文摘

It will be seen that this mere painstaking burrower and grub-worm of a poor devil of a Sub-Sub appears to have gone through the long Vaticans and street-stalls of the earth, picking up whatever random allusions to whales he could anyways find in any book whatsoever, sacred or profane.

看得出來，這位可憐蟲「副副圖書館員」不過是個埋頭苦幹、像蛀蟲般的鑽營者；他似乎跑遍了世上漫長的梵蒂岡藏書與街頭書攤，凡任何書裡——不論神聖或世俗——只要找得到隨手提及鯨魚的片段，都一一撿拾起來。

Therefore you must not, in every case at least, take the higgledy-piggledy whale statements, however authentic, in these extracts, for veritable gospel cetology.

因此，至少並非每一則，你都不該把這些文摘裡那些雜亂無章的鯨魚說法（無論多麼確有出處）當成千真萬確的鯨類學福音。

Far from it.

差得遠了。

As touching the ancient authors generally, as well as the poets here appearing, these extracts are solely valuable or entertaining, as affording a glancing bird’s eye view of what has been promiscuously said, thought, fancied, and sung of Leviathan, by many nations and generations, including our own.

大體而言，無論這裡出現的古代作者還是詩人，這些文摘的價值或趣味僅在於：它提供了一道走馬看花的鳥瞰，讓你瞥見許多民族、許多世代——包括我們自己——關於「利維坦」都曾隨口說過、想過、幻想過、歌詠過些什麼。

So fare thee well, poor devil of a Sub-Sub, whose commentator I am.

那麼，珍重了，可憐的副副圖書館員——我便是替你作註的人。

Thou belongest to that hopeless, sallow tribe which no wine of this world will ever warm; and for whom even Pale Sherry would be too rosy-strong; but with whom one sometimes loves to sit, and feel poor-devilish, too; and grow convivial upon tears; and say to them bluntly, with full eyes and empty glasses, and in not altogether unpleasant sadness—Give it up, Sub-Subs!

你屬於那絕望、面色蠟黃的一族，這世上沒有哪種酒能暖得了你們；連淡雪利酒對你們都嫌太烈太紅；但人有時就愛跟你們坐坐，也跟著當回可憐蟲，把著淚水把酒言歡，眼眶含淚、酒杯卻空，帶著一種並非全然難受的哀傷，直率地對你們說——別撐了吧，副副們！

For by how much the more pains ye take to please the world, by so much the more shall ye for ever go thankless!

因為你們愈是費盡心力去討好這世界，就愈是永遠落得無人領情！

Would that I could clear out Hampton Court and the Tuileries for ye!

我多希望能替你們騰空漢普頓宮與杜樂麗宮（讓你們去住）！

But gulp down your tears and hie aloft to the royal-mast with your hearts; for your friends who have gone before are clearing out the seven-storied heavens, and making refugees of long-pampered Gabriel, Michael, and Raphael, against your coming.

但把眼淚吞下去，帶著你們的心攀上頂桅吧；因為先你們而去的同伴們，正在七重天上替你們騰地方，把養尊處優已久的加百列、米迦勒、拉斐爾都趕成難民，好迎接你們的到來。

Here ye strike but splintered hearts together—there, ye shall strike unsplinterable glasses!

在這裡，你們碰在一起的只是一顆顆碎裂的心——到了那裡，你們碰響的將是永不碎裂的酒杯！

“And God created great whales.” —Genesis.

「神創造了大魚（巨鯨）。」——《創世記》。

“Leviathan maketh a path to shine after him; One would think the deep to be hoary.” —Job.

「利維坦游過，身後留下一道發亮的痕跡；教人以為深淵都泛起了銀白。」——《約伯記》。

“Now the Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah.” —Jonah.

「那時耶和華安排了一條大魚，把約拿吞下。」——《約拿書》。

“There go the ships; there is that Leviathan whom thou hast made to play therein.” —Psalms.

