The Old Man and the Sea: Destroyed but Not Defeated

Some stories don't end in triumph, and they're all the better for it.

有些故事並不以勝利收場，卻也因此更加動人。

Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea is one of them.

海明威的《老人與海》就是其中之一。

It's a slim book, yet it won the Pulitzer Prize.

這本書很薄，卻拿下了普立茲獎。

Santiago, an ageing Cuban fisherman, has gone eighty-four days without catching a single fish.

古巴老漁夫聖地牙哥已經連續八十四天一條魚也沒抓到。

The villagers whisper that he's finished, hopelessly unlucky.

村裡的人竊竊私語，說他已經完了，霉運纏身。

Only a young boy still believes in him, bringing him coffee and bait.

只有一個小男孩還相信他，替他送來咖啡和魚餌。

On the eighty-fifth day, he rows out further than anyone dares.

第八十五天，他把船划到誰都不敢去的遠海。

And then, something enormous takes the bait!

接著，一個龐然大物咬住了魚餌！

It's a marlin, longer than his own boat!

那是一條馬林魚，比他的船還長！

For three days and nights, the fish drags him further out to sea.

三天三夜，那條魚把他拖往更遠的海上。

His hands are torn, his back aches, and he barely sleeps.

他的手被勒破，背痛難耐，幾乎沒闔過眼。

Yet he speaks to the fish with something close to love.

然而，他對那條魚說話時，幾乎帶著一種愛意。

Finally, he wins... but the victory is short-lived.

最後，他贏了……但勝利轉眼即逝。

On the long journey home, sharks attack the marlin, again and again.

在漫長的歸途中，鯊魚一次又一次襲擊那條馬林魚。

He fights them off with everything he has, knowing it's hopeless.

他明知毫無希望，仍拚盡全力把牠們擊退。

By the time he reaches the harbour, only the skeleton remains.

等他回到港口，只剩下一副骨架。

So, did he lose? On paper, perhaps.

那麼，他輸了嗎？表面上看，也許是。

But Hemingway gives him one unforgettable line.

但海明威給了他一句令人難忘的話。

'A man can be destroyed but not defeated.'

「一個人可以被毀滅，但不能被打敗。」

That night, the old man sleeps, and dreams of lions playing on a beach.

那天夜裡，老人睡著了，夢見獅子在海灘上嬉戲。

We rarely control the outcome of our struggles.

我們很少能掌控自己奮鬥的結果。

What we can control is how we carry ourselves through them.

我們能掌控的，是自己用什麼樣的姿態走過這些奮鬥。

There's a quiet dignity in simply refusing to give up.

光是拒絕放棄，就帶著一種沉靜的尊嚴。

So, whatever sharks are circling you right now, keep rowing!

所以，無論此刻有什麼鯊魚在你身邊打轉，都要繼續划下去！