The Old Man and the Sea (Excerpt)《老人與海》（節(jié)選）

歐內(nèi)斯特·海明威

The shark was not an accident. He had come up from deep down in the water as the dark cloud of blood had settled and dispersed in the mile deep sea. He had come up so fast and absolutely without caution that he broke the surface of the blue water and was in the sun. Then he fell back into the sea and picked up the scent and started swimming on the course the skiff and the fish had taken.

Sometimes he lost the scent. But he would pick it up again， or just have a trace of it， and he swam fast and hard on the course. He was a very big Mako shark1 built to swim as fast as the fastest fish in the sea and everything about him was beautiful except his jaws. His back was as blue as a sword fish’s and his belly was silver and his hide was smooth and handsome. He was built as a sword fish except for his huge jaws which were tight shut now as he swam fast， just under the surface with his high dorsal fin knifing through the water without wavering. Inside the closed double lip of his jaws all of his eight rows of teeth were slanted inwards. They were not the ordinary pyramid-shaped teeth of most sharks. They were shaped like a man’s fingers when they are crisped like claws. They were nearly as long as the fingers of the old man and they had razor-sharp cutting edges on both sides. This was a fish built to feed on all the fishes in the sea， that were so fast and strong and well armed that they had no other enemy. Now he speeded up as he smelled the fresher scent and his blue dorsal fin cut the water.

When the old man saw him coming he knew that this was a shark that had no fear at all and would do exactly what he wished. He prepared the harpoon and made the rope fast while he watched the shark come on. The rope was short as it lacked what he had cut away to lash the fish.

The old man’s head was clear and good now and he was full of resolution but he had little hope. It was too good to last， he thought. He took one look at the great fish as he watched the shark close in. He might as well have been a dream， he thought2. I cannot keep him from hitting me but maybe I can get him. Dentuso3， he thought. Bad luck to your mother.

The shark closed fast astern and when he hit the fish the old man saw his mouth open and his strange eyes and the clicking chop of the teeth as he drove forward in the meat just above the tail. The shark’s head was out of water and his back was coming out and the old man could hear the noise of skin and flesh ripping on the big fish when he rammed the harpoon down onto the shark’s head at a spot where the line between his eyes intersected with the line that ran straight back from his nose. There were no such lines. There was only the heavy sharp blue head and the big eyes and the clicking， thrusting all-swallowing jaws. But that was the location of the brain and the old man hit it. He hit it with his blood mushed hands driving a good harpoon with all his strength. He hit it without hope but with resolution and complete malignancy.

The shark swung over and the old man saw his eye was not alive and then he swung over once again， wrapping himself in two loops of the rope. The old man knew that he was dead but the shark would not accept it. Then， on his back， with his tail lashing and his jaws clicking， the shark plowed over the water as a speed-boat does. The water was white where his tail beat it and three quarters of his body was clear above the water when the rope came taut， shivered， and then snapped. The shark lay quietly for a little while on the surface and the old man watched him. Then he went down very slowly.

“He took about forty pounds，” the old man said aloud. He took my harpoon too and all the rope， he thought， and now my fish bleeds again and there will be others.

He did not like to look at the fish anymore since he had been mutilated. When the fish had been hit it was as though he himself were hit.

But I killed the shark that hit my fish， he thought. And he was the biggest dentuso that I have ever seen. And God knows that I have seen big ones.

It was too good to last， he thought. I wish it had been a dream now and that I had never hooked the fish and was alone in bed on the newspapers.

“But man is not made for defeat，” he said. “A man can be destroyed but not defeated.”4 I am sorry that I killed the fish though， he thought. Now the bad time is coming and I do not even have the harpoon. The dentuso is cruel and able and strong and intelligent. But I was more intelligent than he was. Perhaps not， he thought. Perhaps I was only better armed.

“Don’t think， old man，” he said aloud. “Sail on this course and take it when it comes.”

But I must think， he thought. Because it is all I have left. That and baseball. I wonder how the great DiMaggio5 would have liked the way I hit him in the brain？ It was no great thing， he thought. Any man could do it. But do you think my hands were as great a handicap as the bone spurs？ I cannot know. I never had anything wrong with my heel except the time the sting ray stung it when I stepped on him when swimming and paralyzed the lower leg and made the unbearable pain.