「船隻在那裡航行，你所造的利維坦也在其中嬉戲。」——《詩篇》。

“In that day, the Lord with his sore, and great, and strong sword, shall punish Leviathan the piercing serpent, even Leviathan that crooked serpent; and he shall slay the dragon that is in the sea.” —Isaiah.

「到那日，耶和華必用他鋒利、巨大、剛強的劍，懲罰那穿刺之蛇利維坦，就是那扭曲之蛇利維坦；他必殺死海中的巨龍。」——《以賽亞書》。

“And what thing soever besides cometh within the chaos of this monster’s mouth, be it beast, boat, or stone, down it goes all incontinently that foul great swallow of his, and perisheth in the bottomless gulf of his paunch.” —Holland’s Plutarch’s Morals.

「凡是落進這怪物大口這片混沌裡的東西，不論走獸、小船還是石頭，都立刻被他那骯髒的大喉嚨吞了下去，在他那無底的肚腹深淵裡毀滅。」——霍蘭譯《普魯塔克道德論集》。

“The Indian Sea breedeth the most and the biggest fishes that are: among which the Whales and Whirlpooles called Balaene, take up as much in length as four acres or arpens of land.” —Holland’s Pliny.

「印度洋孕育了最多、也最大的魚類：其中那些名叫 Balaene 的鯨與『渦旋怪』，身長竟佔到四英畝、四阿爾邦的土地那麼長。」——霍蘭譯《普林尼博物志》。

“Scarcely had we proceeded two days on the sea, when about sunrise a great many Whales and other monsters of the sea, appeared. Among the former, one was of a most monstrous size.... This came towards us, open-mouthed, raising the waves on all sides, and beating the sea before him into a foam.” —Tooke’s Lucian. “The True History.”

「我們在海上才走了不到兩天，約莫日出時分，許多鯨魚與別的海中巨怪就出現了。前者之中，有一頭大得駭人……牠張著大口朝我們衝來，四面掀起波浪，把身前的海打成一片泡沫。」——圖克譯盧奇安《真實的歷史》。

“He visited this country also with a view of catching horse-whales, which had bones of very great value for their teeth, of which he brought some to the king.... The best whales were catched in his own country, of which some were forty-eight, some fifty yards long. He said that he was one of six who had killed sixty in two days.” —Other’s verbal narrative taken down from his mouth by King Alfred, A.D. 890.

「他造訪這地方，也為了獵捕『馬鯨』（海象）——牠們的牙骨極其值錢，他帶了一些獻給國王……最好的鯨是在他自己的國度捕到的，有的四十八碼、有的五十碼長。他說自己是六人之一，兩天內殺了六十頭。」——奧瑟口述、由阿佛烈大帝親筆記下，西元 890 年。

“And whereas all the other things, whether beast or vessel, that enter into the dreadful gulf of this monster’s (whale’s) mouth, are immediately lost and swallowed up, the sea-gudgeon retires into it in great security, and there sleeps.” —Montaigne. —Apology for Raimond Sebond.

「凡是進入這怪物（鯨）大口那可怕深淵的東西，不論走獸或船隻，都立刻喪命、被吞噬；唯獨那小小的鰕虎魚能安然退入其中，還在裡頭睡覺。」——蒙田《為雷蒙・塞邦辯護》。

“Let us fly, let us fly! Old Nick take me if it is not Leviathan described by the noble prophet Moses in the life of patient Job.” —Rabelais.

「快逃，快逃！要不是先知摩西在記述忍耐的約伯一生時所描寫的那頭利維坦，就讓老魔鬼把我抓走！」——拉伯雷。

“This whale’s liver was two cartloads.” —Stowe’s Annals.

「這頭鯨的肝臟有滿滿兩車。」——史鐸《編年史》。

“The great Leviathan that maketh the seas to seethe like boiling pan.” —Lord Bacon’s Version of the Psalms.

「那頭巨大的利維坦，能教海水沸騰得像一鍋滾水。」——培根勳爵所譯《詩篇》。

“Touching that monstrous bulk of the whale or ork we have received nothing certain. They grow exceeding fat, insomuch that an incredible quantity of oil will be extracted out of one whale.” —Ibid. “History of Life and Death.”

