苗疆小说网

苗疆小说网>老人与海的感悟和启示 > 第3章 The Old Man on the Sea(第1页)

第3章 The Old Man on the Sea(第1页)

Sometimessomeonewouldspeakinaboat。Butmostoftheboatsweresilentexceptforthedipoftheoars。Theyspreadapartaftertheywereoutofthemouthoftheharborandeachoneheadedforthepartoftheoceanwherehehopedtofindfish。Theoldmanknewhewasgoingfaroutandheleftthesmellofthelandbehindandrowedoutintothecleanearlymorningsmelloftheocean。HesawthephosphorescenceoftheGulfweedinthewaterasherowedoverthepartoftheoceanthatthefishermencalledthegreatwellbecausetherewasasuddendeepofsevenhundredfathomswhereallsortsoffishcongregatedbecauseoftheswirlthecurrentmadeagainstthesteepwallsoftheflooroftheocean。Heretherewereconcentrationsofshrimpandbaitandsometimesschoolsofsquidinthedeepestholesandtheseroseclosetothesurfaceatnightwhereallthewanderingfishfedonthem。

Inthedarktheoldmancouldfeelthemorningcomingandasherowedheheardthetremblingsoundasflyingfishleftthewaterandthehissingthattheirstiffsetwingsmadeastheysoaredawayinthedarkness。Hewasveryfondofflyingfishastheywerehisprincipalfriendsontheocean。Hewassorryforthebirds,especiallythesmalldelicatedarkternsthatwerealwaysflyingandlookingandalmostneverfinding,andhethought,“Thebirdshaveaharderlifethanwedoexceptfortherobberbirdsandtheheavystrongones。Whydidtheymakebirdssodelicateandfineasthoseseaswallowswhentheoceancanbesocruel?Sheiskindandverybeautiful。Butshecanbesocruelanditcomessosuddenlyandsuchbirdsthatfly,dippingandhunting,withtheirsmallsadvoicesaremadetoodelicatelyforthesea。”

HealwaysthoughtoftheseaaslamarwhichiswhatpeoplecallherinSpanishwhentheyloveher。Sometimesthosewholovehersaybadthingsofherbuttheyarealwayssaidasthoughshewereawoman。Someoftheyoungerfishermen,thosewhousedbuoysasfloatsfortheirlinesandhadmotorboats,boughtwhenthesharklivershadbroughtmuchmoney,spokeofheraselmarwhichismasculine。Theyspokeofherasacontestantoraplaceorevenanenemy。Buttheoldmanalwaysthoughtofherasfeminineandassomethingthatgaveorwithheldgreatfavors,andifshedidwildorwickedthingsitwasbecauseshecouldnothelpthem。Themoonaffectsherasitdoesawoman,hethought。

Hewasrowingsteadilyanditwasnoeffortforhimsincehekeptwellwithinhisspeedandthesurfaceoftheoceanwasflatexceptfortheoccasionalswirlsofthecurrent。Hewaslettingthecurrentdoathirdoftheworkandasitstartedtobelighthesawhewasalreadyfurtheroutthanhehadhopedtobeatthishour。

Iworkedthedeepwellsforaweekanddidnothing,hethought。TodayIllworkoutwheretheschoolsofbonitaandalbacoreareandmaybetherewillbeabigonewiththem。

Beforeitwasreallylighthehadhisbaitsoutandwasdriftingwiththecurrent。Onebaitwasdownfortyfathoms。Thesecondwasatseventy-fiveandthethirdandfourthweredowninthebluewateratonehundredandonehundredandtwenty-fivefathoms。Eachbaithungheaddownwiththeshankofthehookinsidethebaitfish,tiedandsewedsolidandalltheprojectingpartofthehook,thecurveandthepoint,wascoveredwithfreshsardines。Eachsardinewashookedthroughbotheyessothattheymadeahalf-garlandontheprojectingsteel。Therewasnopartofthehookthatagreatfishcouldfeelwhichwasnotsweetsmellingandgoodtasting。

