"Your stew is excellent," the old man said.

“你的炖菜味道真好，”老头儿说。

"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."

“我像你这么大的年纪，正在开到非洲去的一只装横帆的船上当水手，我还看见过傍晚到海滩上来的狮子呢。”

"I know. You told me."

“我晓得。你对我讲过。”

"And the best fisherman is you."

“不过，要说打鱼，最了不起的还得数你。”

"No. I know others better."

“不，比我好的人多着呢。”

"Que Va," the boy said. "There are many good fishermen and some great ones. But there is only you."

“怎么，”孩子说。“会打鱼的很多，打鱼的能手也不少。可是最了不起的只有你一个。”

“谢谢你。你的话叫我听了真高兴。我希望跑来的鱼不要大得叫我们对付不了就得了。”

"There is no such fish if you are still strong as you say."

“不会有这样的鱼，只要你身上的劲儿还能像你讲的那样大。”

"I may not be as strong as I think," the old man said. "But I know many tricks and I have resolution."

“也许我的身子没有我想的那样壮，”老头儿说。“可是我懂得好多诀窍，我也有决心。”

"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."

“你应该上床去睡啦，这样明天你才有气力。我也要把东西拿回海滨酒店去了。”

"Good night then. I will wake you in the morning."

“那么祝你晚安，明早我来叫醒你。”

"You're my alarm clock," the boy said.

“你真是我的闹钟啊，”孩子说。

"Age is my alarm clock," the old man said. "Why do old men wake so early? Is it to have one longer day?"

“年岁是我的闹钟，”老头儿说。“为什么上了年纪的人醒的这么早呢?为了要过一个长些的日子吗?”

"I don't know," the boy said. "All I know is that young boys sleep late and hard."

“我不晓得，”孩子说。“我只晓得孩子们爱睡懒觉，睡不醒。”

"I can remember it," the old man said. "I'll waken you in time."

“我会记得的，”老头儿说。“到时候我去喊醒你得了。”

"Sleep well, old man."

“好好睡吧，老大爷。”

The boy went out.

孩子去了。

They had eaten with no light on the table and the old man took off his trousers and went to bed in the dark.

他俩吃饭的时候，桌上连个灯也没有，孩子走开以后，老头儿脱掉裤子，摸黑上了床。

He rolled his trousers up to make a pillow, putting the newspaper inside them.

他把裤子卷成枕头，把那张报纸塞到里边，

He rolled himself in the blanket and slept on the other old newspapers that covered the springs of the bed.

然后用军毯裹住身子，睡在铺在破床的弹簧上面的旧报纸上。

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.

他不久就睡去，梦见了他儿童时代所看到的非洲，迤长的金黄色海滩和白得刺眼的海滩，高耸的海岬和褐色的大山。

He lived along that coast now every night and in his dreams he heard the surf roar and saw the native boats come riding through it.

现在他每晚住在海边，在梦中听到了海潮的怒号，看见了本地的小船从海潮中穿梭来去。

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.

睡着的时候，他闻到了甲板上柏油和填絮的味道，闻到了地面上的风在早晨送来的非洲的气息。

Usually when he smelled the land breeze he woke up and dressed to go and wake the boy.

通常，一闻到地面上吹来的风，他就醒来，穿上衣服，前去把孩子叫醒。

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 from the sea and then he dreamed of the different harbours and roadsteads of the Canary Islands.

但是今晚地面上的风吹来的很早，他在梦里知道时间太早了，因此继续做梦下去，梦见了从海上崛起的白茫茫的岛顶，梦见了加那利群岛的各个港口和抛锚的地方。

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.

他不再梦见风涛，不再梦见女人，不再梦见惊人的遭遇，不再梦见大鱼、搏斗、角力，也不再梦见他的妻子。

He only dreamed of places now and of the lions on the beach.

他现在只是梦见一些地方和海滩上的狮子。

They played like young cats in the dusk and he loved them as he loved the boy.

它们跟小猫一样在幽暗的黄昏中嬉戏，他爱它们像爱那个孩子。

He never dreamed about the boy.

他从来没有梦见过那个孩子。

He simply woke, looked out the open door at the moon and unrolled his trousers and put them on.

他就那样醒了过来，望一望敞开的门外面的月亮，把当枕头用的裤子展开，穿上，

He urinated outside the shack and then went up the road to wake the boy.

然后走到茅棚外面去小便，就顺着大路走去把孩子叫醒。

He was shivering with the morning cold.

早晨的寒气使他冷得发抖。

But he knew he would shiver himself warm and that soon he would be rowing.

但是他知道打过抖身上就会暖和些，而且马上他就要把船划到海里去了。