評(píng)論
打印
No.But what the stingy old Bildad might have a mighty deal to say about shipping hands, especially as I now found him on board the Pequod, quite at home there in the cabin, and reading his Bible as if at his own fireside. Now while Peleg was vainly trying to mend a pen with his jack-knife, old Bildad, to my no small surprise, considering that he was such an interested party in these proceedings; Bildad never heeded us, but went on mumbling to himself out of his book, Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth-
不過,我就弄不懂,為什么這個(gè)吝嗇的比勒達(dá)老頭又會(huì)有掌理雇用水手的大權(quán),尤其是我這時(shí)看到他在裴廓德號(hào)上,舒服地坐在艙房里,念著他的《圣經(jīng)》,仿佛是坐在自己家里的火爐旁邊。這時(shí),正當(dāng)法勒在用他的小刀想修補(bǔ)那支筆而修補(bǔ)不好的時(shí)候,叫我吃驚不小的是,比勒達(dá)卻始終沒有理會(huì)我們,只是繼續(xù)在念他的書,不要為自己積攢財(cái)寶在地上,地上有蟲子。
Well, Captain Bildad, interrupted Peleg, what d'ye say, what lay shall we give this young man?
那么,比勒達(dá)船長(zhǎng),法勒打斷他說,你怎么說,我們?cè)摻o這個(gè)小伙子多少拆賬呢?
Thou knowest best, was the sepulchral reply, the seven hundred and seventy-seventh wouldn't be too much, would it?--'where moth and rust do corrupt, but lay-'
你比我懂得多,他陰森森地回答道,七百七十七分之一不會(huì)太多吧,會(huì)嗎?地上有蟲子咬,能銹壞,只要積攢。
Lay, indeed, thought I, and such a lay! the seven hundred and seventy-seventh! Well, old Bildad, you are determined that I, for one, shall not lay up many lays here below, where moth and rust do corrupt. It was an exceedingly long lay that, indeed; and though from the magnitude of the figure it might at first deceive a landsman, yet the slightest consideration will show that though seven hundred and seventy-seven is a pretty large number, yet, when you come to make a teenth of it, you will then see, I say, that the seven hundred and seventy-seventh part of a farthing is a good deal less than seven hundred and seventy-seven gold doubloons; and so I thought at the time.
我心里想,好一個(gè)積攢,這樣的拆賬!七百七十七分之一!好吧,比勒達(dá)老頭,你已經(jīng)肯定了我這個(gè)人不該把許多拆賬積攢在地下了,因?yàn)?在那里,有蟲子咬,能銹壞。這倒真是個(gè)了不起的大拆賬,雖然從那個(gè)大數(shù)字看來,也許一開始騙得了一個(gè)陸地人,然而,略為思索一下,就會(huì)知道盡管七百七十七是個(gè)相當(dāng)可觀的數(shù)目,可是,如果你把它當(dāng)做一個(gè)分母看,那我說,你就知道一個(gè)法尋的七百七十七分之一跟七百七十七塊金圓卻是天差地別的了;當(dāng)時(shí),我心里就這么想著。
Why, blast your eyes, Bildad, cried Peleg, Thou dost not want to swindle this young man! he must have more than that.
怎么,見你的鬼,比勒達(dá),法勒嚷了起來,你該不想誆騙這個(gè)小伙子吧!他必須拿得比這多些。