Theboyhadgivenhimtwofreshsmalltunas,oralbacores,whichhungonthetwodeepestlineslikeplummetsand,ontheothers,hehadabigbluerunnerandayellowjackthathadbeenusedbefore;buttheywereingoodconditionstillandhadtheexcellentsardinestogivethemscentandattractiveness。Eachline,asthickaroundasabigpencil,wasloopedontoagreen-sappedsticksothatanypullortouchonthebaitwouldmakethestickdipandeachlinehadtwoforty-fathomcoilswhichcouldbemadefasttotheothersparecoilssothat,ifitwerenecessary,afishcouldtakeoutoverthreehundredfathomsofline。

Nowthemanwatchedthedipofthethreesticksoverthesideoftheskiffandrowedgentlytokeepthelinesstraightupanddownandattheirproperdepths。Itwasquitelightandanymomentnowthesunwouldrise。

Thesunrosethinlyfromtheseaandtheoldmancouldseetheotherboats,lowonthewaterandwellintowardtheshore,spreadoutacrossthecurrent。Thenthesunwasbrighterandtheglarecameonthewaterandthen,asitroseclear,theflatseasentitbackathiseyessothatithurtsharplyandherowedwithoutlookingintoit。Helookeddownintothewaterandwatchedthelinesthatwentstraightdownintothedarkofthewater。Hekeptthemstraighterthananyonedid,sothatateachlevelinthedarknessofthestreamtherewouldbeabaitwaitingexactlywherehewishedittobeforanyfishthatswamthere。Othersletthemdriftwiththecurrentandsometimestheywereatsixtyfathomswhenthefishermenthoughttheywereatahundred。

But,hethought,Ikeepthemwithprecision。OnlyIhavenoluckanymore。Butwhoknows?Maybetoday。Everydayisanewday。Itisbettertobelucky。ButIwouldratherbeexact。Thenwhenluckcomesyouareready。

Thesunwastwohourshighernowanditdidnothurthiseyessomuchtolookintotheeast。Therewereonlythreeboatsinsightnowandtheyshowedverylowandfarinshore。

Allmylifetheearlysunhashurtmyeyes,hethought。Yettheyarestillgood。IntheeveningIcanlookstraightintoitwithoutgettingtheblackness。Ithasmoreforceintheeveningtoo。Butinthemorningitispainful。

Justthenhesawaman-of-warbirdwithhislongblackwingscirclingintheskyaheadofhim。Hemadeaquickdrop,slantingdownonhisbacksweptwings,andthencircledagain。

“Hesgotsomething,”theoldmansaidaloud。“Hesnotjustlooking。”

Herowedslowlyandsteadilytowardwherethebirdwascircling。Hedidnothurryandhekepthislinesstraightupanddown。Buthecrowdedthecurrentalittlesothathewasstillfishingcorrectlythoughfasterthanhewouldhavefishedifhewasnottryingtousethebird。

Thebirdwenthigherintheairandcircledagain,hiswingsmotionless。Thenhedovesuddenlyandtheoldmansawflyingfishspurtoutofthewaterandsaildesperatelyoverthesurface。

“Dolphin,”theoldmansaidaloud。“Bigdolphin。”

Heshippedhisoarsandbroughtasmalllinefromunderthebow。Ithadawireleaderandamedium-sizedhookandhebaiteditwithoneofthesardines。Heletitgooverthesideandthenmadeitfasttoaringboltinthestern。Thenhebaitedanotherlineandleftitcoiledintheshadeofthebow。Hewentbacktorowingandtowatchingthelongwingedblackbirdwhowasworking,now,lowoverthewater。

Ashewatchedthebirddippedagainslantinghiswingsforthediveandthenswingingthemwildlyandineffectuallyashefollowedtheflyingfish。Theoldmancouldseetheslightbulgeinthewaterthatthebigdolphinraisedastheyfollowedtheescapingfish。Thedolphinwerecuttingthroughthewaterbelowtheflightofthefishandwouldbeinthewater,drivingatspeed,whenthefishdropped。Itisabigschoolofdolphin,hethought。Theyarewidespreadandtheflyingfishhavelittlechance。Thebirdhasnochance。Theflyingfisharetoobigforhimandtheygotoofast。

