The Pequod's prows were pointed-, and breaking up the charmed circle, she effectually parted the white whale from his victim. As he sullenly swam off, the boats flew to the rescue.
裴廓德號船頭一掉,迎風(fēng)駛?cè)?,沖破那個魔法似的圈圈,總算把白鯨跟它那些受害者給隔開了。白鯨悻悻地游開了,小艇飛快地劃去營救。
Dragged into Stubb's boat with blood-shot, blinded eyes, the white brine caking in his wrinkles; the long tension of Ahab's bodily strength did crack, and helplessly he yielded to his body's doom for a time, lying all crushed in the bottom of Stubb's boat, like one trodden under foot of herds of elephants. Far inland, nameless wails came from him, as desolate sounds from out ravines.
人們把亞哈拖進了斯塔布的小艇里,亞哈兩眼充血,眼花繚亂,臉上的皺紋都粘著白花花的淚水;他那緊張了好久的體力確實是垮了,暫時不得不因他這個倒楣身體而服輸,萎癟癟地躺在斯塔布的艇肚里,象個遭到象群踐踏過的人。他發(fā)出的幽沉而難以形容的哭聲,猶如來自遠方的深谷孤音。
But this intensity of his physical prostration did but so much the more abbreviate it. In an instant's compass, great hearts sometimes condense to one deep pang, the sum total of those shallow pains kindly diffused through feebler men's whole lives. And so, such hearts, though summary in each one suffering; still, if the gods decree it, in their life-time aggregate a whole age of woe, wholly made up of instantaneous intensities; for even in their pointless centres, those noble natures contain the entire circumferences of inferior souls.
可是,他這種體力上的劇烈虛脫,卻反而來得快也消得快。偉大人物,剎那間所積起的深重痛苦,往往等于常人終其一生所經(jīng)歷的全部平淡痛苦。因此,這種人物,盡管是一樁一樁苦難加起來的,然而,如果天意已定,他們一生的經(jīng)歷便成了整整一個時代的悲痛;而且完全是多次的剎那間的劇烈痛苦積聚起來的,因為哪怕是他們的最微末的一點痛苦,就其高尚的性質(zhì)說來,就抵得上低劣的人整整一生的痛苦。
The harpoon, said Ahab, half way rising, and draggingly leaning on one bended arm — "is it safe?"
標槍,亞哈抬起半個身子來,慢吞吞地用一只曲起的胳臂支撐著——"沒有出毛病吧?"
Aye, sir, for it was not darted; this is it, said Stubb, showing it.
沒有,先生,它還沒有用過;喏,在這里,斯塔布把標槍拿給他看。
Lay it before me; — any missing men?
把它放在我面前;——有沒有人失蹤?
One, two, three, four, five; — there were five oars, sir, and here are five men.
一,二,三,四,五;——一共五支槳,先生,五個人都在這里。