He held the line against his back and watched its slant in the water and the skiff moving steadily to the north-west

This will kill him, the old man thought. He can't do this forever. But four hours later the fish was still swimming steadily out to sea, towing the skiff, and the old man was still braced solidly with the line across his back.

"It was noon when I hooked him," he said. "And I have never seen him."

He had pushed his straw hat hard down on his head before he hooked the fish and it was cutting his forehead. He was thirsty too and he got down on his knees and, being careful not to jerk on the line, moved as far into the bow as he could get and reached the water bottle with one hand. He opened it and drank a little. Then he rested against the bow. He rested sitting on the unstepped mast and sail and tried not to think but only to endure.

Then he looked behind him and saw that no land was visible (затем он посмотрел позади себя и увидел, что земля скрылась из виду: «никакая земля не была видна»). That makes no difference (это ничего не меняет), he thought. I can always come in on the glow from Havana (я всегда могу вернуться по огням: «сиянию» Гаваны). There are two more hours before the sun sets and maybe he will come up before that (еще два часа до заката и, возможно, она всплывет до этого; to come up — всплывать, появляться на поверхности). If he doesn't maybe he will come up with the moon (если не всплывет, то, возможно, она покажется на поверхности вместе с луной). If he does not do that maybe he will come up with the sunrise (если она этого не сделает, то, возможно, она всплывет с восходом). I have no cramps and I feel strong (у меня нет болей, и я чувствую себя сильным = руки у меня не сводит, и я полон сил; cramp — спазм, судорога). It is he that has the hook in his mouth (это у нее крючок в пасти). But what a fish to pull like that (но что это за рыба, что так тянет). He must have his mouth shut tight on the wire (она, должно быть, крепко прикусила проволоку). I wish I could see him (хотел бы я ее увидеть). I wish I could see him only once to know what I have against me (хотелось бы увидеть ее хоть разок, чтобы знать, с кем я имею дело: «что я имею против себя»).

The fish never changed his course (рыба ни разу не поменяла ни ход) nor his direction all that night (ни направление на протяжении всей ночи) as far as the man could tell from watching the stars (насколько мог судить старик, наблюдая за звездами; as far as — насколько). It was cold after the sun went down (было холодно после захода солнца: «после того, как солнце опустилось») and the old man's sweat dried cold on his back and his arms and his old legs (и пот на спине, руках и на ногах старика высох, отчего стало холодно). During the day he had taken the sack that covered the bait box (пока был день, он взял мешок, который покрывал коробку с наживками) and spread it in the sun to dry (и расстелил его на солнце сушить). After the sun went down he tied it around his neck (после того, как солнце зашло, он обвязал его вокруг шеи) so that it hung down over his back (так, чтобы тот свисал на его спину) and he cautiously worked it down under the line that was across his shoulders now (и он осторожно продел его под лесу, которая теперь была на его плечах). The sack cushioned the line (мешок смягчил /давление/ лесы; to cushion — подкладывать подушку; смягчать; cushion — подушка) and he had found a way of leaning forward against the bow so that he was almost comfortable (и он нашел способ так опереться на нос лодки, что ему было почти удобно). The position actually was only somewhat less intolerable (положение было, на самом деле, лишь немного менее несносно; actually — на самом деле; somewhat — слегка; intolerable — невыносимый, несносный); but he thought of it as almost comfortable (но он думал о нем, как о почти уютном).

Then he looked behind him and saw that no land was visible. That makes no difference, he thought. I can always come in on the glow from Havana. There are two more hours before the sun sets and maybe he will come up before that. If he doesn't maybe he will come up with the moon. If he does not do that maybe he will come up with the sunrise. I have no cramps and I feel strong. It is he that has the hook in his mouth. But what a fish to pull like that. He must have his mouth shut tight on the wire. I wish I could see him. I wish I could see him only once to know what I have against me.

The fish never changed his course nor his direction all that night as far as the man could tell from watching the stars. It was cold after the sun went down and the old man's sweat dried cold on his back and his arms and his old legs. During the day he had taken the sack that covered the bait box and spread it in the sun to dry. After the sun went down he tied it around his neck so that it hung down over his back and he cautiously worked it down under the line that was across his shoulders now. The sack cushioned the line and he had found a way of leaning forward against the bow so that he was almost comfortable. The position actually was only somewhat less intolerable; but he thought of it as almost comfortable.

I can do nothing with him and he can do nothing with me (я не могу ничего сделать с ней, а она не может ничего сделать со мной), he thought. Not as long as he keeps this up (во всяком случае до тех пор, пока она будет продолжать в том же духе; as long as — до тех пора, пока; keep up — продолжать).

Once he stood up and urinated over the side of the skiff (разок он встал и помочился через борт лодки) and looked at the stars and checked his course (посмотрел на звезды и проверил курс). The line showed like a phosphorescent streak in the water straight out from his shoulders (леса казалась светящейся полоской в воде прямо от его плеч; streak — полоска; вспышка света). They were moving more slowly now (они двигались теперь медленнее) and the glow of Havana was not so strong (и огни Гаваны были не так ярки: «сильны»), so that he knew the current must be carrying them to the eastward (поэтому он знал, что течение, должно быть, увело их к востоку; eastward — к востоку, в восточном направлении). If I lose the glare of Havana we must be going more to the eastward (если я теряю из вида Гавану: «блеск Гаваны», значит, мы, должно быть, движемся в восточном направлении), he thought. For if the fish's course held true (потому что если рыба держалась своего курса; to hold true — быть верным) I must see it for many more hours (я бы видел ее еще многие часы). I wonder how the baseball came out in the grand leagues today (интересно: «мне любопытно», как сегодня закончились матчи по бейсболу в большой лиге), he thought. It would be wonderful to do this with a radio (было бы чудесно делать это /рыбачить/ с радио). Then he thought, think of it always (затем он подумал: думай об этом всегда). Think of what you are doing (думай о том, что ты делаешь). You must do nothing stupid (тебе нельзя сделать глупость: «ты не должен сделать ничего глупого»).