評論
打印
But so decided an original start had Derick had, that spite of all their gallantry, he would have proved the victor in this race, had not a righteous judgment descended upon him in a crab which caught the blade of his midship oarsman. While this clumsy lubber was striving to free his white-ash, and while, in consequence, Derick's boat was nigh to capsizing, and he thundering away at his men in a mighty rage;—that was a good time for Starbuck, Stubb, and Flask. With a shout, they took a mortal start forwards, and slantingly ranged up on the German's quarter. An instant more, and all four boats were diagonically in the whale's immediate wake, while stretching from them, on both sides, was the foaming swell that he made.
德立克滿心明白他早就占先一著，所以，要不是他突然及時地看出他那坐在艇子中間的槳手因為劃得太深而扳住槳葉的話，他準會不顧對方多么勇敢，在這場競賽中占了上風。可是，正當那個笨頭笨腦的槳手在拚命掙脫狂風的襲擊，把德立克的小艇弄得險些翻了身，而德立克又正在怒不可遏地大罵他的水手的時候，——這就給了斯達巴克、斯塔布和弗拉斯克一個好機會了。他們一聲叫嚷，拚命向前一劃，打斜地掠到了德國人那只小艇后邊。再一會兒，這四只小艇都橫在這條大鯨的緊后邊了，而彌漫在這四只小艇中，在小艇的兩側的，就是那條大鯨吐出來的泡沫飛濺的波濤。
It was a terrific, most pitiable, and maddening sight. The whale was now going head out, and sending his spout before him in a continual tormented jet; while his one poor fin beat his side in an agony of fright. Now to this hand, now to that, he yawed in his faltering flight, and still at every billow that he broke, he spasmodically sank in the sea, or sideways rolled towards the sky his one beating fin. So have I seen a bird with clipped wing, making affrighted broken circles in the air, vainly striving to escape the piratical hawks.
這真是一個可怕又最可憐而又使人發狂的場面。現在，這條鯨已經露出頭來，向前游去，在它前面連續不斷地噴出一陣苦惱的噴水，同時嚇得要死地拍擊著它那只可憐的鰭。它搖搖晃晃地亂駛疾奔，一會兒偏向這邊，一會兒偏向那邊；一會兒在它所激起的巨浪里抽搐地往海里沉了一下，一會兒用它那只能夠拍擊的鰭，側斜地朝天翻騰起來。我仿佛看到了一只折翅的鳥兒，在空中恐懼地繞著不成圈兒的圓圈，卻逃不了那些海盜似的鷹群。
