
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113
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“我已经问过你啦,”孩子温和地对他说。“不等你准备好,我是不愿打开饭匣子的。”
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113
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“I’ve been asking you to,“ the boy told him gently. “I have not wished to open the container until you were ready.“
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114
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“我准备好啦,”老人说。“我只消洗洗手脸就行。”
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114
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“I’m ready now,“ the old man said. “I only needed time to wash.“
Where did you wash? the boy thought. The village water supply was two streets down the road. I must have water here for him, the boy thought, and soap and a good towel. Why am I so thoughtless? I must get him another shirt and a jacket for the winter and some sort of shoes and another blanket.
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116
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“这炖菜呱呱叫,”老人说。
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116
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“Your stew is excellent,“ the old man said.
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117
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“给我讲讲棒球赛吧,”孩子请求他说。
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117
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“Tell me about the baseball,“ the boy asked him.
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118
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“在美国联赛中,总是扬基队的天下,我跟你说过啦,”老人兴高采烈地说。
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118
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“In the American League it is the Yankees as I said,“ the old man said happily.
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119
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“他们今儿个输了,”孩子告诉他。
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119
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“They lost today,“ the boy told him.
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120
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“这算不上什么,那了不起的迪马吉奥恢复他的本色了。”
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“That means nothing. The great DiMaggio is himself again.“
“Naturally. But he makes the difference. In the other league, between Brooklyn and Philadelphia I must take Brooklyn. But then I think of Dick Sisler and those great drives in the old park.“
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123
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“这些好球从来没有别人打过。我见过的击球中,数他打得最远。”
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123
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“There was nothing ever like them. He hits the longest ball I have ever seen.“
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124
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“你还记得他过去常来露台饭店吗?我想陪他出海钓鱼,可是不敢对他开口。所以我要你去说,可你也不敢。”
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“Do you remember when he used to come to the Terrace? I wanted to take him fishing but I was too timid to ask him. Then I asked you to ask him and you were too timid.“
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125
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“我记得。我们真大大地失算了。他满可能跟我们一起出海的。这样,我们可以一辈子回味这回事了。”
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“I know. It was a great mistake. He might have gone with us. Then we would have that for all of our lives.“
“I would like to take the great DiMaggio fishing,“ the old man said. “They say his father was a fisherman. Maybe he was as poor as we are and would understand.“
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127
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“那了不起的西斯勒的爸爸可没过过穷日子,他爸爸像我这样年纪的时候就在联赛里打球了。”
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“The great Sisler’s father was never poor and he, the father, was playing in the Big Leagues when he was my age.“
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128
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“我像你这样年纪的时候,就在一条去非洲的方帆船上当普通水手了,我还见过狮子在傍晚到海滩上来。”
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128
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“When I was your age I was before the mast on a square rigged ship that ran to Africa and I have seen lions on the beaches in the evening.“
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“我知道。你跟我谈起过。”
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129
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“I know. You told me.“
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130
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“我们来谈非洲还是谈棒球?”
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130
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“Should we talk about Africa or about baseball?“
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131
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“我看谈棒球吧,”孩子说。“给我谈谈那了不起的约翰·J·麦格劳的情况。”他把这个J念成了“何塔”。
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“Baseball I think,“ the boy said. “Tell me about the great John J. McGraw.“ He said Jota for J.
“He used to come to the Terrace sometimes too in the older days. But he was rough and harsh-spoken and difficult when he was drinking. His mind was on horses as well as baseball. At least he carried lists of horses at all times in his pocket and frequently spoke the names of horses on the telephone.“
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“他是个伟大的经理,”孩子说。“我爸爸认为他是顶伟大的。”
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133
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“He was a great manager,“ the boy said. “My father thinks he was the greatest.“
“Because he came here the most times,“ the old man said. “If Durocher had continued to come here each year your father would think him the greatest manager.“
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135
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“说真的,谁是顶伟大的经理,卢克还是迈克·冈萨雷斯?”
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135
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“Who is the greatest manager, really, Luque or Mike Gonzalez?“
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136
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“我认为他们不相上下。”
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136
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“I think they are equal.“
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137
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“顶好的渔夫是你。”
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137
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“And the best fisherman is you.“
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138
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“不。我知道有不少比我强的。”
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138
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“No. I know others better.“
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139
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“哪里!”孩子说。“好渔夫很多,还有些很了不起的。不过顶呱呱的只有你。”
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“Que va,“ the boy said. “There are many good fishermen and some great ones. But there is only you.“
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“谢谢你。你说得叫我高兴。我希望不要来一条挺大的鱼,叫我对付不了,那样就说明我们讲错啦。”
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“Thank you. You make me happy. I hope no fish will come along so great that he will prove us wrong.“
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141
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“这种鱼是没有的,只要你还是象你说的那样强壮。”
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“There is no such fish if you are as strong as you say.“
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“我也许不像我自以为的那样强壮了,”老人说。“可是我懂得不少窍门,而且有决心。”
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“I may not be as strong as I think,“ the old man said. “But I know many tricks and I have resolution.“
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143
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“你该就去睡觉,这样明儿早上才精神饱满。我要把这些东西送回露台饭店。”
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143
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“You ought to go to bed now so that you will be fresh in the morning. I will take the things back to the Terrace.“
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144
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“那么祝你晚安。早上我去叫醒你。”
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144
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“Good night then. I will wake you in the morning.“
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145
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“你是我的闹钟,”孩子说。
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145
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“You’re my alarm clock,“ the boy said.
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146
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“年纪是我的闹钟,”老人说。“为什么老头儿醒得特别早?难道是要让白天长些吗?”
