我雙手沐浴在這些滲透肌膚的柔和的水珠里,差不多要浸上一個鐘頭,它們在我手指的抓捏下,都油膩膩地散開了,發(fā)出濃郁的油質(zhì),象熟透了的葡萄釀成酒,鼻子里吸足了那純粹的香氣——實際上,真香得跟春天的紫羅蘭一般,總之我告訴你們,這時,我是暫時生活在一片麝香的大草原上。我把我們的可怕的誓言都忘得一干二凈,我已經(jīng)在這種難以形容的抹香鯨油里,洗心革面,撒手不干了。我簡直開始相信從前那種巴拉賽爾斯派的迷信,認為這種抹香鯨油具有消火祛怒的難得的功效。因為我一邊泡在那種沐浴里,一邊神妙地覺得已經(jīng)把一切邪念、惡意、脾氣暴躁以及其它類似等等都蕩滌凈盡了。
Squeeze! squeeze! squeeze! all the morning long; I squeezed that sperm till I myself almost melted into it; I squeezed that sperm till a strange sort of insanity came over me; and I found myself unwittingly squeezing my co-laborers' hands in it, mistaking their hands for the gentle globules. Such an abounding, affectionate, friendly, loving feeling did this avocation beget; that at last I was continually squeezing their hands, and looking up into their eyes sentimentally; as much as to say,—Oh! my dear fellow beings, why should we longer cherish any social acerbities, or know the slightest ill-humor or envy!
捏呀!捏呀!捏呀!我捏了整整一個上午;我捏著那些鯨油,直捏得我自己也差不多溶化在它里頭;我捏著那些鯨油,直捏得我竟奇奇怪怪地神志不清起來;我發(fā)覺我自己竟不知不覺地捏起浸在油里的同伴們的手,把他們的手當成那柔滑的水珠。這種差使竟會產(chǎn)生這樣一種富有深情友愛的情感來;弄得我終于不住地捏著他們的手,滿懷感傷地抬起頭來直望著他們的眼睛;好象在說,——我親愛的伙伴們呵!我們干嗎還要待人尖酸刻薄,或者稍懷一點惡意和妒忌呢!