「關於鯨或『逆戟鯨』那駭人的龐大身軀，我們所知並不確切。牠們長得極肥，肥到一頭鯨竟能榨出令人難以置信的大量油脂。」——同前作者，《生與死的歷史》。

“The sovereignest thing on earth is parmacetti for an inward bruise.” —King Henry.

「治內傷，世上最靈驗的東西莫過於鯨腦油。」——《亨利四世》。

“Very like a whale.” —Hamlet.

「真像一頭鯨呢。」——《哈姆雷特》。

“Which to secure, no skill of leach’s art Mote him availle, but to returne againe To his wound’s worker, that with lowly dart, Dinting his breast, had bred his restless paine, Like as the wounded whale to shore flies thro’ the maine.” —The Fairie Queen.

「為求自保，再高明的醫術也救他不得，他只能轉身游回那傷他之人身邊——那人以低處投出的標槍，刺穿他的胸膛，種下他無休的痛楚；正如那受傷的鯨，穿越汪洋，沒命地往岸邊衝去。」——史賓塞《仙后》。

“Immense as whales, the motion of whose vast bodies can in a peaceful calm trouble the ocean till it boil.” —Sir William Davenant. Preface to Gondibert.

「龐大如鯨，那巨軀一動，便能在風平浪靜時攪得海水翻騰沸滾。」——達文南爵士，《岡迪伯特》序。

“What spermacetti is, men might justly doubt, since the learned Hosmannus in his work of thirty years, saith plainly, Nescio quid sit.” —Sir T. Browne. Of Sperma Ceti and the Sperma Ceti Whale.

「鯨腦油究竟是什麼，人們大可存疑——因為博學的霍斯曼努斯在他耗時三十年的著作裡，乾脆明說：『Nescio quid sit（我不知道那是什麼）。』」——湯瑪斯・布朗爵士，〈論鯨腦油與抹香鯨〉。

“Like Spencer’s Talus with his modern flail He threatens ruin with his ponderous tail. ... Their fixed jav’lins in his side he wears, And on his back a grove of pikes appears.” —Waller’s Battle of the Summer Islands.

「他像史賓塞筆下手持新式連枷的塔勒斯，用那笨重的尾巴威脅著要毀滅一切。……他身側插滿了一根根扎牢的標槍，背上彷彿長出一片長矛的樹林。」——沃勒《夏島之戰》。

“By art is created that great Leviathan, called a Commonwealth or State—(in Latin, Civitas) which is but an artificial man.” —Opening sentence of Hobbes’s Leviathan.

「藉由人為的技藝，被造出那頭巨大的利維坦，名叫『邦國』或『國家』（拉丁文 Civitas）——它不過是一個人造的人。」——霍布斯《利維坦》開篇句。

“Silly Mansoul swallowed it without chewing, as if it had been a sprat in the mouth of a whale.” —Pilgrim’s Progress.

「愚蠢的『人靈城』囫圇吞下了它，連嚼都不嚼，彷彿那只是一條小鯡魚落進鯨口。」——《天路歷程》。

“That sea beast Leviathan, which God of all his works Created hugest that swim the ocean stream.” —Paradise Lost. —“There Leviathan, Hugest of living creatures, in the deep Stretched like a promontory sleeps or swims, And seems a moving land; and at his gills Draws in, and at his breath spouts out a sea.” —Ibid.

「那頭海中巨獸利維坦，是神在一切造物中所造、暢游於大洋的最龐然者。」——《失樂園》。「那兒躺著利維坦，眾生之中最龐大者，在深海裡伸展如一座海岬，時睡時游，看似一塊移動的陸地；他從鰓口吸入，又隨呼吸噴出整整一片海。」——同前。

“The mighty whales which swim in a sea of water, and have a sea of oil swimming in them.” —Fuller’s Profane and Holy State.

