評論
打印
For, as it eventually turned out, he cared not to consort, even for five minutes, with any stranger captain,except he could contribute some of that information he so absorbingly sought. But all this might remain inadequately estimated, were not something said here of the peculiar usages of whaling-vessels when meeting eachother in foreign seas, and especially on a common cruising-ground.
因為，一如以后的事實所證明的，他甚至不高興跟任何一個陌生船長進行哪怕是五分鐘的交往，除非是對方能夠對他那種寤寐以求的東西提供一點消息。可是，如果我不在這里說一說一般捕鯨船的特殊習俗，說一說兩艘船彼此在外洋上，尤其在一般巡游場上相遇時的一般情況，那么，所有這一切估計還是不挺恰切。
If two strangers crossing the Pine Barrens in New York State, or the equally desolate Salisbury Plain in England; if casually encountering each other in such inhospitable wilds, these twain, for the life of them, cannot well avoid a mutual salutation; and stopping for a moment to interchange the news; and, perhaps, sittingdown for a while and resting in concert: then, how much more natural that upon the illimitable Pine Barrens and Salisbury Plains of the sea, two whaling vessels descrying each other at the ends of the earth--off loneFanning's Island, or the far away King's Mills; how much more natural, I say, that under such circumstances these ships should not only interchange hails, but come into still closer, more friendly and sociable contact. And especially would this seem to be a matter of course, in the case of vessels owned in one seaport, andwhose captains, officers, and not a few of the men are personally known to each other; and consequently, have all sorts of dear domestic things to talk about.
如果有兩個陌生人在經過紐約州的松林砂地(松林砂地——指一些遍生茂密的松林的砂地。)，或者在經過同樣荒僻的英國的索爾茲巴立平原(索爾茲巴立平原——在英國尉爾特郡。)的時候，如果他們彼此偶然在這么荒涼的原野相遇了，這兩個人，無論如何，總免不了要彼此招呼一聲，停下來互通一下消息，也許還不約而同地坐下來休息一陣，那么，象在這種無邊無涯的松林砂地和索爾茲巴立平原似的海洋上，兩艘捕鯨船在天涯地角——在荒涼的法寧之島(法寧之島——在太平洋之北的一個英屬珊瑚島，以發現者美國人法寧命名。)上，或者是在老遠老遠的“國王的磨坊”(“國王的磨坊”——系作者故意開玩笑的一個島名，即金氏米爾群島，又稱吉爾柏特群島，它包括有十六個環狀瑚瑚島，在太平洋上為赤道所平分，位于東經一百七十及一百八十度間。)中相見的時候，彼此打個招呼，可多么合情合理，我說，在這樣的情況下，兩艘船不但要互作招呼，而且還要駛攏來，更友善和藹的接觸一番，那又是多么合情合理！尤其是萬一這兩艘船都是同鄉人，他們的船長們，船上的頭目，和大多數的水手們又都是彼此熟悉的，那么，這就更是理所當然的了，這樣一來，就有各種可愛的家鄉事情可以談談了。
