He could not see by the slant of the line that the fish was circling (он не мог определить: «увидеть» по наклону, под которым леса уходила в воду, что рыба кружила). It was too early for that (было слишком рано для этого). He just felt a faint slackening of the pressure of the line (он только почувствовал, как давление лесы слегка ослабло: «почувствал легкое ослабление…»;
"It is a very big circle (это очень большой круг)," he said. "But he is circling (но она кружит)." Then the line would not come in any more (затем леса больше не шла) and he held it until he saw the drops jumping from it in the sun (и он натягивал ее до тех пор, пока не увидел, как капли стали отскакивать от нее на солнце). Then it started out (затем леса стала уходить) and the old man knelt down (и старик встал на колени;
slacken ['slxk(q)n], pivot ['pIvqt], grudgingly ['grAGINlI]
The sun was rising for the third time since he had put to sea when the fish started to circle.
He could not see by the slant of the line that the fish was circling. It was too early for that. He just felt a faint slackening of the pressure of the line and he commenced to pull on it gently with his right hand. It tightened, as always, but just when he reached the point where it would break, line began to come in. He slipped his shoulders and head from under the line and began to pull in line steadily and gently. He used both of his hands in a swinging motion and tried to do the pulling as much as he could with his body and his legs. His old legs and shoulders pivoted with the swinging of the pulling.
"It is a very big circle," he said. "But he is circling." Then the line would not come in any more and he held it until he saw the drops jumping from it in the sun. Then it started out and the old man knelt down and let it go grudgingly back into the dark water.
"He is making the far part of his circle now (она делает дальнюю часть своего круга)," he said. I must hold all I can (я должен держать изо всех сил), he thought. The strain will shorten his circle each time (натяжение будет укорачивать круг каждый раз). Perhaps in an hour I will see him (возможно, через час я увижу ее). Now I must convince him (сейчас я должен убедить ее) and then I must kill him (а затем я должен убить ее).
But the fish kept on circling slowly (но рыба продолжала медленно кружить) and the old man was wet with sweat (и старик был мокр от пота) and tired deep into his bones two hours later (и устал глубоко до самых костей двумя часами позже). But the circles were much shorter now (но круги были теперь гораздо короче) and from the way the line slanted he could tell the fish had risen steadily while he swam (и по тому, под каким углом леса уходила в воду, он знал, что рыба постепенно поднимается, по мере того как плывет).