評論
打印
Almost forgetting for the moment all thoughts of Moby Dick, we now gazed at the most wondrous phenomenon which the secret seas have hitherto revealed to mankind. A vast pulpy mass, furlongs in length and breadth, of a glancing cream-color, lay floating on the water, innumerable long arms radiating from its centre, and curling and twisting like a nest of anacondas, as if blindly to clutch at any hapless object within reach. No perceptible face or front did it have; no conceivable token of either sensation or instinct; but undulated there on the billows, an unearthly, formless, chance-like apparition of life.
我們頓時簡直把有關莫比－迪克的所有想法都給忘得干干凈凈，大家盡凝望著那神秘的海洋迄今所曾顯示于人類的最為奇妙的景象。一大團軟綿綿的東西，縱橫有好幾個弗隆（弗隆——英國長度單位，等于八分之一英里或201.167米。），閃著奶油色，漂泛在海面上，在它身體中央輻射出了無數的長手臂，卷卷曲曲，七纏八繞，活象一窩蟒蛇，仿佛盲沖瞎撞地要把任何碰得到的倒霉東西捉住似的。既看不出它究竟有沒有臉相；又辨不清它有否感覺；但見一個神秘的、無定形的、偶然出現(xiàn)似的活幽靈在波濤間起伏。
As with a low sucking sound it slowly disappeared again, Starbuck still gazing at the agitated waters where it had sunk, with a wild voice exclaimed,
在它發(fā)出一陣低微的吮吸聲后，又慢慢地消失的時候，還在朝它沉下去的急激的水面凝視著的斯達巴克，突然狂叫起來，
"Almost rather had I seen Moby Dick and fought him, than to have seen thee, thou white ghost!"
“你這白鬼，看到你這副鬼模樣，我倒寧可看到莫比－迪克，跟它撲打一頓！”
What was it, Sir? said Flask.
“那是什么東西，先生？”弗拉斯克說。
The great live squid, which, they say, few whale-ships ever beheld, and returned to their ports to tell of it.
“大烏賊魚，這種東西，據說，捕鯨船難得看到，只聽到看過的人回港埠后說起它。”
But Ahab said nothing; turning his boat, he sailed back to the vessel; the rest as silently following.
可是，亞哈什么都不說，把他的小艇掉了頭，劃回大船去了；其余三只小艇，也都悄悄地跟上去。
