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I, Ishmael, was one of that crew; my shouts had gone up with the rest;
我,以實瑪利,是那些水手中的一員;我的叫喊聲已經(jīng)同他們的一起爆發(fā)了;
my oath had been welded with theirs; and stronger I shouted, and more did I hammer and clinch my oath, because of the dread in my soul.
我的誓言已經(jīng)同他們的結(jié)合在一起了;我越叫得響亮,就把我的誓言槌扣得越緊,因為我的靈魂感到畏懼。
A wild, mystical, sympathetical feeling was in me; Ahab's quenchless feud seemed mine.
我有一種狂熱而神秘的同情心:亞哈那難以壓制的仇恨仿佛也就是我的仇恨。
With greedy ears I learned the history of that murderous monster against whom I and all the others had taken our oaths of violence and revenge.
我這雙貪婪的耳朵已經(jīng)聽到了那只兇殘的巨獸的故事,我和所有其他的人都已對它發(fā)下我們的激烈和雪恨的誓言了。
For some time past, though at intervals only, the unaccompanied, secluded White Whale had haunted those uncivilized seas mostly frequented by the Sperm Whale fishermen.
那條離群索居的白鯨,在過去,只是不時出沒在那些為捕抹香鯨者最常去的蠻荒的海洋上。
But not all of them knew of his existence; only a few of them, comparatively, had knowingly seen him;
并不是全部的捕鯨者都知道這條白鯨的;只有比較少數(shù)的捕鯨者曾經(jīng)有意識地看到過它;
while the number who as yet had actually and knowingly given battle to him, was small indeed.
實際上,有意識地去打它的確實是為數(shù)不多。
For, owing to the large number of whale-cruisers;
因為捕鯨船只數(shù)目很多;
the disorderly way they were sprinkled over the entire watery circumference, many of them adventurously pushing their quest along solitary latitudes, so as seldom or never for a whole twelvemonth or more on a stretch, to encounter a single news-telling sail of any sort; the inordinate length of each separate voyage;
它們又都是混亂地散布在整個海洋上,其中有許多還到荒僻的地方去作冒險的探索,因而往往在一年多的一趟航程中,難得或者可說是決不會碰到任何一只報告任何消息的船只;
the irregularity of the times of sailing from home;
每次航程都是非常之長;
all these, with other circumstances, direct and indirect, long obstructed the spread through the whole world-wide whaling-fleet of the special individualizing tidings concerning Moby Dick.
出航時間沒有規(guī)律,所有這些,加上直接間接的其它種種情形,就使得有關莫比－迪克這個獨特的消息長期以來無法在全世界整個捕鯨船隊中傳播開來。
