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Now, mustering the spare poles from below, and selecting one of hickory, with the bark still investing it, Ahab fitted the end to the socket of the iron. A coil of new tow-line was then unwound, and some fathoms of it taken to the windlass, and stretched to a great tension. Pressing his foot upon it, till the rope hummed like a harp-string, then eagerly bending over it, and seeing no strandings, Ahab exclaimed, "Good! and now for the seizings."
于是，亞哈打甲板上撿起幾根備用的桿子，挑了一根上面還有枝椏的胡桃木，把它插進標槍的承口。接著，抖開一捆新纜索，撒了十幾英尺，結在絞車上，拉扯得緊繃繃的。亞哈一只腳踏在索上，把繩索弄得直象一支豎琴弦在嗡嗡發響后，急忙俯身下去，看到索股沒有散開，高聲大叫起來，"好極啦！哼，現在可以去抓它啦。"
At one extremity the rope was unstranded, and the separate spread yarns were all braided and woven round the socket of the harpoon; the pole was then driven hard up into the socket; from the lower end the rope was traced halfway along the pole's length, and firmly secured so, with inter-twistings of twine. This done, pole, iron, and rope — like the Three Fates — remained inseparable, and Ahab moodily stalked away with the weapon; the sound of his ivory leg, and the sound of the hickory pole, both hollowly ringing along every plank. But ere he entered his cabin, a light, unnatural, half-bantering, yet most piteous sound was heard. Oh! Pip, thy wretched laugh, thy idle but unresting eye; all thy strange mummeries not unmeaningly blended with the black tragedy of the melancholy ship, and mocked it!
繩尾的索股散開來了，那些散開來的繩股又被辮扎起來，然后，把標槍的承口繞來繞去扎住了；于是，桿子就跟承口接得牢牢靠靠；再把下面的繩頭纏到桿子半中間，以交叉的纏法順著桿子直繞上去，緊緊地縛住。這樣都弄舒齊后，桿子，標槍頭和繩索，就象是命運三女神一般難分難舍了。于是，亞哈心事重重地拿著這支標槍躡手躡足走開了；他那條牙腿和那根胡桃木桿的聲響，沿著船板空洞洞地響著。但是，他還沒有走進他的艙室，卻聽到一陣輕輕的、不自然的、半開玩笑的，然而卻是最可憐的聲音。啊！比普，你那令人討厭的笑聲，你那空幻而眨個不停的眼色，你所有的奇特的啞劇，跟這艘憂郁的船的兇惡的悲劇混在一起，可不是毫無意義的呀！你嘲弄它吧！