「那些雄偉的鯨，游在一片水的海洋裡，而體內又有一片油的海洋在游動。」——傅勒《世俗與神聖之境》。

“So close behind some promontory lie The huge Leviathan to attend their prey, And give no chance, but swallow in the fry, Which through their gaping jaws mistake the way.” —Dryden’s Annus Mirabilis.

「巨大的利維坦緊伏在某座海岬之後，守候著獵物，不給一絲機會，只把那些誤從牠大張的口中游錯了路的小魚一概吞下。」——德萊頓《奇蹟之年》。

“While the whale is floating at the stern of the ship, they cut off his head, and tow it with a boat as near the shore as it will come; but it will be aground in twelve or thirteen feet water.” —Thomas Edge’s Ten Voyages to Spitzbergen, in Purchas.

「趁鯨還浮在船尾，他們把牠的頭割下，用小艇盡量往岸邊拖；但拖到十二、十三英尺深的水裡，頭就會擱淺。」——湯瑪斯・艾吉《史匹茲卑爾根十次航行記》，收於帕切斯文集。

“In their way they saw many whales sporting in the ocean, and in wantonness fuzzing up the water through their pipes and vents, which nature has placed on their shoulders.” —Sir T. Herbert’s Voyages into Asia and Africa.

「途中他們看見許多鯨在海上嬉戲，恣意地從那長在肩上、造化所賜的管孔噴出水霧。」——湯瑪斯・赫伯特爵士《亞非航行記》。

“Here they saw such huge troops of whales, that they were forced to proceed with a great deal of caution for fear they should run their ship upon them.” —Schouten’s Sixth Circumnavigation.

「他們在這裡見到鯨群龐大成群，不得不格外謹慎前行，深怕船會撞上牠們。」——蕭頓《第六次環球航行》。

“We set sail from the Elbe, wind N.E. in the ship called The Jonas-in-the-Whale.... Some say the whale can’t open his mouth, but that is a fable.... They frequently climb up the masts to see whether they can see a whale, for the first discoverer has a ducat for his pains.... I was told of a whale taken near Shetland, that had above a barrel of herrings in his belly.... One of our harpooneers told me that he caught once a whale in Spitzbergen that was white all over.” —A Voyage to Greenland, A.D. 1671.

「我們乘著名叫『鯨腹中的約拿』號的船，自易北河出航，吹東北風……有人說鯨張不開嘴，但那是無稽之談……船員常爬上桅杆張望有沒有鯨，因為頭一個發現的人能得一枚金幣作賞……有人告訴我，設得蘭群島附近捕到一頭鯨，肚裡有一桶多的鯡魚……我們一個魚叉手對我說，他曾在史匹茲卑爾根捕到一頭通體雪白的鯨。」——《格陵蘭航行記》，西元 1671 年。

“Several whales have come in upon this coast (Fife) Anno 1652, one eighty feet in length of the whale-bone kind came in, which (as I was informed), besides a vast quantity of oil, did afford 500 weight of baleen. The jaws of it stand for a gate in the garden of Pitferren.” —Sibbald’s Fife and Kinross.

「西元 1652 年，好幾頭鯨擱上了這片（法夫）海岸，其中一頭鬚鯨類長達八十英尺；據聞除了大量鯨油外，還產出五百磅重的鯨鬚。牠的上下顎如今豎在皮特費倫莊園花園裡當大門。」——西巴德《法夫與金羅斯郡誌》。

“Myself have agreed to try whether I can master and kill this Sperma-ceti whale, for I could never hear of any of that sort that was killed by any man, such is his fierceness and swiftness.” —Richard Strafford’s Letter from the Bermudas. A.D. 1668.

「我已答應一試，看能否制伏並殺死這頭抹香鯨；因為我從沒聽說有誰殺得了這種鯨——牠就是這般兇猛而迅捷。」——理查・斯特拉福自百慕達寄出的信，西元 1668 年。

“Whales in the sea God’s voice obey.” —N. E. Primer.

「海中的鯨，順服神的聲音。」——《新英格蘭識字課本》。

“We saw also abundance of large whales, there being more in those southern seas, as I may say, by a hundred to one; than we have to the northward of us.” —Captain Cowley’s Voyage round the Globe, A.D. 1729.

