老人继续和大鱼对峙着，反正大鱼也不露面，都拿对方没办法，老人便开起了小差，想起了以前钓到的一条马林鱼，竟然还是个爱情故事！

单词卡

rapier             ['reɪpɪə(r)]          v.  轻剑

pectoral         ['pektərəl]          adj.  胸部的

treachery       ['tretʃərɪ]              n.  背叛

loose             [luːs]                    v.  释放

surge             [sɜːdʒ]                 n.  冲刺

coagulate      [kəʊ'ægjʊleɪt]     v.  凝结

01  一对马林鱼

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（大镰刀） 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 clubbing 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.

厘米译

记得有一次，他钓到了一对马林鱼中的一条。雄鱼总是让雌鱼先吃，结果上钩的雌鱼发了狂，惊慌而不顾一切地挣扎，很快她就精疲力尽了。自始至终，雄鱼一直待在它身边，穿过钓绳，在水面上陪着她转圈儿。雄鱼离得非常近，老人担心它会用尾巴割断钓绳。它的尾巴像大镰刀一样锋利，大小和形状也和大镰刀差不多。

老人用鱼钩勾住它，用木棍抽打它，抓住它那有着砂纸般边缘的尖锐长嘴，用木棍抽打它的头顶，直到它的颜色变得几乎和镜子背面的颜色一样，然后，在男孩的帮助下，把它拖上船，那条雄鱼就待在船边。接着，正当老人除去钓绳，去拿鱼叉的时候，雄鱼从船边腾空跃起，想看看雌鱼在哪里，随即便潜入深水中。它那淡紫色的翅膀，也就是它的胸鳍，宽宽地张开着，所有的淡紫色宽纹都露出来了。它很漂亮，老人记得，它一直待着不肯走。

02  各自的选择

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.

"I wish the boy was here," he said aloud and settled himself against the rounded planks of the bow and felt the strength of the great fish through the line he held across his shoulders moving steadily toward whatever he had chosen.

When once, through my treachery, it had been necessary to him to make a choice, the old man thought.

His choice had been to stay in the deep dark water far out beyond all snares（圈套） and traps and treacheries. My choice was to go there to find him beyond all people. Beyond all people in the world. Now we are joined together and have been since noon. And no one to help either one of us.

Perhaps I should not have been a fisherman, he thought. But that was the thing that I was born for. I must surely remember to eat the tuna after it gets light.

厘米译

“这是我钓鱼时见过的最令人伤心的状况了，”老人想，“男孩也很难过，我们希望能得到雌鱼的原谅，马上把它宰了。”

“要是那男孩在这儿就好了，”他出声说，把身子安靠在船头被磨圆的木板上，大鱼的力量经由肩上的钓绳传来，它正朝着自己选定的方向稳稳地游去。

“这一次，由于我的欺骗，它不得不作出选择。”老人想。“它的选择，是待在黑暗的深水里，远离一切圈套、陷阱和欺骗。我的选择，是去那里找到它，远离所有人，远离世界上所有人。现在，我们拴在一起了，从中午开始的。我们俩都没帮手。”

“也许我不该当渔夫，”他想，“但这是我生来就该干的事。我一定要记得，天亮后把金枪鱼吃了。”

▲rapier（摄影：Von Rama - Eigenes Werk, CC BY-SA 2.0 fr）

单词精讲：settle

"I wish the boy was here," he said aloud and settled himself against the rounded planks of the bow……

settle   [ˈsetl]  

He settled himself on the sofa to watch TV. 

他舒舒服服地坐在长沙发上看电视。

在《老人与海》的语境中，settle的用法是：make (sb/oneself) comfortable in a new position，使（某人[自己]）在新位置上觉得舒适。有两个意义关键点，一个是“新位置”，一个是“舒适”。

下面再给大家介绍几种settle的用法：

（1）定居

After years of travel, we decided to settle here.  

我们旅行多年后, 决定在此定居。

（2）停歇或停留一时

The dust had settled on everything.

到处都是积尘。

这个用法还有一个比较有意思的例句，表示某种疾病导致身体部位不舒服：

The cold has settled on my chest. 

感冒让我胸部不适（咳嗽等）。

（3）平静、镇静或放松

This pill will help to settle your nerves. 

你吃了这片药神经就不那么紧张了。

（4）解决、处理好；达成一致

It's time you settled your dispute with him.  

现在你该跟他把争端解决了。

Have you settled how it will be done? 

对于如何处理这件事，你们是否已达成一致了? 

（5）沉淀，澄清

Leave the wine on a shelf for a week to settle it.  

把酒搁在架子上放一个星期好让它澄清。

settle和set、sit词源相同，表示固定、安放等意义。看了settle这么多用法之后，我感觉这个词倾向于指从一种不稳定的状态到相对稳定的状态，不再四处漂泊，不再喧闹不安，不再游移不定，不再相互争吵。你觉得呢？

（例句出自牛津高阶英汉双解词典）

在白天对什么都不动感情是极为容易的，但在夜晚就是另外一回事。