Hewatchedtheflyingfishburstoutagainandagainandtheineffectualmovementsofthebird。Thatschoolhasgottenawayfromme,hethought。Theyaremovingouttoofastandtoofar。ButperhapsIwillpickupastrayandperhapsmybigfishisaroundthem。Mybigfishmustbesomewhere。

Thecloudsoverthelandnowroselikemountainsandthecoastwasonlyalonggreenlinewiththegraybluehillsbehindit。Thewaterwasadarkbluenow,sodarkthatitwasalmostpurple。Ashelookeddownintoithesawtheredsiftingoftheplanktoninthedarkwaterandthestrangelightthesunmadenow。Hewatchedhislinestoseethemgostraightdownoutofsightintothewaterandhewashappytoseesomuchplanktonbecauseitmeantfish。Thestrangelightthesunmadeinthewater,nowthatthesunwashigher,meantgoodweatherandsodidtheshapeofthecloudsovertheland。Butthebirdwasalmostoutofsightnowandnothingshowedonthesurfaceofthewaterbutsomepatchesofyellow,sun-bleachedSargassoweedandthepurple,formalized,iridescent,gelatinousbladderofaPortugueseman-of-warfloatingclosebesidetheboat。Itturnedonitssideandthenrighteditself。Itfloatedcheerfullyasabubblewithitslongdeadlypurplefilamentstrailingayardbehinditinthewater。

“Aguamala,”themansaid。“Youwhore。”

Fromwhereheswunglightlyagainsthisoarshelookeddownintothewaterandsawthetinyfishthatwerecoloredlikethetrailingfilamentsandswambetweenthemandunderthesmallshadethebubblemadeasitdrifted。Theywereimmunetoitspoison。Butmenwerenotandwhensomeofthefilamentswouldcatchonalineandrestthereslimyandpurplewhiletheoldmanwasworkingafish,hewouldhaveweltsandsoresonhisarmsandhandsofthesortthatpoisonivyorpoisonoakcangive。Butthesepoisoningsfromtheaguamalacamequicklyandstrucklikeawhiplash。

Theiridescentbubbleswerebeautiful。Buttheywerethefalsestthingintheseaandtheoldmanlovedtoseethebigseaturtleseatingthem。Theturtlessawthem,approachedthemfromthefront,thenshuttheireyessotheywerecompletelycarapacedandatethemfilamentsandall。Theoldmanlovedtoseetheturtleseatthemandhelovedtowalkonthemonthebeachafterastormandhearthempopwhenhesteppedonthemwiththehornysolesofhisfeet。

Helovedgreenturtlesandhawks-billswiththeireleganceandspeedandtheirgreatvalueandhehadafriendlycontemptforthehuge,stupidloggerheads,yellowintheirarmor-plating,strangeintheirlove-making,andhappilyeatingthePortuguesemen-of-warwiththeireyesshut。Hehadnomysticismaboutturtlesalthoughhehadgoneinturtleboatsformanyyears。Hewassorryforthemall,eventhegreattrunkbacksthatwereaslongastheskiffandweighedaton。Mostpeopleareheartlessaboutturtlesbecauseaturtlesheartwillbeatforhoursafterhehasbeencutupandbutchered。Buttheoldmanthought,Ihavesuchahearttooandmyfeetandhandsareliketheirs。Heatethewhiteeggstogivehimselfstrength。HeatethemallthroughMaytobestronginSeptemberandOctoberforthetrulybigfish。

Healsodrankacupofsharkliveroileachdayfromthebigdrumintheshackwheremanyofthefishermenkepttheirgear。Itwasthereforallfishermenwhowantedit。Mostfishermenhatedthetaste。Butitwasnoworsethangettingupatthehoursthattheyroseanditwasverygoodagainstallcoldsandgrippesanditwasgoodfortheeyes。

