"No. I know others better."
"Que Va," the boy said. "There are many good fishermen and some great ones. But there is only you ."
"Thank you. You make me happy. I hope no fish will come along so great that he will prove us wrong."
"There is no such fish if you are still strong as you say."
"I may not be as strong as I think," the old man said. "But I know many tricks and I have resolution ."
"You ought to go to bed now so that you will be fresh in the morning. I will take the things back to the Terrace."
"Good night then. I will wake you in the morning."
"You're my alarm clock," the boy said.
"Age is my alarm clock," the old man said. "Why do old men wake so early? Is it to have one longer day?"
"I don't know," the boy said. "All I know is that young boys sleep late and hard ."
"I can remember it," the old man said. "I'll waken you in time."
"I do not like for him to waken me. It is as though I were inferior."
"I know."
"Sleep well old man."
The boy went out. They had eaten with no light on the table and the old man took off his trousers and went to bed in the dark. He rolled his trousers up to make a pillow, putting the newspaper inside them. He rolled himself in the blanket and slept on the other old newspapers that covered the springs of the bed. He was asleep in a short time and he dreamed of Africa when he was a boy and the long golden beaches and the white beaches, so white they hurt your eyes, and the high capes and the great brown mountains. He lived along that coast now every night and in his dreams he heard the surf roar and saw the native boats come riding through it. He smelled the tar and oakum of the deck as he slept and he smelled the smell of Africa that the land breeze brought at morning.
中文翻译：
"不。我知道有不少比我强的。"
"哪里！"孩子说。"好渔夫很多，还有些很了不起的。不过顶呱呱的只有你。"
"谢谢你。你说得叫我高兴。我希望不要来一条挺大的鱼，叫我对付不了，那样就说明我们讲错啦。"
"这种鱼是没有的，只要你还是象你说的那样强壮。"
"我也许不象我自以为的那样强壮了，"老人说。"可是我懂得不少窍门，而且有决心。"
"你该就去睡觉，这样明儿早上才精神饱满。我要把这些东西送回露台饭店。"
"那么祝你晚安。早上我去叫醒你。"
"你是我的闹钟，"孩子说。
"年纪是我的闹钟，"老人说。"为什么老头儿醒得特别早？难道是要让白天长些吗？"
"我说不上来，"孩子说。"我只知道少年睡得沉，起得晚。"
"我记在心上，"老人说。"到时候会去叫醒你的。"
"我不愿让船主人来叫醒我。这样似乎我比他差劲了。"
"我懂。"
"安睡吧，老大爷。"
孩子走出屋去。他们刚才吃饭的时候，桌子上没点灯，老人就脱了长裤，摸黑上了床。他把长裤卷起来当枕头，把那张报纸塞在里头。他用毯子裹住了身子，在弹簧垫上铺着的其他旧报纸上睡下了。他不多久就睡熟了，梦见小时候见到的非洲，长长的金色海滩和白色海滩，白得耀眼，还有高耸的海岬和褐色的大山。他如今每天夜里都回到那道海岸边，在梦中听见拍岸海浪的隆隆声，看见土人驾船穿浪而行。他睡着时闻到甲板上柏油和填絮的气味，还闻到早晨陆地上刮来的风带来的非洲气息。
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