双语美文之似水流年 （88）老人与海(1)
He did not remember when he had first started to talk aloud when he was by himself. He had sung when he was by himself in the old days and he had sung at night sometimes when he was alone steering on his watch in the smacks or in the turtle boats. He had probably started to talk aloud, when alone, when the boy had left. But he did not remember. When he and the boy fished together they usually spoke only when it was necessary. They talked at night or when they were storm-bound by bad weather. It was considered a virtue not to talk unnecessarily at sea and the old man had always considered it so and respected it. But now he said his thoughts aloud many times since there was no one that they could annoy.
他记不起他是什么时候第一次开始在独自待着的当儿自言自语的了。往年他独自待着时曾唱歌来着，有时候在夜里唱，那是在小渔船或捕海龟的小艇上值班掌舵时的事。他大概是在那孩子离开了他、他独自待着时开始自言自语的。不过他记不清了。他跟孩子一块儿捕鱼时，他们一般只在有必要时才说话。他们在夜间说话来着，要不，碰到坏天气，被暴风雨困在海上的时候。没有必要不在海上说话，被认为是种好规矩，老人一向认为的确如此，始终遵守它。可是这会儿他把心里想说的话说出声来有好几次了，因为没有旁人会受到他说话的打扰。
“If the others heard me talking out loud they would think that I am crazy,” he said aloud. “But since I am not crazy, I do not care. And the rich have radios to talk to them in their boats and to bring them the baseball.”
“要是别人听到我在自言自语，会当我发疯了，”他说出声来。“不过既然我没有发疯，我就不管，还是要说。有钱人在船上有收音机对他们谈话，还把棒球赛的消息告诉他们。”
Now is no time to think baseball, he thought. Now is the time to think of only one thing. That which I was born for. There might be a big one around that school, he thought. I picked up only a straggler from the albacore that were feeding. But they are working far out and fast. Everything that shows on the surface today travels very fast and to the north-east. Can that be the time of day? Or is it some sign of weather that I do not know?
现在可不是思量棒球赛的时刻，他想。现在只应该思量一桩事。就是我生来要干的那桩事。那个鱼群周围很可能有一条大的，他想。我只逮住了正在吃小鱼的金枪鱼群中一条失散的。可是它们正游向远方，游得很快。今天凡是在海面上露面的都游得很快，向着东北方向。难道一天的这个时辰该如此吗？要不，这是什么我不懂得的天气征兆？
欧内斯特·米勒尔·海明威
美国作家和记者，被认为是20世纪最著名的小说家之一。出生于美国伊利诺伊州芝加哥市郊区的奥克帕克，晚年在爱达荷州凯彻姆的家中自杀身亡。海明威一生中的感情错综复杂，先后结过四次婚，是美国“迷惘的一代”（Lost Generation）作家中的代表人物，作品中对人生、世界、社会都表现出了迷茫和彷徨。
在海明威一生之中曾荣获不少奖项。他在第一次世界大战期间被授予银制勇敢勋章;1953年，他以《老人与海》一书获得普利策奖[4] ；1954年，《老人与海》又为海明威夺得诺贝尔文学奖。2001年，海明威的《太阳照样升起》（The Sun Also Rises）与《永别了，武器》两部作品被美国现代图书馆列入“20世纪中的100部最佳英文小说”中。
海明威一向以文坛硬汉著称，他是美利坚民族的精神丰碑。海明威的作品标志着他独特创作风格的形成，在美国文学史乃至世界文学史上都占有重要地位。
1.smack v. 掴；用掌击
I don’t smack them, but I sometimes think I should, because the elder two have so much attitude.
我不打他们，但有时我真觉得我该打他们，因为那两个大的非常不听管教。
I focus totally on human responses to things; if you smack someone in the face, what would they do?
我关注的完全是人类对事物的反应；如果你掴了某人一巴掌，他们会怎么办？
2.fathom n. 英寻
It is, in general, hard to fathom what he sees or thinks, which is both the point and a bit of a problem.
总之，很难参透他到底在看什么或是想什么，这既是影片的重点却也带来一点问题。
If that’s tough to fathom, consider one of the features already built into the device. Say the wearer goes to the grocery store and picks up a box of cereal from the shelf.
如果这样很难彻底了解，那么请设想一下这套装置已有的一种功能——我们说如果一个使用者到食品店买东西，他从架子上挑了一盒谷类食品。
3.coil n. 线圈；卷
The burnt coil should be renewed.
烧穿的线圈应换新的。
Boil the oil soiled by the coil in the toilet lest it spoil.
把被盥洗室里的线圈弄脏的油煮开,免得它变质。
4.skiff n. 小艇；小型帆船
First we have the “Pilot of some small night-founder’d Skiff,” and the pilot stands ab extra, from outside, in the simile.
首先我们有这句“迷茫深夜中，轻舟的导航人“,并且这个导航人在明喻中，体现为从诗句之外向内眺望。
All lights were out when he sailed into the little harbor and beached his skiff.
当他划进小港，让小船冲上沙滩时，岸上的灯火都已灭了。