Elias had kept the lighthouse for thirty-one years. He knew every rock in the bay by heart and could name the weather before it arrived.
埃利亚斯看守灯塔已经三十一年了。他熟悉海湾里的每一块礁石，还能在天气到来之前说出它的名字。
The storms were the difficult part. When the wind rose, the lamp had to burn without rest, and Elias sat in the glass room at the top, watching the dark water for the lights of small boats.
风暴是最难熬的部分。风起时，灯必须一刻不停地亮着，埃利亚斯就坐在塔顶的玻璃房里，望着漆黑的海面，寻找小船上的灯光。
One November night, a fishing boat lost its engine. The captain could not see the shore. Elias turned the lamp by hand, because the motor had failed at the worst possible moment, and he kept turning it until dawn.
十一月的一个夜晚，一艘渔船发动机坏了。船长看不见海岸。埃利亚斯用手转动灯，因为电动机偏偏在最糟糕的时刻出了故障，他一直转到天亮。
At sunrise the boat came in safely, and the captain climbed the stairs to thank him. Elias only nodded and poured two cups of coffee.
日出时，船安全进港，船长爬上楼梯向他道谢。埃利亚斯只是点点头，倒了两杯咖啡。
"You saved us," the captain said.
“你救了我们。”船长说。
"No," Elias replied. "I simply did my work."
“不，”埃利亚斯回答，“我只是做了我的工作。”
He retired the next spring. The town put a small brass plate on the door with his name, and the light still turns above it every night.
第二年春天他退休了。镇上在门上钉了一块写着他名字的小铜牌，那盏灯至今每晚仍在他上方转动。