一生的收获

　　He was 11 years old and went fishing every chance he got from the dock at his family’s cabin on an island in the middle of a New Hampshire lake.

　　他11岁那时，只要一有机会，就会到他家在新汉普郡湖心岛上的小屋的码头上钓鱼。

　　On the day before the bass season opened, he and his father were fishing early in the evening, catching sunfish and perch with worms. Then he tied on a small silver lure and practiced casting. The lure struck the water and caused colored ripples in the sunset, then silver ripples as the moon rose over the lake.

　　鲈鱼季节开放的前一天晚上，他和父亲早早开始垂钓，用小虫作饵钓太阳鱼和鲈鱼。他系上鱼饵，练习如何抛线。鱼钩击在水面，在夕阳中漾起一片金色的涟漪，夜晚月亮升出湖面时，涟漪就成了银色。

　　When his fishing rod doubled over, he knew something huge was on the other end. His father watched with admiration as the boy skillfully worked the fish alongside the dock.

　　当鱼杆向下弯的时候，他知道线的另一端一定钓到了一条大鱼。父亲看着他技巧纯熟地在码头边沿和鱼周旋，眼神充满赞赏。

　　Finally, he very gingerly lifted the exhausted fish from the water. It was the largest one he had ever seen, but it was a bass.

　　最后他小心翼翼地将筋疲力尽的鱼提出水面。这是他所见过的最大的一条，还是一条鲈鱼。

　　The boy and his father looked at the handsome fish, gills playing back and forth in the moonlight. The father lit a match and looked at his watch. It was 10 P.M.-- two hours before the season opened. He looked at the fish, then at the boy.

　　男孩和他父亲看着这条漂亮的鱼，它的鱼鳃在月光下一张一翕。父亲点燃一根火柴，看了看表。十点了--离开禁还有两个小时。他看了看鱼，又看了看男孩。

　　“You’ll have to put it back, son,” he said.

　　"你得把它放回去，孩子，"他说道。

　　“Dad!” cried the boy.

　　"爸爸!"男孩叫道。

　　“There will be other fish,” said his father.

　　"还有其他的鱼嘛，"父亲说道。

　　“Not as big as this one,” cried the boy.

　　"但没这么大，"男孩叫道。

　　He looked around the lake. No other fishermen or boats were anywhere around in the moonlight. He looked again at his father. Even though no one had seen them, nor could anyone ever know what time he caught the fish, the boy could tell by the clarity of his father's voice that the decision was not negotiable. He slowly worked the hook out of the lip of the huge bass and lowered it into the black water.

　　他环视了一遍湖。月光下附近没有其他的渔民或船只。他又看了看他父亲。即使没有人看到他们，更无从得知他们何时钓到了鱼。从父亲不可动摇的语气中，他知道这个决定没有商量余地，他慢慢地将鱼钩从大鲈鱼的唇上取下，然后蹲下将鱼放回水中。

　　The creature swished its powerful body and disappeared. The boy suspected that he would never again see such a great fish.

　　鱼儿摆动着它强健的身躯，消失在水中。男孩想，他可能再也看不到这么大的鱼了。

　　That was 34 years ago. Today, the boy is a successful architect in New York City. His father’s cabin is still there on the island in the middle of the lake. He takes his own son and daughters fishing from the same dock.

　　那是34年前的事了。现在，男孩是纽约的一个成功的建筑师。他父亲的小屋依然在湖心岛上，他带着自己的儿女仍然在同一个码头上钓鱼。