I can do nothing with him and he can do nothing with me, he thought. Not as long as he keeps this up

Once he stood up and urinated over the side of the skiff and looked at the stars and checked his course. The line showed like a phosphorescent streak in the water straight out from his shoulders. They were moving more slowly now and the glow of Havana was not so strong, so that he knew the current must be carrying them to the eastward. If I lose the glare of Havana we must be going more to the eastward, he thought. For if the fish's course held true I must see it for many more hours. I wonder how the baseball came out in the grand leagues today, he thought. It would be wonderful to do this with a radio. Then he thought, think of it always. Think of what you are doing. You must do nothing stupid.

Then he said aloud, "I wish I had the boy (жаль, что со мной нет мальчика: «я желал бы, чтобы у меня был мальчик»). To help me and to see this (чтобы помочь мне и увидеть /все/ это)."

No one should be alone in their old age (никто не должен быть одинок в старости), he thought. But it is unavoidable (но это неизбежно; to avoid — избегать). I must remember to eat the tuna before he spoils in order to keep strong (не забыть бы: «я должен помнить» съесть тунца, перед тем, как он испортится, для того, чтобы оставаться сильным). Remember, no matter how little you want to (не забыть, неважно, насколько я буду голоден: «как мало ты хочешь /его съесть/»), that you must eat him in the morning (что ты должен съесть его утром). Remember, he said to himself.

During the night two porpoises came around the boat (ночью две морские свиньи подплыли к лодке; around — вблизи, поблизости) and he could hear them rolling and blowing (и он слышал, как они качаются на волнах и пыхтят). He could tell the difference between the blowing noise the male made (он различал: «мог сказать разницу» между пыхтящим шумом, который производил самец) and the sighing blow of the female (и тоскливым пыхтением самки; to sigh — вздыхать). "They are good," he said. "They play (они играют) and make jokes (и шутят) and love one another (и любят друг друга). They are our brothers like the flying fish (они наши братья, как и летучие рыбы)."

Then he began to pity the great fish that he had hooked (затем он начал жалеть большую рыбу, которую зацепил на крючок; to pity — жалеть; pity — жалость). He is wonderful and strange (она прекрасная и чудная/необычная) and who knows how old he is (и кто знает, сколько ей лет), he thought. Never have I had such a strong fish nor one who acted so strangely (никогда у меня не было такой сильной рыбы, и никто себя так странно не вел; to act — действовать; вести себя). Perhaps he is too wise to jump (возможно, она слишком мудра, чтобы прыгать). He could ruin me by jumping or by a wild rush (она может уничтожить меня, прыгнув или сделав дикий рывок; rush — стремительное движение, рывок). But perhaps he has been hooked many times before (но, возможно, она попадалась на крючок много раз прежде) and he knows that this is how he should make his fight (и она знает, что это то, как ей следует проводить эту схватку). He cannot know that it is only one man against him (она не может знать ни то, что против нее только один человек), nor that it is an old man (ни то, что это старый человек). But what a great fish he is (но что это за большая рыба) and what will he bring in the market if the flesh is good (и что она может принести на рынке, если плоть хороша = если у нее вкусное мясо). He took the bait like a male (она заглотила наживку, как мужчина) and he pulls like a male (и тянет, как мужчина) and his fight has no panic in it (и ее бой не имеет в себе паники = и борется без паники). I wonder if he has any plans (интересно, есть ли у нее какие-нибудь планы) or if he is just as desperate as I am (или же она в таком же отчаянии, как и я)?

Then he said aloud, "I wish I had the boy. To help me and to see this."

No one should be alone in their old age, he thought. But it is unavoidable. I must remember to eat the tuna before he spoils in order to keep strong. Remember, no matter how little you want to, that you must eat him in the morning. Remember, he said to himself.

During the night two porpoises came around the boat and he could hear them rolling and blowing. He could tell the difference between the blowing noise the male made and the sighing blow of the female."They are good," he said. "They play and make jokes and love one another. They are our brothers like the flying fish."

Then he began to pity the great fish that he had hooked. He is wonderful and strange and who knows how old he is, he thought. Never have I had such a strong fish nor one who acted so strangely. Perhaps he is too wise to jump. He could ruin me by jumping or by a wild rush. But perhaps he has been hooked many times before and he knows that this is how he should make his fight. He cannot know that it is only one man against him, nor that it is an old man. But what a great fish he is and what will he bring in the market if the flesh is good. He took the bait like a male and he pulls like a male and his fight has no panic in it. I wonder if he has any plans or if he is just as desperate as I am?