Nowtheoldmanlookedupandsawthatthebirdwascirclingagain。

“Hesfoundfish,”hesaidaloud。Noflyingfishbrokethesurfaceandtherewasnoscatteringofbaitfish。Butastheoldmanwatched,asmalltunaroseintheair,turnedanddroppedheadfirstintothewater。Thetunashonesilverinthesunandafterhehaddroppedbackintothewateranotherandanotherroseandtheywerejumpinginalldirections,churningthewaterandleapinginlongjumpsafterthebait。Theywerecirclingitanddrivingit。

IftheydonttraveltoofastIwillgetintothem,theoldmanthought,andhewatchedtheschoolworkingthewaterwhiteandthebirdnowdroppinganddippingintothebaitfishthatwereforcedtothesurfaceintheirpanic。

“Thebirdisagreathelp,”theoldmansaid。Justthenthesternlinecametautunderhisfoot,wherehehadkeptaloopoftheline,andhedroppedhisoarsandfelttheweightofthesmalltunasshiveringpullasheheldthelinefirmandcommencedtohaulitin。Theshiveringincreasedashepulledinandhecouldseethebluebackofthefishinthewaterandthegoldofhissidesbeforeheswunghimoverthesideandintotheboat。Helayinthesterninthesun,compactandbulletshaped,hisbig,unintelligenteyesstaringashethumpedhislifeoutagainsttheplankingoftheboatwiththequickshiveringstrokesofhisneat,fast-movingtail。Theoldmanhithimontheheadforkindnessandkickedhim,hisbodystillshuddering,undertheshadeofthestern。

“Albacore,”hesaidaloud。“Hellmakeabeautifulbait。Hellweightenpounds。”

Hedidnotrememberwhenhehadfirststartedtotalkaloudwhenhewasbyhimself。Hehadsungwhenhewasbyhimselfintheolddaysandhehadsungatnightsometimeswhenhewasalonesteeringonhiswatchinthesmacksorintheturtleboats。Hehadprobablystartedtotalkaloud,whenalone,whentheboyhadleft。Buthedidnotremember。Whenheandtheboyfishedtogethertheyusuallyspokeonlywhenitwasnecessary。Theytalkedatnightorwhentheywerestormboundbybadweather。Itwasconsideredavirtuenottotalkunnecessarilyatseaandtheoldmanhadalwaysconsidereditsoandrespectedit。Butnowhesaidhisthoughtsaloudmanytimessincetherewasnoonethattheycouldannoy。

“IftheothersheardmetalkingoutloudtheywouldthinkthatIamcrazy,”hesaidaloud。“ButsinceIamnotcrazy,Idonotcare。Andtherichhaveradiostotalktothemintheirboatsandtobringthemthebaseball。”

Nowisnotimetothinkofbaseball,hethought。Nowisthetimetothinkofonlyonething。ThatwhichIwasbornfor。Theremightbeabigonearoundthatschool,hethought。Ipickeduponlyastragglerfromthealbacorethatwerefeeding。Buttheyareworkingfaroutandfast。Everythingthatshowsonthesurfacetodaytravelsveryfastandtothenortheast。Canthatbethetimeofday?OrisitsomesignofweatherthatIdonotknow?

Hecouldnotseethegreenoftheshorenowbutonlythetopsofthebluehillsthatshowedwhiteasthoughtheyweresnow-cappedandthecloudsthatlookedlikehighsnowmountainsabovethem。Theseawasverydarkandthelightmadeprismsinthewater。Themyriadflecksoftheplanktonwereannullednowbythehighsunanditwasonlythegreatdeepprismsinthebluewaterthattheoldmansawnowwithhislinesgoingstraightdownintothewaterthatwasamiledeep。

Thetuna,thefishermencalledallthefishofthatspeciestunaandonlydistinguishedamongthembytheirpropernameswhentheycametosellthemortotradethemforbaits,weredownagain。Thesunwashotnowandtheoldmanfeltitonthebackofhisneckandfeltthesweattrickledownhisbackasherowed。

Icouldjustdrift,hethought,andsleepandputabightoflinearoundmytoetowakeme。Buttodayiseighty-fivedaysandIshouldfishthedaywell。

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