Come on, he thought and looked down into the dark water at the slant of the line.

“快点，”他想，同时朝漆黑的水里望着斜斜的钓丝。

Eat it now and it will strengthen the hand.

“马上把它吃掉，手上的力气就会大起来。

It is not the hand's fault and you have been many hours with the fish.

也难怪这只手，你跟大鱼在一起好些钟头了，

But you can stay with him forever.

而且你还会永远和它待下去。

Eat the bonito now.

马上把金枪鱼吃掉吧。”

He picked up a piece and put it in his mouth and chewed it slowly.

他拿起了一块鱼肉，把它放进嘴里，慢慢儿嚼下去。

“手啊，你觉得怎样呢?”他问那只僵硬得几乎跟死尸一样的抽筋的手。

"I'll eat some more for you.”

“我要替你多吃一点儿。”

He ate the other part of the piece that he had cut in two.

他把被他切成两片的那块肉的另外一片也吃了下去。

He chewed it carefully and then spat out the skin.

他细细地嚼着，然后把皮吐出来。

"How does it go, hand? Or is it too early to know?"

“怎么样，手?是不是现在还不能知道呢?

He took another full piece and chewed it.

他又拿过整整的一块鱼肉，嚼着。

"It is a strong full-blooded fish," he thought.

“这是一条肉很壮、血很旺的鱼，”他想。

"I was lucky to get him instead of dolphin. Dolphin is too sweet. This is hardly sweet at all and all the strength is still in it."

“我幸而捉到的是它，不是海豚。海豚太好吃啦。这条鱼简直不好吃，可是吃下去就有力量。”

There is no sense in being anything but practical though, he thought.

他想：话又说回来，专讲究实惠真没意思。

I wish I had some salt.

我还盼望能够有点儿盐呢。

And I do not know whether the sun will rot or dry what is left, so I had better eat it all although I am not hungry.

我不知道太阳会不会把剩下的鱼肉都给晒坏了，晒干了，所以倒不如把它统统吃下去，虽然我现在不饿。

The fish is calm and steady.

那条鱼现在挺从容，挺自在的。

I will eat it all and then I will be ready.

我一定要把剩下来的肉统统吃掉，然后我就有力气对付它了。

"Be patient, hand," he said. "I do this for you."

“手，忍耐些吧，”他说，“我是为了你才吃东西的。”

I wish I could feed the fish, he thought.

他想：我希望能够把那条鱼也给喂一喂。

He is my brother.

它是我的兄弟啊。

But I must kill him and keep strong to do it.

可是我一定得把它杀死，而且我一定得有力气去杀死它。

Slowly and conscientiously he ate all of the wedge-shaped strips of fish.

他慢慢地、心安理得地把所有楔形条子的鱼肉都吃了下去。

He straightened up, wiping his hand on his trousers.

他伸直了腰，在裤子上擦了一擦手。

"Now," he said.

“喂，”他叫了一声。

"You can let the cord go, hand, and I will handle him with the right arm alone until you stop that nonsense."

“手，你别管钓丝啦，当你还在抽筋的时候，我会单独用右胳膊去对付它的。”

He put his left foot on the heavy line that the left hand had held and lay back against the pull against his back.

他用左脚踩住原先拿在左手里的沉甸甸的钓丝，把身子仰到后面去撑住压在他脊梁上的拉力。

"God help me to have the cramp go," he said.

“上帝帮助我，让我手上的抽筋好了吧，”他说。

"Because I do not know what the fish is going to do."

“因为我不知道大鱼还要干什么。”

But he seems calm, he thought, and following his plan.

他想：可是它似乎从容不迫，并且还在照着它的计划做去。

But what is his plan, he thought.

他想：它的计划是什么?

And what is mine?

我的计划又是什么呢?

Mine I must improvise to his because of his great size.

因为它的身子太大，我必须赶紧做出我的计划来对付它的计划。

If he will jump I can kill him.

它要跳，我就可以杀死它。

But he stays down forever. Then I will stay down with him forever.

可是看光景它会永远这样待下去了，我也只好跟它一道儿永远这样待下去。