評論
打印
I think that all this indirectly proceeds from the helpless perplexity of volition, in which their divided and diametrically opposite powers of vision must involve them.
因此，我認為，這種種由于意志紛亂無能而間接產(chǎn)生的現(xiàn)象，一定是跟它們那兩邊對峙的視覺極有關(guān)系。
But the ear of the whale is full as curious as the eye. If you are an entire stranger to their race, you might hunt over these two heads for hours, and never discover that organ. The ear has no external leaf whatever; and into the hole itself you can hardly insert a quill, so wondrously minute is it. It is lodged a little behind the eye. With respect to their ears, this important difference is to be observed between the sperm whale and the right. While the ears of the former has an external opening, that of the latter is entirely and evenly covered over with a membrane, so as to be quite imperceptible from without.
但是，鯨的耳朵也完全跟它的眼睛一樣奇特。如果你對它們的族類全然無知的話，你準會對這兩只大頭搜索了幾個鐘頭而始終找不到那個器官。它那耳朵根本就沒有什么外殼；那只洞孔小得出奇，簡直連一支鵝毛管也插不進。它就長在眼睛稍后一點的地方。說到它們的耳朵，就可以看到抹香鯨與露脊鯨的主要差別了。抹香鯨的耳朵有一個表面的洞孔，而露脊鯨的耳朵卻完全是四平八服地蓋著一層薄膜，從外邊簡直很難叫人看出來。
Is it not curious, that so vast a being as the whale should see the world through so small an eye, and hear the thunder through an ear which is smaller than a hare's? But if his eyes were broad as the lens of Herschel's great telescope; and his ears capacious as the porches of cathedrals; would that make him any longer of sight, or sharper of hearing? Not at all.—Why then do you try to "enlarge" your mind? Subtilize it.
象鯨這樣的龐然大物，竟是通過這么細小的眼睛來觀察萬物，通過比兔子的還小的耳朵來聆聽雷聲，這可不奇怪嗎？不過，如果它的眼睛長得象赫舍爾（威廉·赫舍爾（1738—1822）——英國天文學家，他在一七七四年做成了他的第一只望遠鏡，以后又做出了各種望遠鏡。一七八九年他做成一只焦距四十英尺，鏡徑四英尺的大望遠鏡。）的大望遠鏡的透鏡一樣大；耳朵生得象大教堂的門廊一樣寬的話，是不是就會教它看得更遠，聽得更清呢？倒也不一定——那么，你為什么要設(shè)法"擴大"你的智力呢？你倒仔細分析一下看。
Let us now with whatever levers and steam-engines we have at hand, cant over the sperm whale's head, so, that it may lie bottom up;
現(xiàn)在，讓我們用手邊所有的什么杠桿和蒸汽機來把那只鯨頭翻個身吧，這樣，它就可以仰天躺著。