「我們也見到大量的大鯨；可以說，那片南方海域裡的鯨，比我們北方的多上百倍。」——考利船長《環球航行記》，西元 1729 年。

“... and the breath of the whale is frequently attended with such an insupportable smell, as to bring on a disorder of the brain.” —Ulloa’s South America.

「……鯨的氣息常帶著一股令人難以忍受的惡臭，臭得能教人腦子發昏。」——烏約亞《南美洲記》。

“To fifty chosen sylphs of special note, We trust the important charge, the petticoat. Oft have we known that seven-fold fence to fail, Tho’ stuffed with hoops and armed with ribs of whale.” —Rape of the Lock.

「我們把襯裙這項重任，託付給五十名特選的氣精；可那七重護欄縱然塞滿裙撐、又以鯨骨為甲，我們也屢見它失守。」——蒲柏《劫髮記》。

“If we compare land animals in respect to magnitude, with those that take up their abode in the deep, we shall find they will appear contemptible in the comparison. The whale is doubtless the largest animal in creation.” —Goldsmith, Nat. Hist.

「若把陸上動物的體型，拿來和棲居深海者相比，便會發現前者相形之下渺小得不足道。鯨無疑是造物中最龐大的動物。」——哥德史密斯《自然史》。

“If you should write a fable for little fishes, you would make them speak like great whales.” —Goldsmith to Johnson.

「你若替小魚寫寓言，準會讓牠們講起話來像頭頭巨鯨。」——哥德史密斯對約翰生博士語。

“In the afternoon we saw what was supposed to be a rock, but it was found to be a dead whale, which some Asiatics had killed, and were then towing ashore. They seemed to endeavor to conceal themselves behind the whale, in order to avoid being seen by us.” —Cook’s Voyages.

「午後，我們看見一個原以為是岩石的東西，後來才發現是一頭死鯨——是幾個亞洲人殺的，正往岸上拖。他們似乎想躲在鯨身後，免得被我們瞧見。」——庫克《航行記》。

“The larger whales, they seldom venture to attack. They stand in so great dread of some of them, that when out at sea they are afraid to mention even their names, and carry dung, lime-stone, juniper-wood, and some other articles of the same nature in their boats, in order to terrify and prevent their too near approach.” —Uno Von Troil’s Letters on Banks’s and Solander’s Voyage to Iceland in 1772.

「較大的鯨，他們鮮少敢去攻擊。他們對其中某些鯨怕到出海時連名字都不敢提，還在船上帶著糞便、石灰石、杜松木之類的東西，好嚇阻牠們、不讓牠們太靠近。」——馮・特羅伊爾《談班克斯與索蘭德 1772 年冰島之行的信》。

“The Spermacetti Whale found by the Nantuckois, is an active, fierce animal, and requires vast address and boldness in the fishermen.” —Thomas Jefferson’s Whale Memorial to the French minister in 1778.

「南塔克特人所獵的抹香鯨，是一種活躍而兇猛的動物，需要漁人極大的本事與膽識。」——傑佛遜 1778 年呈法國大臣的捕鯨備忘錄。

“And pray, sir, what in the world is equal to it?” —Edmund Burke’s reference in Parliament to the Nantucket Whale-Fishery.

「那麼請問，先生，世上還有什麼比得上它？」——艾德蒙・柏克在國會中論及南塔克特捕鯨業。

“Spain—a great whale stranded on the shores of Europe.” —Edmund Burke. (somewhere.)

「西班牙——一頭擱淺在歐洲海岸上的大鯨。」——艾德蒙・柏克（出處不詳）。

“A tenth branch of the king’s ordinary revenue, said to be grounded on the consideration of his guarding and protecting the seas from pirates and robbers, is the right to royal fish, which are whale and sturgeon. And these, when either thrown ashore or caught near the coast, are the property of the king.” —Blackstone.

