译读经典 | 老人与海(十三):终于钓到了一条鱼,虽然只是一条小金枪鱼

继昨天的僧帽水母和大海龟之后,今天我们迎来了一条小金枪鱼。是的,老人终于钓到了一条鱼,虽然不大,但至少也是一条好鱼饵,是个好兆头!

单词卡

grippe          [grɪp]n.  流行性感冒

panic            ['pænɪk]     n.  恐慌

commence   [kə'mens]   v.  开始

steer             [stɪə]          v.  掌舵

myriad          ['mɪrɪəd]     n. 无数

annul           [ə'nʌl]          v.  废除

01  海龟蛋和鲨鱼肝油

He had no mysticism about turtles although he had gone in turtle boats for many years. He was sorry for them all, even the great trunk backs that were as long as the skiff and weighed a ton. Most people are heartless about turtles because a turtle's heart will beat for hours after he has been cut up and butchered. But the old man thought, I have such a heart too and my feet and hands are like theirs. He ate the white eggs to give himself strength. He ate them all through May to be strong in September and October for the truly big fish.

He also drank a cup of shark liver oil each day from the big drum in the shack where many of the fishermen kept their gear. It was there for all fishermen who wanted it. Most fishermen hated the taste. But it was no worse than getting up at the hours that they rose and it was very good against all colds and grippes and it was good for the eyes.

Now the old man looked up and saw that the bird was circling again.

厘米译

尽管他在船上捕龟多年,但他觉得海龟并不神秘。

(He had no mysticism about turtles although he had gone in turtle boats for many years. 翻译的时候对这句话有一点困惑:既然捕龟多年,对海龟没有神秘感,应该是很自然的一件事,为什么海明威要用“although”来转折呢?这背后有什么文化背景吗?如果有了解的朋友,可以说明一下。)

他同情所有海龟,甚至包括那些大梭龟,它们和小船一样长,重达一吨。大部分人对海龟都是残忍无情的。被剖开、宰杀之后,海龟的心脏还会继续跳动好几个小时。不过,老人觉得,我也有这样一颗心脏,我的手、脚也和它们的一样。他吃白色的海龟蛋,让自己更有力气。他五月份整整吃了一个月的海龟蛋,就是为了在九月和十月,有力气对付真正的大鱼。

他每天还要喝上一杯鲨鱼肝油,鲨鱼肝油放在一个小屋的大桶里,很多渔民把渔具收在小屋那儿。所有想喝鲨鱼肝油的渔民都可以去那儿喝。大部分渔民讨厌这个味道,但其实它的滋味儿并不比摸黑早起更让人难受,而且,它还能防治各种伤风感冒,对眼睛也有好处。

这时,老人抬头看去,那只军舰鸟又在盘旋了。

02  小金枪鱼

"He's found fish," he said aloud. No flying fish broke the surface and there was no scattering of bait fish. But as the old man watched, a small tuna rose in the air, turned and dropped head first into the water. The tuna shone silver in the sun and after he had dropped back into the water another and another rose and they were jumping in all directions, churning the water and leaping in long jumps after the bait. They were circling it and driving it.

If they don't travel too fast I will get into them, the old man thought, and he watched the school working the water white and the bird now dropping and dipping into the bait fish that were forced to the surface in their panic.

"The bird is a great help," the old man said. Just then the stern line came taut under his foot, where he had kept a loop of the line, and he dropped his oars and felt the weight of the small tuna's shivering pull as he held the line firm and commenced to haul it in. The shivering increased as he pulled in and he could see the blue back of the fish in the water and the gold of his sides before he swung him over the side and into the boat. He lay in the stern in the sun, compact and bullet shaped, his big, unintelligent eyes staring as he thumped his life out against the planking of the boat with the quick shivering strokes of his neat, fast-moving tail. The old man hit him on the head for kindness and kicked him, his body still shuddering, under the shade of the stern.

厘米译

“它抓到鱼了。”老人出声说。没有飞鱼破水而出,也没有四处逃窜的小鱼。不过,正当老人查看时,一条小金枪鱼腾空而起,身子一转,头朝下掉入水中。金枪鱼在阳光下闪着银光,它一落水,另外的金枪鱼就一只只跳了出来,它们向四面八方跳来跳去,搅动起水花,奋力跟在小鱼后面。它们围着它转,追赶着它。

“要是它们没有游得这么快,我就可以划到它们中间去。”老人想。他看着鱼群把海水搅成白色,这时,那只鸟儿冲下来,扎进惊慌中被挤到海面上的鱼群里。

“这只鸟帮了大忙。”老人说。就在这时,船尾的钓绳在脚下绷紧了,他之前在脚上绕了一圈。他放下桨,紧紧抓住钓绳,开始往回拉,他感觉到小金枪鱼在颤抖,有点儿分量。他越往回拉,就抖得越厉害。透过海水,他看见了鱼的蓝色背脊和金色侧边,接着,老人把鱼甩了起来,越过船舷,拖到船中。鱼躺在船尾的阳光里,身子紧实,浑身就像一颗子弹。它瞪着一双大而无神的眼睛,快速抖动着它匀称灵活的尾巴,拼了命地拍打船板。老人出于好意,打了一下它的头,把它踢到了船尾的阴凉处,鱼身还在颤抖着。

单词精讲:shape

He lay in the stern in the sun, compact and bullet shaped, his big, unintelligent eyes staring as he thumped his life out against the planking of the boat with the quick shivering strokes of his neat, fast-moving tail.  

shape   [ʃep]  

a kidney-shaped swimming-pool 

肾形的游泳池 

shape,我们都知道,可以用作名词,表示“形状”:

The picture is round in shape. 

这幅画是圆形的。

《老人与海》中,“bullet shaped”很明显是个动词,怎么理解呢?——具有某形状的。“bullet shaped”就是指“具有子弹那样的形状”。

做动词的shape,核心意思和“形状”是分不开的,可以简单理解成“做成……形状”,具体到语境中,又有不同的搭配和翻译。

(1)一些具体可塑形的事物,比如沙子、黏土、橡皮泥之类,都可以和shape搭配:

shape the sand into a mound 

把沙子堆成小丘

(2)谁说只有具体的事物可以被塑形?从某种意义来说,每个人、每件事的发展,不也是一种“塑形”吗?当某一个关键时刻到来时,我们就说它shape 了这个人或者这件事。这时,shape可以翻译成“对……有重大影响”:

These events helped to shape her future career.

这些事促成了她后来从事的事业。

此外,当我们想说某件事发展或进展顺利时,也可以用shape:

Our plans are shaping (up) well.

我们的计划进展顺利。

以上这些,你都记好了吗?

(例句出自牛津高阶英汉双解词典)


    海明威你从一个地方跑到另一个地方,但你还是你。你没法从自己的身体里面逃出去。

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