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146
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“Age is my alarm clock,“ the old man said. “Why do old men wake so early? Is it to have one longer day?“
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147
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“我说不上来,”孩子说。“我只知道少年睡得沉,起得晚。”
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147
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“I don’t know,“ the boy said. “All I know is that young boys sleep late and hard.“
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“我记在心上,”老人说。“到时候会去叫醒你的。”
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“I can remember it,“ the old man said. “I’ll waken you in time.“
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149
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“我不愿让船主人来叫醒我。这样似乎我比他差劲了。”
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149
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“I do not like for him to waken me. It is as though I were inferior.“
The boy went out. They had eaten with no light on the table and the old man took off his trousers and went to bed in the dark. He rolled his trousers up to make a pillow, putting the newspaper inside them. He rolled himself in the blanket and slept on the other old newspapers that covered the springs of the bed.
He was asleep in a short time and he dreamed of Africa when he was a boy and the long golden beaches and the white beaches, so white they hurt your eyes, and the high capes and the great brown mountains. He lived along that coast now every night and in hi s dreams he heard the surf roar and saw the native boats come riding through it. He smelled the tar and oakum of the deck as he slept and he smelled the smell of Africa that the land breeze brought at morning.
Usually when he smelled the land breeze he woke up and dressed to go and wake the boy. But tonight the smell of the land breeze came very early and he knew it was too early in his dream and went on dreaming to see the white peaks of the Islands rising fro m the sea and then he dreamed of the different harbours and roadsteads of the Canary Islands.
He no longer dreamed of storms, nor of women, nor of great occurrences, nor of great fish, nor fights, nor contests of strength, nor of his wife. He only dreamed of places now and of the lions on the beach. They played like young cats in the dusk and he l oved them as he loved the boy.
He never dreamed about the boy. He simply woke, looked out the open door at the moon and unrolled his trousers and put them on. He urinated outside the shack and then went up the road to wake the boy. He was shivering with t he morning cold. But he knew he would shiver himself warm and that soon he would be rowing.
The door of the house where the boy lived was unlocked and he opened it and walked in quietly with his bare feet. The boy was asleep on a cot in the first room and the old man could see him clearly with the light that came in from the dying moon. He took hold of one foot gently and held it until the boy woke and turned and looked at him. The old man nodded and the boy took his trousers from the chair by the bed and, sitting on the bed, pulled them on.
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158
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老人走出门去,孩子跟在他背后。他还是昏昏欲睡,老人伸出胳臂搂住他的肩膀说:“对不起。”
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158
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The old man went out the door and the boy came after him. He was sleepy and the old man put his arm across his shoulders and said, “I am sorry.“
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159
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“哪里!”孩子说。“男子汉就该这么干。”
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159
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“Que va,“ the boy said. “It is what a man must do.“
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160
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他们顺着大路朝老人的窝棚走去,一路上,黑暗中有些光着脚的男人在走动,扛着他们船上的桅杆。
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160
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They walked down the road to the old man’s shack and all along the road, in the dark, barefoot men were moving, carrying the masts of their boats.
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161
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他们走进老人的窝棚,孩子拿起装在篮子里的钓索卷儿,还有鱼叉和鱼钩,老人把绕着帆的桅杆扛在肩上。
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When they reached the old man’s shack the boy took the rolls of line in the basket and the harpoon and gaff and the old man carried the mast with the furled sail on his shoulder.
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162
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“想喝咖啡吗?”孩子问。
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“Do you want coffee?“ the boy asked.
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163
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“我们把家什放在船里,然后喝一点吧。”
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163
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“We’ll put the gear in the boat and then get some.“
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164
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他们在一家供应渔夫的清早就营业的小吃馆里,喝着盛在炼乳听里的咖啡。
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164
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They had coffee from condensed milk cans at an early morning place that served fishermen.
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165
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“你睡得怎么样,老大爷?”孩子问。他如今清醒过来了,尽管要他完全摆脱睡魔还不大容易。
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165
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“How did you sleep old man?“ the boy asked. He was waking up now although it was still hard for him to leave his sleep.
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166
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“睡得很好,马诺林,”老人说。“我感到今天挺有把握。”
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166
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“Very well, Manolin,“ the old man said. “I feel confident today.“
“So do I,“ the boy said. “Now I must get your sardines and mine and your fresh baits. He brings our gear himself. He never wants anyone to carry anything.“
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168
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“我们可不同,”老人说。“你还只五岁时我就让你帮忙拿东西来着。”
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168
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“We’re different,“ the old man said. “I let you carry things when you were five years old.“
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169
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“我记得,”孩子说。“我马上就回来。再喝杯咖啡吧。我们在这儿可以挂帐。”
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169
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“I know it,“ the boy said. “I’ll be right back. Have another coffee. We have credit here.“
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170
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他走了,光着脚在珊瑚石铺的走道上向保藏鱼铒的冷藏库走去。
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170
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He walked off, bare-footed on the coral rocks, to the ice house where the baits were stored.
The old man drank his coffee slowly. It was all he would have all day and he knew that he should take it. For a long time now eating had bored him and he never carried a lunch. He had a bottle of water in the bow of the skiff and that was all he needed fo r the day.
The boy was back now with the sardines and the two baits wrapped in a newspaper and they went down the trail to the skiff, feeling the pebbled sand under their feet, and lifted the skiff and slid her into the water.
“Good luck,“ the old man said. He fitted the rope lashings of the oars onto the thole pins and, leaning forward against the thrust of the blades in the water, he began to row out of the harbour in the dark. There were other boats from the other beaches go ing out to sea and the old man heard the dip and push of their oars even though he could not see them now the moon was below the hills.