「國王經常性歲入的第十項——據說其根據是他守護海洋、防範海盜劫掠之功——便是對『王室之魚』的權利，也就是鯨與鱘。這些魚一旦被沖上岸或在近岸捕獲，便歸國王所有。」——布雷克斯通《英格蘭法釋義》。

“Soon to the sport of death the crews repair: Rodmond unerring o’er his head suspends The barbed steel, and every turn attends.” —Falconer’s Shipwreck.

「轉眼間，船員們便奔赴這場死亡的遊戲：羅德蒙百發百中，把帶倒鉤的鋼叉高懸於頭頂，盯緊獵物的每一個轉身。」——法爾科納《船難》。

“Bright shone the roofs, the domes, the spires, And rockets blew self driven, To hang their momentary fire Around the vault of heaven. So fire with water to compare, The ocean serves on high, Up-spouted by a whale in air, To express unwieldy joy.” —Cowper, on the Queen’s Visit to London.

「屋頂、穹頂、尖塔燦然生輝，焰火自行竄升，把那一瞬的火光懸掛在蒼穹的拱頂上。若要拿火與水相比，海洋也在高處效勞——由一頭鯨向空中噴起水柱，藉以抒發那笨拙難抑的喜悅。」——柯珀，詠女王訪倫敦。

“Ten or fifteen gallons of blood are thrown out of the heart at a stroke, with immense velocity.” —John Hunter’s account of the dissection of a whale. (A small sized one.)

「心臟每搏動一次，就以極快的速度噴出十到十五加侖的血。」——約翰・亨特解剖一頭鯨（小型者）的紀錄。

“The aorta of a whale is larger in the bore than the main pipe of the water-works at London Bridge, and the water roaring in its passage through that pipe is inferior in impetus and velocity to the blood gushing from the whale’s heart.” —Paley’s Theology.

「鯨的主動脈內徑比倫敦橋自來水廠的總水管還粗；而那水管中奔流轟鳴的水，其衝力與流速尚不及從鯨心湧出的血。」——佩利《自然神學》。

“The whale is a mammiferous animal without hind feet.” —Baron Cuvier.

「鯨是一種沒有後肢的哺乳動物。」——居維葉男爵。

“In 40 degrees south, we saw Spermacetti Whales, but did not take any till the first of May, the sea being then covered with them.” —Colnett’s Voyage for the Purpose of Extending the Spermaceti Whale Fishery.

「在南緯四十度，我們看見抹香鯨，但直到五月一日才捕到——那時海面上滿是牠們。」——柯爾涅特《為拓展抹香鯨漁業之航行記》。

“In the free element beneath me swam, Floundered and dived, in play, in chace, in battle, Fishes of every colour, form, and kind; ... from dread Leviathan To insect millions peopling every wave: ... Whales, sharks, and monsters, arm’d in front or jaw, With swords, saws, spiral horns, or hooked fangs.” —Montgomery’s World before the Flood.

「在我下方那自由的水域裡，各種顏色、形狀、種類的魚游動、翻騰、潛沉，或嬉戲、或追逐、或廝殺；從可畏的利維坦，到擠滿每一道浪的億萬蟲豸……鯨、鯊與各種怪物，前額或顎上武裝著刀劍、鋸齒、螺旋角或鉤狀獠牙。」——蒙哥馬利《洪水前的世界》。

“Io! Paean! Io! sing. To the finny people’s king. Not a mightier whale than this In the vast Atlantic is; Not a fatter fish than he, Flounders round the Polar Sea.” —Charles Lamb’s Triumph of the Whale.

「歡呼吧！讚歌！歡呼！且歌詠這鰭族之王。浩瀚的大西洋裡，沒有比牠更雄壯的鯨；繞著極地之海翻騰的，也沒有比牠更肥的魚。」——查爾斯・蘭姆《鯨之凱旋》。

“In the year 1690 some persons were on a high hill observing the whales spouting and sporting with each other, when one observed: there—pointing to the sea—is a green pasture where our children’s grand-children will go for bread.” —Obed Macy’s History of Nantucket.