“Think about something cheerful， old man，” he said. “Every minute now you are closer to home. You sail lighter for the loss of forty pounds.”

He knew quite well the pattern of what could happen when he reached the inner part of the current. But there was nothing to be done now.

“Yes there is，” he said aloud. “I can lash my knife to the butt of one of the oars.”

So he did that with the tiller under his arm and the sheet of the sail under his foot.

“Now，” he said， “I am still an old man. But I am not unarmed.”

The breeze was fresh now and he sailed on well. He watched only the forward part of the fish and some of his hope returned.

It is silly not to hope， he thought.

這條鯊魚(yú)的出現(xiàn)不是偶然的。當(dāng)一大片暗黑色的血在一英里深的海里下沉、擴(kuò)散的時(shí)候，它就從深水底下躥上來(lái)了。它躥得很快，完全無(wú)所顧忌，嘩的一聲沖出藍(lán)色的水面，來(lái)到了陽(yáng)光里。接著它又落進(jìn)海里，嗅到了臭跡，就順著船和魚(yú)所走的路線游來(lái)。

有時(shí)候它迷失了那臭跡。但是它總會(huì)重新嗅到，或者只嗅到一點(diǎn)點(diǎn)臭跡，然后就迅疾地緊追上去。這是一條巨大的灰鯖鯊，天生就能游得跟海里最快的魚(yú)一樣快，渾身除了上下顎以外，處處都很優(yōu)美。它的背像劍魚(yú)的一樣藍(lán)，肚子是銀白色的，皮又光滑又漂亮。它長(zhǎng)得像劍魚(yú)一樣，所不同的是它那巨大的兩顎，眼下它就在水面下迅疾地游著，雙顎緊閉，高聳的背鰭像刀子一般劃破水面，絲毫也不晃動(dòng)。在它緊閉的雙唇里，八排牙齒全都向內(nèi)傾斜。跟大多數(shù)鯊魚(yú)不同，它的牙齒不是角錐形的。從形狀來(lái)看，這些牙就像人蜷成爪狀的手指。它們幾乎跟老人的手指一樣長(zhǎng)，兩邊都有剃刀般鋒利的刃子。這種魚(yú)天生要吃海里所有的魚(yú)，盡管那些魚(yú)游得那么快，長(zhǎng)得那么壯，裝備那么齊全，以至于沒(méi)有任何別的對(duì)手。這時(shí)它嗅出了新的臭跡，加快游起來(lái)，藍(lán)色的背鰭劃開(kāi)了水面。

老人一見(jiàn)它來(lái)了，就知道它是一條毫不畏懼、為所欲為的鯊魚(yú)。他準(zhǔn)備好了魚(yú)叉，把繩子系緊，一面瞅著那鯊魚(yú)游向前來(lái)。繩子短了，缺了他割下用來(lái)綁?mèng)~的那一段。

這時(shí)老人的頭腦清醒好使，決心也大，但是不抱多少希望。好景不長(zhǎng)，他想。他瞅著鯊魚(yú)逼近的時(shí)候，望了望那條大魚(yú)。這是一場(chǎng)夢(mèng)就好了，他想。我沒(méi)法阻止它來(lái)襲擊我，但是也許我能弄死它。dentuso，他想。讓你媽倒霉去吧。

鯊魚(yú)飛速地逼近船尾，它襲擊大魚(yú)的時(shí)候，老人看見(jiàn)它張開(kāi)了嘴，一雙眼睛好奇異，牙齒咔嚓一聲朝魚(yú)尾上方的肉猛咬進(jìn)去。鯊魚(yú)的頭鉆出了水面，背也露出水來(lái)，老人聽(tīng)見(jiàn)鯊魚(yú)撕開(kāi)大魚(yú)皮肉的聲音，便用魚(yú)叉朝下猛地扎進(jìn)鯊魚(yú)的腦袋，正扎在兩眼之間的那條線和從鼻子筆直通到腦后的那條線的交叉點(diǎn)上。其實(shí)并不存在這兩條線。只有那又粗又尖的藍(lán)色腦袋，兩只大眼睛，和那咔嚓作響、伸得長(zhǎng)長(zhǎng)的、吞噬一切的兩顎。不過(guò)那正是腦子的所在，老人刺了個(gè)正著。他使出全身力氣，用沾滿鮮血的雙手，把一支鋒利的魚(yú)叉扎了進(jìn)去。他扎下去時(shí)并不抱什么希望，但是滿懷決心和狠毒。

