飯前禱告做過(guò)后...因?yàn)樗麄円哺覀円粯?飯前要做禱告...不過(guò),魁魁格告訴我,做法跟我們不同,我們?cè)谶@種場(chǎng)合上是俯對(duì)著我們的杯盤(pán)做的,他們卻相反地,摹仿鴨子的樣子,仰望著各種筵席的那個(gè)偉大的"賞賜者"...卻說(shuō)飯前禱告做過(guò)后,祭司長(zhǎng)就按照這個(gè)島國(guó)的萬(wàn)古不易的禮節(jié)來(lái)開(kāi)席了;就是說(shuō),把他那圣化的。而現(xiàn)在正在做圣事的手指浸到那只還未對(duì)客人巡酒的喜酒壺里。那個(gè)船長(zhǎng)看到自己就坐在祭司長(zhǎng)的鄰座,他一邊注意著這種禮節(jié),一邊暗自忖量...身為一船之長(zhǎng)...明明又是坐在一個(gè)小小的島國(guó)國(guó)王的上首,尤其是正坐在國(guó)王自己的家里...于是,這個(gè)船長(zhǎng)就不動(dòng)聲色地在潘趣酒壺里洗起手來(lái);我想他是把它當(dāng)作一只大指盆的。"現(xiàn)在,"魁魁格說(shuō),"現(xiàn)在你怎么個(gè)想法?我們那些人沒(méi)有笑話他嗎?"
At last, passage paid, and luggage safe, we stood on board the schooner. Hoisting sail, itglided down the Acushnet river. On one side, New Bedford rose in terraces of streets, their ice-covered trees all glittering in the clear, cold air. Huge hills and mountains of casks on caskswere piled upon her wharves, and side by side the world-wandering whale ships lay silent andsafely moored at last; while from others came a sound of carpenters and coopers, with blendednoises of fires and forges to melt the pitch, all betokening that new cruises were on the start;that one most perilous and long voyage ended, only begins a second; and a second ended, onlybegins a third, and so on, for ever and for aye. Such is the endlessness, yea, the intolerablenessof all earthly effort.
最后,付過(guò)船票,安頓了行李,我們就搭上那只縱帆船。篷帆扯起,船只順著阿庫(kù)希奈河徐徐而下。這一邊是新貝德福顯現(xiàn)在房屋鱗次櫛比的街道中,街上那些冰封的樹(shù)木都在晴冷的空間閃閃發(fā)光。桶子象大小丘陵似的堆積在碼頭上,浪游世界的捕鯨船終于又悄悄而安全地停泊在旁邊;另一邊傳來(lái)木匠桶匠的聲音,還混雜著為了融化瀝青的火燒鐵打的聲音,一切都表示著新的巡弋已經(jīng)開(kāi)始;也表示著一次最危險(xiǎn)的長(zhǎng)距離航程雖然結(jié)束了,卻不過(guò)是第二次航程的開(kāi)始;而第二次航程的結(jié)束,又不過(guò)是第三次航程的開(kāi)始,如此循環(huán)不息,永無(wú)止境。這就是整個(gè)人間的無(wú)休無(wú)止而且是難堪的努力。