評論
打印
The English were preceded in the whale fishery by the Hollanders, Zealanders, and Danes; from whom they derived many terms still extant in the fishery; and what is yet more, their fat old fashions, touching plenty to eat and drink. For, as a general thing, the English merchant-ship scrimps her crew; but not so the English whaler.
就從事捕鯨業(yè)說來，荷蘭人，西蘭人和丹麥人都是早于英國人的，他們所創(chuàng)造出來的許多名詞直到如今都還通行于捕魚業(yè)中；而且不僅如此，他們還把那大吃大喝的闊綽古風也給保持下來。因為，一般說來，英國商船對他們的水手都很刻薄；但英國捕鯨船卻不是這樣。
Hence, in the English, this thing of whaling good cheer is not normal and natural, but incidental and particular; and, therefore, must have some special origin, which is here pointed out, and will be still further elucidated.
因此，英國這種把捕鯨搞得有聲有色的情況，并不是正常和天然的，而是偶然和特殊的，所以其中必有特別的來頭，這就是這里所要提出，并將加以進一步說明的。
During my researches in the Leviathanic histories, I stumbled upon an ancient Dutch volume, which, by the musty whaling smell of it, I knew must be about whalers. The title was, "Dan Coopman," wherefore I concluded that this must be the invaluable memoirs of some Amsterdam cooper in the fishery, as every whale ship must carry its cooper. I was reinforced in this opinion by seeing that it was the production of one "Fitz Swackhammer." But my friend Dr. Snodhead, a very learned man, professor of Low Dutch and High German in the college of Santa Claus and St. Potts, to whom I handed the work for translation, giving him a box of sperm candles for his trouble—this same Dr. Snodhead, so soon as he spied the book, assured me that "Dan Coopman" did not mean "The Cooper," but "The Merchant."
在我研究大鯨史料期間，我偶然接觸到一本荷蘭古籍，（這個所謂荷蘭古籍和下面的統計數字是作者模仿斯哥斯比的著作《北極記》第二卷151—152頁而作的游戲文字。）這本書，從它所發(fā)出的霉臭的鯨味看來，我斷定它必是一本談到捕鯨船的書。它的書名叫做"Dan Coopman"，因此，我肯定這本書一定是捕魚業(yè)中某個阿姆斯特丹箍桶匠的珍貴的回憶錄，因為每只捕鯨船都一定配備有箍桶匠。待到我看到這是一位名叫菲斯·斯瓦克哈姆瑪（斯瓦克哈姆瑪——英文可解釋為榔頭咯咯響，因而作者將其肯定為箍桶匠。）的作品的時候，我更加強我這個看法。不過，我有一位叫斯諾黑特博士的朋友，他非常有學問，也是山大·克勞斯大學和圣波特大學的荷蘭語和德語教授，因此，我把這部作品拿去請他翻譯，并送他一盒抹香鯨油燭作為酬勞——這位斯諾黑特博士，一看到書名，就立刻對我說，"Dan Coop-man"并不是"箍桶匠"的意思，而是"商人"。
