The bird had flown up when the line jerked and the old man had not even seen him go. He felt the line carefully with his right hand and noticed his hand was bleeding

"Something hurt him then," he said aloud and pulled back on the line to see if he could turn the fish. But when he was touching the breaking point he held steady and settled back against the strain of the line.

"You're feeling it now, fish (чувствуешь это сейчас, рыба = худо тебе, рыба)," he said. "And so, God knows, am I (и, Бог свидетель, я тоже)."

He looked around for the bird now (он посмотрел вокруг в поисках птицы) because he would have liked him for company (потому что он хотел бы ее для компании = ему хотелось бы, чтобы она была с ним). The bird was gone (птица исчезла).

You did not stay long (не надолго ты осталась), the man thought. But it is rougher where you are going (но там, куда ты полетела, резче /ветер/) until you make the shore (пока ты не доберешься до берега). How did I let the fish cut me with that one quick pull he made (каким образом я позволил рыбе порезать меня одним быстрым рывком, который она сделала)? I must be getting very stupid (я, должно быть, становлюсь очень глупым = глупею). Or perhaps I was looking at the small bird (или, возможно, я смотрел на птичку) and thinking of him (и думал о ней). Now I will pay attention to my work (сейчас я буду уделять внимание = сосредоточусь на своей работе) and then I must eat the tuna (а затем я должен съесть тунца) so that I will not have a failure of strength (чтобы меня не подвели силы; failure — неспособность, несостоятельность; недостаток, отсутствие; to fail — недоставать, не хватать).

"I wish the boy were here and that I had some salt (жаль, что со мной нет мальчика, и у меня нет соли)," he said aloud (сказал он слух).

"You're feeling it now, fish," he said. "And so, God knows, am I."