鯊魚(yú)翻過(guò)身來(lái)，老人看出它的眼珠已經(jīng)沒(méi)有生氣了，接著它又翻了個(gè)身，身上纏了兩圈繩子。老人知道它沒(méi)命了，可鯊魚(yú)卻不肯認(rèn)輸。這時(shí)它肚皮朝上，尾巴噼里啪啦撲打著，兩顎發(fā)出咔嚓咔嚓的響聲，像快艇一樣劃破水面。海水被它的尾巴拍打起一片白浪，它身子的四分之三脫出了水面，這時(shí)繩子繃緊了，顫抖著，隨即啪地?cái)嗔?。鯊魚(yú)在水面上靜靜地躺了一會(huì)兒，老人瞅著它。然后它就慢慢沉下去了。

“它吃掉了大約四十磅肉?！崩先舜舐曊f(shuō)道。它把我的魚(yú)叉也帶走了，還有整條繩子，他想，而眼下我的魚(yú)又在淌血，還會(huì)有別的鯊魚(yú)來(lái)。

他不愿再看這條魚(yú)了，因?yàn)樗呀?jīng)給咬得殘缺不全了。魚(yú)遭到襲擊時(shí)，就好像他自己遭到了襲擊。

可是我把襲擊我這條魚(yú)的鯊魚(yú)給宰了，他想。它可是我見(jiàn)到過(guò)的最大的dentuso。天曉得我也見(jiàn)過(guò)不少大魚(yú)呢。

好景不長(zhǎng)，他想。但愿這是一場(chǎng)夢(mèng)，但愿我壓根兒沒(méi)釣到這條魚(yú)，正獨(dú)自墊著報(bào)紙?zhí)稍诖采稀?/p>

“不過(guò)人不是生來(lái)要給打敗的，”他說(shuō)，“人盡可被毀滅，但不可被打敗?！辈贿^(guò)我很難過(guò)，把這條魚(yú)給殺死了，他想?，F(xiàn)在倒霉的時(shí)刻快到了，可我連魚(yú)叉也沒(méi)有。這條dentuso又殘忍，又能干，又強(qiáng)壯，又聰明。但是我比它更聰明。也許不是這樣，他想。也許我僅僅是裝備比它強(qiáng)。

“別想啦，老家伙，”他大聲說(shuō)道，“順著這條航線行駛吧，有了事情就擔(dān)當(dāng)著?！?/p>

但是我一定要想，他想。因?yàn)槲抑皇Ｏ逻@件事可干了。這件事，還有棒球。不知道了不起的迪馬喬喜不喜歡我那樣扎中它的腦子？這不是什么了不起的事，他想。什么人都做得到。但是，你是不是認(rèn)為我的手像骨刺一樣給我招來(lái)很大的麻煩呢？我可說(shuō)不準(zhǔn)。我的腳后跟從沒(méi)出過(guò)毛病，只有一次游泳時(shí)踩在一條刺鰩上，腳后跟給扎了一下，小腿就麻木了，痛得受不了。

“想點(diǎn)愉快的事情吧，老家伙，”他說(shuō)，“每過(guò)一分鐘，你就離家近一點(diǎn)。丟了四十磅負(fù)重，船行駛起來(lái)就輕快些了?！?/p>

他很清楚，等他把船駛進(jìn)海流中間時(shí)，會(huì)出現(xiàn)什么情況?？墒茄巯乱稽c(diǎn)辦法也沒(méi)有。

“不，有辦法，”他大聲說(shuō)道，“我可以把刀子綁在一支槳柄上。”

于是他腋下夾著舵柄，一只腳踩住帆腳繩，把刀子綁在一支槳柄上。

“瞧，”他說(shuō)，“我依舊是個(gè)老頭。不過(guò)我不是手無(wú)寸鐵了。”

這時(shí)又刮起了清風(fēng)，船順利地往前駛著。他只管瞧著魚(yú)的前半身，又恢復(fù)了一點(diǎn)希望。

不抱希望才蠢哪，他想。