「1690 年，有些人站在高丘上看鯨噴水、彼此嬉戲，其中一人指著海說：那兒——是一片青青牧場，我們的子子孫孫將去那裡討生活。」——歐貝德・梅西《南塔克特史》。

“I built a cottage for Susan and myself and made a gateway in the form of a Gothic Arch, by setting up a whale’s jaw bones.” —Hawthorne’s Twice Told Tales.

「我替蘇珊和我自己蓋了間小屋，還用一對鯨的顎骨豎成一道哥德式拱門當門口。」——霍桑《重講一遍的故事》。

“She came to bespeak a monument for her first love, who had been killed by a whale in the Pacific ocean, no less than forty years ago.” —Ibid.

「她來訂製一塊墓碑，紀念她的初戀情人——他在太平洋上被一頭鯨殺死，距今足足四十年了。」——同前。

“No, Sir, ’tis a Right Whale,” answered Tom; “I saw his sprout; he threw up a pair of as pretty rainbows as a Christian would wish to look at. He’s a raal oil-butt, that fellow!” —Cooper’s Pilot.

「不，先生，那是頭露脊鯨，」湯姆答道，「我看見牠噴的水了；牠噴起兩道彩虹，漂亮得任誰都想多看兩眼。那傢伙，可是頭十足的油桶！」——庫珀《領航員》。

“The papers were brought in, and we saw in the Berlin Gazette that whales had been introduced on the stage there.” —Eckermann’s Conversations with Goethe.

「報紙送進來，我們在《柏林公報》上看到，那裡的舞台上竟搬演起鯨來了。」——艾克曼《歌德對話錄》。

“My God! Mr. Chace, what is the matter?” I answered, “we have been stove by a whale.” —“Narrative of the Shipwreck of the Whale Ship Essex of Nantucket, ... attacked and finally destroyed by a large Sperm Whale.” By Owen Chace, first mate. New York, 1821.

「我的天！蔡斯先生，出什麼事了？」我回答：「我們被一頭鯨撞破了船。」——《南塔克特捕鯨船 Essex 號船難紀事——該船遭一頭大抹香鯨攻擊，終至沉沒》，大副歐文・蔡斯著，紐約，1821 年。

“A mariner sat in the shrouds one night, The wind was piping free; Now bright, now dimmed, was the moonlight pale, And the phospher gleamed in the wake of the whale, As it floundered in the sea.” —Elizabeth Oakes Smith.

「一夜，一名水手坐在桅索之間，風自在地呼嘯；蒼白的月光忽明忽暗，磷光在鯨游過的尾跡裡閃爍，那鯨正在海中翻騰。」——伊麗莎白・奧克斯・史密斯。

“The quantity of line withdrawn from the boats engaged in the capture of this one whale, amounted altogether to 10,440 yards or nearly six English miles.... Sometimes the whale shakes its tremendous tail in the air, which, cracking like a whip, resounds to the distance of three or four miles.” —Scoresby.

「為捕這一頭鯨，眾艇放出的繩索總長達 10,440 碼，將近六英里……鯨有時把那駭人的尾巴甩向空中，啪地一聲像揮鞭，響聲傳到三、四英里之外。」——史柯斯比。

“Mad with the agonies he endures from these fresh attacks, the infuriated Sperm Whale rolls over and over; he rears his enormous head, and with wide expanded jaws snaps at everything around him; he rushes at the boats with his head; they are propelled before him with vast swiftness, and sometimes utterly destroyed.... It is a matter of great astonishment that the consideration of the habits of so interesting, and ... so important an animal (as the Sperm Whale) should have been so entirely neglected.” —Thomas Beale’s History of the Sperm Whale, 1839.