He remembered the time he had hooked one of a pair of marlin (он вспомнил время, когда он поймал на крючок одного из пары марлиней). The male fish always let the female fish feed first (самец всегда позволяет самке есть первой) and the hooked fish, the female (и пойманная рыба, самка), made a wild, panic-stricken, despairing fight (вступила в дикую, паническую и отчаянную борьбу; to strike — поражать, сражать; stricken — пораженный) that soon exhausted her (которая вскоре ее изнурила; to exhaust — истощать, изнурять), and all the time the male had stayed with her (и все это время самец оставался с ней), crossing the line and circling with her on the surface (пересекая лесу и кружа с ней на поверхности). He had stayed so close that the old man was afraid he would cut the line with his tail (он оставался так близко, что старик боялся, что самец перережет лесу своим хвостом) which was sharp as a scythe and almost of that size and shape (который был остер, как коса, и был практически такого же размера и формы). When the old man had gaffed her and clubbed her (когда старик зацепил ее багром и ударил дубинкой), holding the rapier bill with its sandpaper edge (держа ее за пасть в форме рапиры с краями, как у наждачной бумаги) and dubbing her across the top of her head until her colour turned to a colour almost like the backing of mirrors (и бил ее дубинкой по верхушке ее головы = по макушке до тех пор, пока ее цвет не изменился на цвет амальгамы: «цвет обратной стороны зеркала»; to dub — обтесывать, строгать), and then, with the boy's aid (и затем, с помощью мальчика), hoisted her aboard (поднял ее на борт), the male fish had stayed by the side of the boat (самец оставался около борта лодки). Then, while the old man was clearing the lines and preparing the harpoon (затем, пока старик очищал лесу и готовил гарпун), the male fish jumped high into the air beside the boat to see where the female was (самец прыгнул высоко в воздух возле лодки, чтобы посмотреть, где была самка) and then went down deep (и затем ушел глубоко вниз), his lavender wings, that were his pectoral fins, spread wide (свои бледно-лиловые крылья, которые были грудными плавниками, раскинув широко; pectoral fins — грудные плавники; lavender — лаванда /растение/; бледно-лиловый цвет; цвет цветков лаванды) and all his wide lavender stripes showing (и /при этом/ все его широкие бледно-лиловые полоски были видны). He was beautiful (он был красив), the old man remembered, and he had stayed (и он остался = не покинул подругу до конца).

He remembered the time he had hooked one of a pair of marlin. The male fish always let the female fish feed first and the hooked fish, the female, made a wild, panic-stricken, despairing fight that soon exhausted her, and all the time the male had stayed with her, crossing the line and circling with her on the surface. He had stayed so close that the old man was afraid he would cut the line with his tail which was sharp as a scythe and almost of that size and shape. When the old man had gaffed her and clubbed her, holding the rapier bill with its sandpaper edge and dubbing her across the top of her head until her colour turned to a colour almost like the backing of mirrors, and then, with the boy's aid, hoisted her aboard, the male fish had stayed by the side of the boat. Then, while the old man was clearing the lines and preparing the harpoon, the male fish jumped high into the air beside the boat to see where the female was and then went down deep, his lavender wings, that were his pectoral fins, spread wide and all his wide lavender stripes showing. He was beautiful, the old man remembered, and he had stayed.

That was the saddest thing I ever saw with them (это была самая грустная сцена, которую я когда-либо видел с ними), the old man thought. The boy was sad too (мальчику тоже было грустно) and we begged her pardon and butchered her promptly (мы попросили у нее прощения и зарезали ее быстро-быстро; promptly — быстро, сразу; to butcher — забивать /скот/).

"I wish the boy was here (жаль, что мальчика здесь нет: «желаю, мальчик был бы здесь = хотел бы я, чтобы мальчик был здесь»)," he said aloud and settled himself against the rounded planks of the bow (сказал он вслух и устроился /прислонившись/ к закругленным доскам на носу лодки) and felt the strength of the great fish (и ощутил силу большой рыбы) through the line he held across his shoulders (через лесу, которую он держал на плечах) moving steadily toward whatever he had chosen (движущуюся спокойно куда-то, куда она выбрала = к какой-то своей цели; whatever — какой бы то ни было).

When once, through my treachery, it had been necessary to him to make a choice (подумать только, что благодаря моему коварству ей было необходимо сделать выбор; when once — стоит лишь), the old man thought.