He woke with the jerk of his right fist coming up against his face and the line burning out through his right hand. He had no feeling of his left hand but he braked all he could with his right and the line rushed out. Finally his left hand found the line and he leaned back against the line and now it burned his back and his left hand, and his left hand was taking all the strain and cutting badly. He looked back at the coils of line and they were feeding smoothly. Just then the fish jumped making a great bursting of the ocean and then a heavy fall. Then he jumped again and again and the boat was going fast although line was still racing out and the old man was raising the strain to breaking point and raising it to breaking point again and again. He had been pulled down tight onto the bow and his face was in the cut slice of dolphin and he could not move.

　　他的右拳猛的朝他的脸撞去，钓索火辣辣地从他右手里溜出去，他惊醒过来了。他的左手失去了知觉，他就用右手拚命拉住了钓索，但它还是一个劲儿地朝外溜。他的左手终于抓住了钓索，他仰着身子把钓索朝后拉，这一来钓索火辣辣地勒着他的背脊和左手，这左手承受了全部的拉力，给勒得好痛。他回头望望那些钓索卷儿，它们正在滑溜地放出钓索。正在这当儿，鱼跳起来了，使海面大大地迸裂开来，然后沉重地掉下去。接着它跳了一次又一次，船走得很快，然而钓索依旧飞也似地向外溜，老人把它拉紧到就快绷断的程度，他一次次把它拉紧到就快绷断的程度。他被拉得紧靠在船头上，脸庞贴在那爿切下的鲯鳅肉上，他没法动弹。

　　This is what we waited for, he thought. So now let us take it.

　　我们等着的事儿发生啦，他想。我们来对付它吧。

　　Make him pay for the line, he thought. Make him pay for it.

　　让它为了拖钓索付出代价吧，他想。让它为了这个付出代价吧。

　　He could not see the fish‘s jumps but only heard the breaking of the ocean and the heavy splash as he fell. The speed of the line was cutting his hands badly but he had always known this would happen and he tried to keep the cutting across the calloused parts and not let the line slip into the palm nor cut the fingers.

　　他看不见鱼的跳跃，只听得见海面的迸裂声，和鱼掉下时沉重的水花飞溅声。飞快地朝外溜的钓索把他的手勒得好痛，但是他一直知道这事迟早会发生，就设法让钓索勒在起老茧的部位，不让它滑到掌心或者勒在手指头上。

　　If the boy was here he would wet the coils of line, he thought. Yes. If the boy were here. If the boy were here.

　　如果那孩子在这儿，他会用水打湿这些钓索卷儿，他想。是啊。如果孩子在这儿。如果孩子在这儿。

　　The line went out and out and out but it was slowing now and he was making the fish earn each inch of it. Now he got his head up from the wood and out of the slice of fish that his cheek had crushed. Then he was on his knees and then he rose slowly to his feet. He was ceding line but more slowly all he time. He worked back to where he could feel with his foot the coils of line that he could not see. There was plenty of line still and now the fish had to pull the friction of all that new line through the water.

　　钓索朝外溜着，溜着，溜着，不过这时越来越慢了，他正在让鱼每拖走一英寸都得付出代价。现在他从木船板上抬起头来，不再贴在那爿被他脸颊压烂的鱼肉上了。然后他跪着，然后慢慢儿站起身来。他正在放出钓索，然而越来越慢了。他把身子慢慢挪到可以用脚碰到那一卷卷他看不见的钓索的地方。钓索还有很多，现在这鱼不得不在水里拖着这许多摩擦力大的新钓索了。

　　Yes, he thought. And now he has jumped more than a dozen times and filled the sacks along his back with air and he cannot go down deep to die where I cannot bring him up. He will start circling soon and then I must work on him. I wonder what started him so suddenly? Could it have been hunger that made him desperate, or was he frightened by something in the night? Maybe he suddenly felt fear. But he was such a calm, strong fish and he seemed so fearless and so confident. It is strange.

　　是啊，他想。到这时它已经跳了不止十二次，把沿着背脊的那些液囊装满了空气，所以没法沉到深水中，在那儿死去，使我没法把它捞上来。它不久就会转起圈子来，那时我一定想法对付它。不知道它怎么会这么突然地跳起来的。敢情饥饿使它不顾死活了，还是在夜间被什么东西吓着了？也许它突然感到害怕了。不过它是一条那样沉着、健壮的鱼，似乎是毫无畏惧而信心十足的。这很奇怪。

　　"You better be fearless and confident yourself, old man," he said. "You‘re holding him again but you cannot get line. But soon he has to circle."

　　“你最好自己也毫无畏惧而信心十足，老家伙，”他说。“你又把它拖住了，可是你没法收回钓索。不过它马上就得打转了。”

　　The old man held him with his left hand and his shoulders now and stooped down and scooped up water in his right hand to get the crushed dolphin flesh off of his face. He was afraid that it might nauseate him and he would vomit and lose his strength. When his face was cleaned he washed his right hand in the water over the side and then let it stay in the salt water while he watched the first light come before the sunrise. He‘s headed almost east, he thought. That means he is tired and going with the current. Soon he will have to circle. Then our true work begins.

　　老人这时用他的左手和肩膀拽住了它，弯下身去，用右手舀水洗掉粘在脸上的压烂的鲯鳅肉。他怕这肉会使他恶心，弄得他呕吐，丧失力气。擦干净了脸，他把右手在船舷外的水里洗洗，然后让它泡在这盐水里，一面注视着日出前的第一线曙光。它几乎是朝正东方走的，他想。这表明它疲乏了，随着潮流走。它马上就得打转了。那时我们才真正开始干啦。

　　After he judged that his right hand had been in the water long enough he took it out and looked at it.

　　等他觉得把右手在水里泡的时间够长了，他把它拿出水来，朝它瞧着。

　　"It is not bad," he said. "And pain does not matter to a man."

　　“情况不坏，”他说。“疼痛对一条汉子来说，算不上什么。”

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

　　“你这没用的东西，总算干得还不坏，”他对他的左手说。“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. Perhaps it was my fault in not training that one properly. But God knows he has had enough chances to learn. He did not do so badly in the night, though, and he has only cramped once. If he cramps again let the line cut him off.

　　为什么我不生下来就有两只好手呢？他想。也许是我自己的过错，没有好好儿训练这只手。可是天知道它曾有过够多的学习机会。然而它今天夜里干得还不错，仅仅抽了一回筋。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. But I can‘t, he told himself. It is better to be light-headed than to lose your strength from nausea. And I know I cannot keep it if I eat it since my face was in it. I will keep it for an emergency until it goes bad. But it is too late to try for strength now through nourishment. You‘re stupid, he told himself. Eat the other flying fish.

　　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鲯鳅。可是我不能，他对自己说。情愿头昏目眩，也不能因恶心欲吐而丧失力气。我还知道吃了胃里也搁不住，因为我的脸曾经压在它上面。我要把它留下以防万一，直到它腐臭了为止。不过要想靠营养来增强力气，如今已经太晚了。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. At least the kind of strength that I need. Now I have done what I can, he thought. Let him begin to circle and let the fight come.

　　它几乎比什么鱼都更富有营养，他想。至少能给我所需要的那种力气。我如今已经做到了我能做到的一切，他想。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。