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quot;God let him jump," the old man said. "I have enough line to handle him."
Содержание книги
- А у нас с тобой не так. Я давал тебе таскать снасти чуть не с пяти лет.
- Ряя за пищей и перекликаясь слабыми, печальными голосами, - они слишком хрупки для него".
- The sun was two hours higher now and it did not hurt his eyes so much to look into the east. There were only three boats in sight now and they showed very low and far inshore.
- Just then he saw a man-of-war bird with his long black wings circling in the sky ahead of him. He made a quick drop, slanting down on his back-swept wings, and then circled again.
- Почуяла добычу, - сказал старик вслух. - Не просто кружит.
- Макрель, - громко произнес старик. - Крупная золотая макрель.
- Now the old man looked up and saw that the bird was circling again.
- quot;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
- Старик поглядел на небо и увидел, что фрегат снова закружил над морем.
- Нашел рыбу, - сказал он вслух.
- I could just drift, he thought, and sleep and put a bight of line around my toe to wake me. But today is eighty-five days and I should fish the day well.
- This far out, he must be huge in this month, he thought. Eat them, fish. Eat them. Please eat them.
- И Как раз в этот миг он заметил, Как одно из зеленых удилищ дрогнуло и пригнулось к воде.
- quot;He'll take it," the old man said aloud. "God help him to take it."
- quot;Eat it a little more," he said. "Eat it well."
- He held the line against his back and watched its slant in the water and the skiff moving steadily to the north-west.
- Клюнула, - сказал старик. - Пусть теперь поест как следует.
- quot;It was noon when I hooked him," he said. "And I have never seen him."
- Then he said aloud, "I wish I had the boy. To help me and to see this."
- Однако прошло четыре часа, рыба все так же неутомимо уходила в море, таща за собой лодку, А старик все так же сидел, упершись в банку, с натянутой за спиной лесой.
- Жаль, что со мной Нет мальчика. Он бы мне помог и увидел бы все это сам.
- That was the saddest thing I ever saw with them, the old man thought. The boy was sad too and we begged her pardon and butchered her promptly.
- Aloud he said, "I wish I had the boy."
- Quot;ни разу в море я не видал ничего печальнее, - подумал старик. - мальчику тоже стало грустно, и мы попросили у самки прощения и быстро разделали ее тушу".
- Рыба, - позвал он тихонько, - я с тобой не расстанусь, пока не умру.
- quot;God let him jump," the old man said. "I have enough line to handle him."
- The bird looked at him when he spoke. He was too tired even to examine the line and he teetered on it as his delicate feet gripped it fast.
- Чтобы хоть немножко согреться. "если она терпит, значит, и я стерплю".
- Рыба, - сказал он, - я тебя очень люблю и уважаю. Но я убью тебя прежде, чем настанет вечер.
- Худо тебе, рыба. - спросил он. - видит бог, мне и самому не легче.
- quot;What kind of a hand is that," he said. "Cramp then if you want. Make yourself into a claw. It will do you no good."
- Он поискал глазами птицу, потому что ему хотелось с кем-нибудь поговорить. Но птицы нигде не было.
- Старик чувствовал, Как сильно, не ослабевая, тянет большая рыба, А левую руку у него совсем свело. Она судорожно сжимала тяжелую веревку, и старик поглядел на нее с отвращением.
- Quot;следовало бы мне покормить и большую рыбу, - подумал он. - ведь она моя родня. Но я должен убить ее, А для этого мне нужны силы".
- He looked at the sky and saw the white cumulus built like friendly piles of ice cream and high above were the thin feathers of the cirrus against the high September sky.
- Ну вот, - сказал он. - теперь, рука, ты можешь отпустить лесу; я совладаю с ней одной правой рукой, покуда ты не перестанешь валять дурака.
- Он поглядел на небо и увидел белые кучевые облака, похожие на его любимое мороженое, А над ними, в высоком сентябрьском небе, прозрачные клочья перистых облаков.
- quot;Bad news for you, fish," he said and shifted the line over the sacks that covered his shoulders.
- He was comfortable but suffering, although he did not admit the suffering at all.
- Although it is unjust, he thought. But I will show him what a man can do and what a man endures.
- Двигалась по темной воде. Восточный ветер поднял небольшую волну.
- Я ведь говорил мальчику, что я не обыкновенный старик, - сказал он. - теперь пришла пора это доказать.
- quot;Unless sharks come," he said aloud. "If sharks come, God pity him and me."
- Quot;хотел бы я, чтобы она заснула, тогда и я смогу заснуть и увидеть во сне львов, - подумал он. - почему львы - это самое лучшее, что у меня осталось. "
- Да, если только не нападут Акулы, - сказал он вслух. - если нападут Акулы - помилуй господи и ее и меня.
- The sun will bake it out well now, he thought. It should not cramp on me again unless it gets too cold in the night. I wonder what this night will bring.
- An airplane passed overhead on its course to Miami and he watched its shadow scaring up the schools of flying fish.
- quot;He hasn't changed at all," he said. But watching the movement of the water against his hand he noted that it was perceptibly slower.
- Над головой у него прошел самолет, летевший в майами, и старик видел, Как тень самолета спугнула и подняла в воздух стаю летучих рыб.
- Все идет по-прежнему, - сказал он. Но, опустив руку в воду, он почувствовал, что движение лодки сильно замедлилось.
When the sun had risen further the old man realized that the fish was not tiring. There was only one favorable sign. The slant of the line showed he was swimming at a lesser depth. That did not necessarily mean that he would jump. But he might.
"God let him jump," the old man said. "I have enough line to handle him."
Maybe if I can increase the tension just a little it will hurt him and he will jump, he thought. Now that it is daylight let him jump so that he'll fill the sacks along his backbone with air and then he cannot go deep to die.
He tried to increase the tension, but the line had been taut up to the very edge of the breaking point since he had hooked the fish and he felt the harshness as he leaned back to pull and knew he could put no more strain on it. I must not jerk it ever, he thought. Each jerk widens the cut the hook makes and then when he does jump he might throw it. Anyway I feel better with the sun and for once I do not have to look into it.
There was yellow weed on the line but the old man knew that only made an added drag and he was pleased. It was the yellow Gulf weed that had made so much phosphorescence in the night.
"Fish," he said, "I love you and respect you very much. But I will kill you dead before this day ends."
Let us hope so, he thought.
A small bird came toward the skiff from the north. He was a warbler and flying very low over the water. The old man could see that he was very tired.
The bird made the stern of the boat and rested there. Then he flew around the old man's head and rested on the line where he was more comfortable.
"How old are you?" the old man asked the bird. "Is this your first trip?"
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