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Chapter 82 The Honor and Glory of Whaling
第八十二章 捕鯨業(yè)的令譽(yù)與榮華
There are some enterprises in which a careful disorderliness is the true method.
有若干冒險(xiǎn)事業(yè)，它的真正的規(guī)律就是小心翼翼而又雜亂無章。
The more I dive into this matter of whaling, and push my researches up to the very spring-head of it so much the more am I impressed with its great honorableness and antiquity; and especially when I find so many great demi-gods and heroes, prophets of all sorts, who one way or other have shed distinction upon it, I am transported with the reflection that I myself belong, though but subordinately, to so emblazoned a fraternity.
我越是鉆研捕鯨這事業(yè)，更進(jìn)一步地探索它的源流，就越為它那偉大的光榮和悠久的歷史所深深感動(dòng)；尤其是在我發(fā)現(xiàn)有那么許多偉大的神明、英雄以及各式各樣的先知時(shí)，更是如此，因?yàn)樗麄兌级嗌僭谶@方面有過豐功偉績(jī)，而一想到我自己，不過是個(gè)不入流人物，居然也忝屬如此顯赫的集團(tuán)，可真教我心蕩神移。
The gallant Perseus, a son of Jupiter, was the first whaleman; and to the eternal honor of our calling be it said, that the first whale attacked by our brotherhood was not killed with any sordid intent. Those were the knightly days of our profession, when we only bore arms to succor the distressed, and not to fill men's lamp-feeders. Every one knows the fine story of Perseus and Andromeda; how the lovely Andromeda, the daughter of a king, was tied to a rock on the sea-coast, and as Leviathan was in the very act of carrying her off, Perseus, the prince of whalemen, intrepidly advancing, harpooned the monster, and delivered and married the maid.
丘必特之子，那個(gè)英勇的柏修斯就是捕鯨人的鼻祖；而且實(shí)際上，就我們這個(gè)具有永恒令譽(yù)的行業(yè)說來，我們的道友所攻打的第一條鯨，并不是懷著任何卑鄙的意圖而把它打死的。那還是我們這一行業(yè)替天行道的時(shí)代，我們只是為了援救落難者，而不是為了要為人類添加油壺，才拿起武器的。人人都知道柏修斯和安特洛美達(dá)（安特洛美達(dá)——埃塞俄比亞王塞非斯和后卡西俄彼雅之女，因卡西俄彼雅夸其女姿色勝于龍女，遂觸海神之怒，以致全國(guó)洪水泛濫，妖怪食人。夢(mèng)中神示，若以其女安特洛美達(dá)投海祭妖，乃可免禍。遂將她投海，后得柏修斯殺妖救之，成為柏修斯之妻。）這個(gè)綺麗的故事；這個(gè)可愛的安特洛美達(dá)，這個(gè)國(guó)王的女兒，被縛在海邊一塊大石頭上，當(dāng)大海獸正要把她攫走時(shí)，那個(gè)捕鯨者的王子柏修斯，就勇猛地沖上前去，用標(biāo)槍把那巨獸戳死，救了這位姑娘，同她成親。
