At the well known, methodic intervals, the whale's glittering spout was regularly announced from the manned mast-heads; and when he would be reported as just gone down, Ahab would take the time, and then pacing the deck, binnacle-watch in hand, so soon as the last second of the allotted hour expired, his voice was heard. — "Whose is the doubloon now? D'ye see him?" and if the reply was No, sir! straightway he commanded them to lift him to his perch. In this way the day wore on; Ahab, now aloft and motionless; anon, unrestingly pacing the planks.
桅頂上的人,按部就班地定時定刻報告大鯨的閃光的噴水;每當(dāng)報告它剛剛沉下去了時,亞哈就把時辰記下,然后,手里拿著羅盤表,在甲板上踱來踱去,一到過了預(yù)定時刻的最后一秒鐘,便聽到了他的聲音——。"這會兒那枚金幣該誰的嘍?你們可看到白鯨嘛?"如果回答是:沒有,先生!他就立即叫人把他升到他的守望崗位上去。一天就這樣地過去;亞哈一會兒高高在上,一動不動;一會兒又爬下來,心緒不寧地在船板上踱來踱去。
As he was thus walking, uttering no sound, except to hail the men aloft, or to bid them hoist a sail still higher, or to spread one to a still greater breadth — thus to and fro pacing, beneath his slouched hat, at every turn he passed his own wrecked boat, which had been dropped upon the quarter-deck, and lay there reversed; broken bow to shattered stern. At last he paused before it; and as in an already over-clouded sky fresh troops of clouds will sometimes sail across, so over the old man's face there now stole some such added gloom as this.
他這樣走來走去,一聲不吭,除了招呼一下上邊的人,或者教他們把一張風(fēng)帆再扯高些,或者把另一張風(fēng)帆再張大些——他就這樣低掛著帽子,來回地踱著,每一轉(zhuǎn)身,他總要望一望他自己那只破艇。這只破艇放在后甲板上,倒頭放在那里,殘破的艇頭跟粉碎的艇梢對換了位置。最后,他在小艇跟前停將下來;好象在那本來已是滿天烏黑的天空中,不時又有陣陣的流云掠過那樣,這個老人臉上,這會兒也是這樣,又悄悄添上一層憂郁的神色。
Stubb saw him pause; and perhaps intending, not vainly, though, to evince his own unabated fortitude, and thus keep up a valiant place in his Captain's mind, he advanced, and eyeing the wreck exclaimed — "The thistle the ass refused; it pricked his mouth too keenly, sir; ha! ha! ha!"
斯塔布看到亞哈停下來;也許是有意(雖說并無得意洋洋之概)要表現(xiàn)一下他自己的毫不衰退的堅忍不拔的精神,從而使他在船長心里留下一個勇敢的印象,他走上前去,眼睛瞪著那只破艇,喊道——"這是連驢子也不吃的薊;因為會把它的嘴戳得太厲害,先生,哈!哈!"