評(píng)論
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This ignorant, unconscious fearlessness of his made him a little waggish in the matter of whales; he followed these fish for the fun of it; and a three years' voyage round Cape Horn was only a jolly joke that lasted that length of time. As a carpenter's nails are divided into wrought nails and cut nails; so mankind may be similarly divided. Little Flask was one of the wrought ones; made to clinch tight and last long. They called him King-Post on board of the Pequod; because, in form, he could be well likened to the short, square timber known by that name in Arctic whalers; and which by the means of many radiating side timbers inserted into it, serves to brace the ship against the icy concussions of those battering seas.
他這種愚昧無(wú)知的無(wú)畏精神,使他有點(diǎn)把捕鯨當(dāng)成一件兒戲;他只是為了好玩才去追擊這些大魚;而環(huán)游合恩角的三年航程,也不過(guò)是時(shí)間上比較長(zhǎng)些的有趣的玩笑而已。木匠的釘子有粗釘和細(xì)釘之分;人類也同樣可以這樣分法。小弗拉斯克就是一種粗釘;生成可以派敲得緊,經(jīng)得久的用場(chǎng)。他們都管他叫做"裴廓德號(hào)"上的中柱;因?yàn)?他那副樣子,可真象北極的捕鯨者所稱為中柱的那種短小四方的木頭;它靠著嵌在它里面的四邊突出的小木頭,可以用來(lái)拉緊船只,免得遭到海洋的七凸八凹的冰塊的沖擊。
Now these three mates--Starbuck, Stubb and Flask, were momentous men. They it was who by universal prescription commanded three of the Pequod's boats as headsmen. In that grand order of battle in which Captain Ahab would probably marshal his forces to descend on the whales, these three headsmen were as captains of companies. Or, being armed with their long keen whaling spears, they were as a picked trio of lancers; even as the harpooneers were flingers of javelins.
說(shuō)到大二三副這三個(gè)人...斯達(dá)巴克,斯塔布和弗拉斯克,都是舉足輕重的人物。按照到處通行的舊習(xí)慣,統(tǒng)率"裴廓德號(hào)"三只小艇,擔(dān)任指揮的就是他們這三個(gè)人。碰到擺開(kāi)大架勢(shì)的戰(zhàn)斗,亞哈船長(zhǎng)可能要去施展全力降伏大鯨的時(shí)候,這三個(gè)指揮者就是聯(lián)合船長(zhǎng)了。有的時(shí)候,一經(jīng)配備了長(zhǎng)長(zhǎng)的。銳利的鯨槍,他們就是三個(gè)精選的槍手,如同那些標(biāo)槍手也是好標(biāo)槍手一樣。
And since in this famous fishery, each mate or headsman, like a Gothic Knight of old, is always accompanied by his boat-steerer or harpooneer, who in certain conjunctures provides him with a fresh lance, when the former one has been badly twisted, or elbowed in the assault; and moreover, as there generally subsists between the two, a close intimacy and friendliness; it is therefore but meet, that in this place we set down who the Pequod's harpooneers were, and to what headsman each of them belonged.
同時(shí),因?yàn)樵谶@種著名的捕魚業(yè)中,大二三副或者指揮者,都象古代的峨特武士一樣,總各有他的掌舵手和標(biāo)槍手隨侍在側(cè),這些人,逢到指揮者在獵擊中,魚槍一時(shí)間給扭壞了,弄彎了,便可以及時(shí)地給他遞上一支新槍;而且,一般說(shuō)來(lái),他們彼此間還都保持著一種親切的友誼;因此,在這里,必須把"裴廓德號(hào)"那些個(gè)標(biāo)槍手也給記點(diǎn)下來(lái),并說(shuō)明一下他們是各歸哪一位指揮者管轄的。
First of all was Queequeg, whom Starbuck, the chief mate, had selected for his squire. But Queequeg is already known.
首先是魁魁格,大副斯達(dá)巴克已經(jīng)把他挑去做他的隨從了。不過(guò),魁魁格我們已經(jīng)知道了,這里無(wú)庸多說(shuō)。
