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.

有些故事并不以胜利告终，却也因此更加动人。

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

海明威的《老人与海》就是其中之一。

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

这本书很薄，却获得了普利策奖。

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

古巴老渔夫圣地亚哥已经连续八十四天一条鱼也没捕到。

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

村里人私下议论，说他已经完了，倒霉透顶。

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

只有一个小男孩仍然相信他，给他送咖啡和鱼饵。

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

第八十五天，他把船划到了谁也不敢去的远海。

And then, something enormous takes the bait!

接着，一个庞然大物咬住了鱼饵！

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

那是一条马林鱼，比他的船还长！

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

三天三夜，那条鱼把他拖向更远的海上。

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

他的手被勒破，背疼痛难忍，几乎没合过眼。

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

然而，他对那条鱼说话时，几乎带着一种爱意。

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

最终，他赢了……可胜利转瞬即逝。

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

在漫长的归途中，鲨鱼一次又一次地袭击那条马林鱼。

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

他明知毫无希望，还是拼尽全力把它们击退。

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.

那么，他输了吗？表面上看，也许是。

But Hemingway gives him one unforgettable line.

但海明威给了他一句令人难忘的话。

'A man can be destroyed but not defeated.'

“一个人可以被毁灭，但不能被打败。”

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

那天夜里，老人睡着了，梦见狮子在海滩上嬉戏。

We rarely control the outcome of our struggles.

我们很少能掌控自己奋斗的结果。

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

我们能掌控的，是自己以怎样的姿态走过这些奋斗。

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

单单是拒绝放弃，就带着一种安静的尊严。

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

所以，无论此刻有什么鲨鱼在你身边打转，都要继续划下去！