First take your leg off from the crown of the anchor here, though, so I can pass the rope; now listen. What's the mighty difference between holding a mast's lightning-rod in the storm, and standing close by a mast that hasn't got any lightning-rod at all in a storm? Don't you see, you timber-head, that no harm can come to the holder of the rod, unless the mast is first struck? What are you talking about, then? Not one ship in a hundred carries rods, and Ahab, — aye, man, and all of us, — were in no more danger then, in my poor opinion, than all the crews in ten thousand ships now sailing the seas. Why, you King-Post, you, I suppose you would have every man in the world go about with a small lightning-rod running up the corner of his hat, like a militia officer's skewered feather, and trailing behind like his sash. Why don't ye be sensible, Flask? it's easy to be sensible; why don't ye, then? any man with half an eye can be sensible.
你先把腳拿開，別擱在錨頂上，讓我把繩索兜過去；現在；聽著。在暴風雨里拿著一根桅桿避雷針，跟在暴風雨里站在一根本來就沒有什么避雷針的桅桿邊，這中間有什么重大的分別呀？你知道，你這傻瓜，除非是桅桿先讓轟擊了，拿避雷針的人決不會遭到什么傷害？那么，你在扯些什么？一百艘船里頭，裝有避雷針的，連一艘都不到，那么，亞哈，——喂，朋友，也包括我們大家在內，——按照我的鄙見，也是跟現在正在海上航行的十萬艘船的全體水手一樣沒有危險。怎么，你這個中柱，你呀，我看，你是要叫世界上每個人都在帽子上插著一根小避雷針走來走去，就象一個民兵隊長拖著一串雞毛，象頭帶那樣拖在背后，這才痛快。你為什么這樣不明白事理，弗拉斯克？明白事理又不是什么難事；你為什么不明白事理？隨便什么人，哪怕是長了半只眼睛的人也會明白事理。
I don't know that, Stubb. You sometimes find it rather hard.
這我不知道，斯塔布。有時候總覺得這是很難懂的。
Yes, when a fellow's soaked through, it's hard to be sensible, that's a fact. And I am about drenched with this spray. Never mind; catch the turn there, and pass it. Seems to me we are lashing down these anchors now as if they were never going to be used again. Tying these two anchors here, Flask, seems like tying a man's hands behind him. And what big generous hands they are, to be sure. These are your iron fists, hey? What a hold they have, too!
當然啦，一個渾身濕透了的人，是很難明白事理的，這倒是事實。我也要給這浪花潑得渾身濕淋淋了。可是，不要緊：喂，捉住那錨角，把繩子撩過去。據我看來，我們現在在縛著的這些錨，好象是從此再也用不著它了。弗拉斯克，把這兩只錨縛在這里，就象是把一個人雙手反縛起來那樣。老實說，這兩只手有多大呀。嗨，這些就是你的鐵拳頭嘛？它們可有多大的力氣呵！
評論
打印
