評論
打印
For truly, the Right Whale's mouth would accommodate a couple of whist-tables, and comfortably seat all the players. Possibly, too, Jonah might have ensconced himself in a hollow tooth; but, on second thoughts, the Right Whale is toothless.
因為露脊鯨的嘴確實可以容納二張玩惠斯特牌（惠斯特牌——四人同玩的一種紙牌名。）的牌桌，教所有的玩牌人坐得舒舒服服。約拿可能是藏身在大鯨的一只豁牙里也說不定；不過，再一想，露脊鯨是沒有牙齒的。
Another reason which Sag-Harbor (he went by that name) urged for his want of faith in this matter of the prophet, was something obscurely in reference to his incarcerated body and the whale's gastric juices. But this objection likewise falls to the ground, because a German exegetist supposes that Jonah must have taken refuge in the floating body of a dead whale— even as the French soldiers in the Russian campaign turned their dead horses into tents, and crawled into them. Besides, it has been divined by other continental commentators, that when Jonah was thrown overboard from the Joppa ship, he straightway effected his escape to another vessel near by, some vessel with a whale for a figure-head; and, I would add, possibly called "The Whale," as some craft are nowadays christened the "Shark," the "Gull," the "Eagle." Nor have there been wanting learned exegetists who have opined that the whale mentioned in the book of Jonah merely meant a life-preserver—an inflated bag of wind—which the endangered prophet swam to, and so was saved from a watery doom.
這個薩格港佬（他就叫這個名字）強調說，他不相信這個先知在這方面的事情的另一個理由是，關于約拿那個被幽禁著的身體和大鯨的胃液這問題有點兒叫人弄不清楚。但是，這個異議又是同樣地不堪一擊，因為有一個德國的經典注釋家說過，約拿一定是躲在一只漂浮的死鯨肚里的——如同俄法戰爭時，法國兵把死馬拉進了他們的營帳里后，爬進馬尸內一樣。再說，還有其它一些大陸派的注釋家都曾這樣推測過，說是當約拿從佐伯船上被拋到海里去的時候，他當即安然躲上附近的另一只小船，是一種在船頭上刻有一條鯨的小船，而且，我得插上一句說，那只小船的名稱可能就是"大鯨"，一如現代有些小船命名為"鯊魚"，"海鷗"，"鷹隼"一樣。而且還有不少學識淵博的注釋家，他們都認為《約拿書》上所提到的那條鯨，不過就是一只救生圈——一只打了氣的脹鼓鼓的袋子——這個身處險境的先知游到救生圈那邊后，就免于遭到滅頂之災。
