He took hold of the line carefully so that it did not fit into any of the fresh line cuts and shifted his weight so that he could put his left hand into the sea on the other side of the skiff.

他小心地攥着钓索，使它不致嵌进新勒破的任何一道伤痕，把身子挪到小船的另一边，这样他能把左手伸进海里。

"You did not do so badly for something worthless," he said to his left hand.

“你这没用的东西，总算干得还不坏，"他对他的左手说。

"But there was a moment when I could not find you."

“可是曾经有一会儿，我得不到你的帮助。”

Why was I not born with two good hands? he thought.

为什么我不生下来就有两只好手呢?他想。

Perhaps it was my fault in not training that one properly.

也许是我自己的过错，没有好好儿训练这只手。

But God knows he has had enough chances to learn.

可是天知道它曾有过够多的学习机会。

He did not do so badly in the night, though, and he has only cramped once.

然而它今天夜里干得还不错，仅仅抽了一回筋。

If he cramps again let the line cut him off.

要是它再抽筋，就让这钓索把它勒断吧。

When he thought that he knew that he was not being clear-headed and he thought he should chew some more of the dolphin.

他想到这里，明白自己的头脑不怎么清醒了，他想起应该再吃一点海豚。

But I can't, he told himself.

可是我不能，他对自己说。

It is better to be light-headed than to lose your strength from nausea.

情愿头昏目眩，也不能因恶心欲吐而丧失力气。

And I know I cannot keep it if I eat it since my face was in it.

我还知道吃了胃里也搁不住，因为我的脸曾经压在它上面。

I will keep it for an emergency until it goes bad.

我要把它留下以防万一，直到它腐臭了为止。

But it is too late to try for strength now through nourishment.

不过要想靠营养来增强力气，如今已经太晚了。

You're stupid, he told himself. Eat the other flying fish.

你真蠢，他对自己说。把另外那条飞鱼吃了吧。

It was there, cleaned and ready, and he picked it up with his left hand and ate it chewing the bones carefully and eating all of it down to the tail.

它就在那儿，已经洗干净，就可以吃了，他就用左手把它捡起，吃起来，细细咀嚼着鱼骨，从头到尾全都吃了。

It has more nourishment than almost any fish, he thought.

它几乎比什么鱼都更富有营养，他想。

At least the kind of strength that I need. Now I have done what I can, he thought.

至少能给我所需要的那种力气。

Now I have done what I can, he thought.

我如今已经做到了我能做到的一切，他想。

Let him begin to circle and let the fight come.

让这鱼打起转来，就来交锋吧。

The sun was rising for the third time since he had put to sea when the fish started to circle.

自从他出海以来，这是第三次出太阳，这时鱼打起转来了。

He could not see by the slant of the line that the fish was circling.

他根据钓索的斜度还看不出鱼在打转。

It was too early for that.

这为时尚早。

He just felt a faint slackening of the pressure of the line and he commenced to pull on it gently with his right hand.

他仅仅感觉到钓索上的拉力微微减少了一些，就开始用右手轻轻朝里拉。

It tightened, as always, but just when he reached the point where it would break, line began to come in.

钓索象往常那样绷紧了，可是拉到快迸断的当儿，却渐渐可以回收了。

He slipped his shoulders and head from under the line and began to pull in line steadily and gently.

他把钓索从肩膀和头上卸下来，动手平稳而和缓地回收钓索。

He used both of his hands in a swinging motion and tried to do the pulling as much as he could with his body and his legs.

他用两只手大幅度地一把把拉着，尽量使出全身和双腿的力气来拉。

His old legs and shoulders pivoted with the swinging of the pulling.

他一把把地拉着，两条老迈的腿儿和肩膀跟着转动。

"It is a very big circle," he said.

“这圈子可真大，"他说。

"But he is circling."

"它可总算在打转啦。”

Then the line would not come in anymore and he held it until he saw the drops jumping from it in the sun.

跟着的钓索就此收不回来了，他紧紧拉着，竟看见水珠儿在阳光里从钓索上迸出来。

Then it started out and the old man knelt down and let it go grudgingly back into the dark water.

随后钓索开始往外溜了，老人跪下了，不情愿地让它又回到深暗的水中。

"He is making the far part of his circle now," he said.

“它正绕到圈子的对面去了，"他说。

I must hold all I can, he thought. The strain will shorten his circle each time.

我一定要拚命拉紧，他想。拉紧了，它兜的圈子就会一次比一次小。

Perhaps in an hour I will see him.

也许一个钟点内我就能见到它。

Now I must convince him and then I must kill him.

我眼下一定要稳住它，过后我一定要弄死它。

But the fish kept on circling slowly and the old man was wet with sweat and tired deep into his bones two hours later.

但是这鱼只顾慢慢地打着转，两小时后，老人浑身汗湿，疲乏得入骨了。

But the circles were much shorter now and from the way the line slanted he could tell the fish had risen steadily while he swam.

不过这时圈子已经小得多了，而且根据钓索的斜度，他能看出鱼一边游一边在不断地上升。