Chapter 59 Squid
第五十九章 大烏賊魚
Slowly wading through the meadows of brit, the Pequod still held on her way north-eastward towards the island of Java; a gentle air impelling her keel, so that in the surrounding serenity her three tall tapering masts mildly waved to that languid breeze, as three mild palms on a plain. And still, at wide intervals in the silvery night, the lonely, alluring jet would be seen.
裴廓德號慢慢地蕩過那片小魚牧場后,仍然繼續(xù)朝東北方,向著爪哇島駛?cè)?,和風推拍著它的船身,因此,在四周一派寧靜中,它那三支又高又細的桅桿,合著那股徐徐的微風輕輕地擺動,宛如平原上三棵柔軟的棕櫚樹。但是,在銀色的夜空里,每隔好久,還時時可以看到那個孤寂誘人的噴水。
But one transparent blue morning, when a stillness almost preternatural spread over the sea, however unattended with any stagnant calm; when the long burnished sun-glade on the waters seemed a golden finger laid across them, enjoining some secrecy; when the slippered waves whispered together as they softly ran on; in this profound hush of the visible sphere a strange spectre was seen by Daggoo from the main-mast-head.
有一天早晨,天宇明朗湛藍,當時,海上彌漫著一片可說是超常的寧靜。卻又一點也不是死氣沉沉的靜寂;海面上那一大片輝煌絢爛的陽光,象是有一只在吩咐什么機密事情的金手擱在那上面;滑板似的浪潮一面輕輕向前滾去,一面喁喁私語;就在這種幽靜得顯明可見的氛圍里,大個兒在主桅頂上看到了一個奇怪的鬼東西。
In the distance, a great white mass lazily rose, and rising higher and higher, and disentangling itself from the azure, at last gleamed before our prow like a snow-slide, new slid from the hills. Thus glistening for a moment, as slowly it subsided, and sank. Then once more arose, and silently gleamed.
遠處,有一大團白色的東西,慢吞吞地升起,離開蔚藍的海面,越升越高,最后在我們的船頭閃閃發(fā)光,好象剛從山崗上滑下來的雪崩。它這樣閃爍一會兒后,又慢慢地下降,沉下去。接著又再升起,悄悄地閃爍一會。