評論
打印
Freeze his blood, and he dies. How wonderful is it then—except after explanation—that this great monster, to whom corporeal warmth is as indispensable as it is to man; how wonderful that he should be found at home, immersed to his lips for life in those Arctic waters! where, when seamen fall overboard, they are sometimes found, months afterwards, perpendicularly frozen into the hearts of fields of ice, as a fly is found glued in amber. But more surprising is it to know, as has been proved by experiment, that the blood of a Polar whale is warmer than that of a Borneo negro in summer.
它的血一凍結，它也就完蛋了。所以，這是多么奇妙——如果不事先講明的話——這種大怪物之需要保持體溫，正跟人類完全相同；可是，它竟會終生沒頭沒腦地躲在北極的海里而過得愉愉快快，這又是多么希奇呵！在那種地方，如果水手跌了下去，有時在好幾個月后被人發現了，都是直挺挺地凍僵在大冰塊里，有如一只蒼蠅給膠住在琥珀里。但是，更奇怪的事情還有著呢，根據試驗證明，一只北極鯨的血，遠比夏天里一個婆羅洲黑人的血還要熱。
It does seem to me, that herein we see the rare virtue of a strong individual vitality, and the rare virtue of thick walls, and the rare virtue of interior spaciousness. Oh, man! admire and model thyself after the whale! Do thou, too, remain warm among ice. Do thou, too, live in this world without being of it. Be cool at the equator; keep thy blood fluid at the Pole. Like the great dome of St. Peter's, and like the great whale, retain, O man! in all seasons a temperature of thine own.
據我看來，從這里，我們就看出一種堅強獨特的生命力的罕有的價值，看出了厚墻固壁的罕有的價值，也看出城府深廣的罕有的價值了。人呀！你應該禮贊鯨，以鯨作為你的楷模！你置身在冰封雪凍的海里，也會渾身暖熱嘛？你如果不象它那樣，也會在這個世界上活下去嘛？在赤道上可別熱血沸騰；在北極上可別讓血凍結。人呀，要象圣彼得大教堂（圣彼得大教堂——意大利文藝復興時代所建的一所最富麗堂皇的教堂，尤其是那圓形大屋頂，據說是舉世無雙的。）的大圓屋頂一樣，更要象那大鯨一樣，一年四季都要保持你自己的溫度！
But how easy and how hopeless to teach these fine things! Of erections, how few are domed like St. Peter's! of creatures, how few vast as the whale!
可是，要傳授這些美妙的東西，是多么容易，又多么無望呵！在建筑物中，能有圣彼得大教堂那樣的大圓屋頂的畢竟是為數寥寥呀！在動物中，能象鯨那么碩大的又是多么屈指可數呀！
