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To trail the genealogies of these high mortal miseries, carries us at last among the sourceless primogenitures of the gods; so that, in the face of all the glad, hay-making suns, and softcymballing, round harvest-moons, we must needs give in to this: that the gods themselves are not for ever glad. The ineffaceable, sad birth-mark in the brow of man, is but the stamp of sorrow in the signers.
要追溯這種無窮無盡的不幸的淵源，最后就會使我們走進那無源無主的神鬼陣里去，因此，不管那個喜洋洋的伏天的太陽，也不管那個小鐃小鈸似的、渾圓的仲秋月，我們卻得承認這一點：神鬼本身也并不是始終愉愉快快的。人類眉頭上那顆抹不掉的。黯淡的黑痣，原來就是那些在獨立宣言上簽過名的人的愁傷的印記呀。
Unwittingly here a secret has been divulged, which perhaps might more properly, in set way, have been disclosed before. With many other particulars concerning Ahab, always had it remained a mystery to some, why it was, that for a certain period, both before and after the sailing of the Pequod, he had hidden himself away with such Grand-Lama-like exclusiveness; and, for that one interval, sought speechless refuge, as it were, among the marble senate of the dead. Captain Peleg's bruited reason for this thing appeared by no means adequate; though, indeed, as touching all Ahab's deeper part, every revelation partook more of significant darkness than of explanatory light. But, in the end, it all came out; this one matter did, at least. That direful mishap was at the bottom of his temporary recluseness. And not only this, but to that ever-contracting, dropping circle ashore, who for any reason, possessed the privilege of a less banned approach to him;
這里，竟無意間泄露出了一個秘密，這些也許是先照老辦法把它揭露出來比較妥當些。在亞哈的許多特點中，總有一點叫人摸不著頭腦的，那就是，為什么他有一個時期，即在"裴廓德號"開航之前和之后，竟象個唯我獨尊的大喇嘛那樣藏了起來；而且，在這段期間里，仿佛象個死人那樣躲在大理石的元老院里，一言不發。法勒船長原先對此所捏造的理由，顯得一點也不充分；實際上，關于亞哈的內心深處的想法，顯露出來的一切總是非常曖昧，而不是正大光明的。不過，到頭來，全都會真相大白；至少，在這件事情上是如此。原來那種悲慘的不幸，暫時都埋藏在他那隱遁的心底里。而且，不僅如此，連岸上那些日益減少而分散的親友，不知怎地，也好象都對他懷著敬而遠之的態度了；
