評論
打印
"Lost by a whale! Young man, come nearer to me: it was devoured, chewed up, crunched by the monstrousest parmacetty that ever chipped a boat!--ah, ah!"
"給大鯨搞掉的!小伙子,走過來一些;那條腿是讓那種打擊小艇從來沒有打擊得這般厲害的。最可惡的抹香鯨給咬了,嚼了,吞了的!。噯,噯!"
I was a little alarmed by his energy, perhaps also a little touched at the hearty grief in his concluding exclamation, but said as calmly as I could, "What you say is no doubt true enough, sir; but how could I know there was any peculiar ferocity in that particular whale, though indeed I might have inferred as much from the simple fact of the accident."
他那副神氣有點兒叫我吃了一驚,也許剛才聽到他在結末時的感嘆聲中那種真切的悲痛聲氣而使我也有點兒感動,不過,我還是很鎮定地說,"你說的當然是完全確實的,先生;但是,我怎能知道那一條鯨那樣的兇惡呢,雖說我確實還可以從這樁事故的簡單事實推知許多情況。"
"Look ye now, young man, thy lungs are a sort of soft, d'ye see; thou dost not talk shark a bit. Sure, ye've been to sea before now; sure of that?"
"你聽著,小伙子,你還是個嫩家伙,你說可對;你也沒有說什么冒充內行的話。不錯,你曾出過海,可對嗎?"
"Sir," said I, "I thought I told you that I had been four voyages in the merchant-"
"先生,"我說,"我想我剛才已經對你說過,我出過四趟海,是在商。"
"Hard down out of that! Mind what I said about the marchant service-- don't aggravate me--I won't have it. But let us understand each other. I have given thee a hint about what whaling is! do ye yet feel inclined for it?"
"別再說下去了!要記住我對干商船是怎么個說法。別逗惱我。我不要聽這些話。不過,我們不妨把話說清楚。捕鯨是這么一回事,我已經略為對你說過了;你可還有意要干么?"
"I do, sir."
"我干,先生。"
"Very good. Now, art thou the man to pitch a harpoon down a live whale's throat, and then jump after it? Answer, quick!"
"很好。那么,你可有膽量把標槍直對著一條活鯨的喉嚨戳下去,然后又沖去追擊它呢?回答,快點!"
"I am, sir, if it should be positively indispensable to do so; not to be got rid of, that is; which I don't take to be the fact."
"我有,先生,如果是非這樣干不可的話;那就是說,毫無辦法,非得如此干不可的話;我并不認為會發生這種情況。"