「這些新一輪的攻擊把抹香鯨折磨得發狂，盛怒之下牠翻滾不止；昂起那巨大的頭，張開大口見什麼咬什麼；牠用頭直撞那些小艇，把它們以極快的速度撞飛出去，有時整艘撞個粉碎……令人大為驚訝的是：對這麼有趣、（就商業而言）又這麼重要的動物（指抹香鯨），其習性竟一直被完全忽視。」——湯瑪斯・比爾《抹香鯨的歷史》，1839 年。

“The Cachalot (Sperm Whale) is not only better armed than the True Whale (Greenland or Right Whale) in possessing a formidable weapon at either extremity of its body, but also more frequently displays a disposition to employ these weapons offensively ... so artful, bold, and mischievous, as to lead to its being regarded as the most dangerous to attack of all the known species of the whale tribe.” —Frederick Debell Bennett’s Whaling Voyage Round the Globe, 1840.

「抹香鯨（Cachalot）不僅比『真鯨』（格陵蘭鯨或露脊鯨）武裝得更精良——身體兩端都各有一件可畏的武器——而且更常表現出主動進攻的脾性……手段狡黠、大膽又惡毒，以致牠被視為一切已知鯨類中最危險、最不好惹的。」——班奈特《環球捕鯨航行記》，1840 年。

October 13. “There she blows,” was sung out from the mast-head.

十月十三日。「噴水啦——！」桅頂傳來一聲喊。

“Where away?” demanded the captain.

「在哪個方位？」船長喝問。

“Three points off the lee bow, sir.”

「下風船頭偏三個羅經點，長官。」

“Raise up your wheel. Steady!” “Steady, sir.”

「把舵打上來。穩住！」「穩住了，長官。」

“Mast-head ahoy! Do you see that whale now?” “Ay ay, sir! A shoal of Sperm Whales! There she blows! There she breaches!”

「桅頂的，喂！現在看得見那頭鯨嗎？」「看得見，長官！一大群抹香鯨！噴水啦！躍起來啦！」

“Sing out! sing out every time!” “Ay Ay, sir! There she blows! there—there—thar she blows—bowes—bo-o-os!”

「喊出來！每次都給我喊出來！」「是，長官！噴水啦！那兒——那兒——『噴——水——啦——』！」

“How far off?” “Two miles and a half.” “Thunder and lightning! so near! Call all hands.” —J. Ross Browne’s Etchings of a Whaling Cruize. 1846.

「多遠？」「兩英里半。」「天打雷劈！這麼近！全體上甲板！」——羅斯・布朗《捕鯨巡航速寫》，1846 年。

“The Whale-ship Globe, on board of which vessel occurred the horrid transactions we are about to relate, belonged to the island of Nantucket.” —“Narrative of the Globe Mutiny,” by Lay and Hussey survivors. A.D. 1828.

「我們即將講述的那樁駭人事件，就發生在捕鯨船 Globe 號上——這艘船隸屬南塔克特島。」——《Globe 號叛變紀事》，倖存者雷伊與赫西著，西元 1828 年。

“Being once pursued by a whale which he had wounded, he parried the assault for some time with a lance; but the furious monster at length rushed on the boat; himself and comrades only being preserved by leaping into the water when they saw the onset was inevitable.” —Missionary Journal of Tyerman and Bennett.

「他一度被自己刺傷的鯨追擊，用長矛擋了一陣；但那盛怒的巨獸終究朝小艇衝來；眼看這一撞躲不過，他和同伴只能跳進水裡，才保住了性命。」——泰爾曼與班奈特《傳教日誌》。

“Nantucket itself,” said Mr. Webster, “is a very striking and peculiar portion of the National interest. There is a population of eight or nine thousand persons living here in the sea, adding largely every year to the National wealth by the boldest and most persevering industry.” —Report of Daniel Webster’s Speech in the U. S. Senate. 1828.

「南塔克特本身，」韋伯斯特先生說，「在國家利益中是極其醒目而特殊的一塊。這裡有八九千人活在海上，年復一年以最大膽、最堅毅的產業，大大為國家增添財富。」——丹尼爾・韋伯斯特在美國參議院演說紀錄，1828 年。

“The whale fell directly over him, and probably killed him in a moment.” —“The Whale and his Captors,” by Rev. Henry T. Cheever.

「那鯨直直壓到他身上，大概一瞬間就要了他的命。」——《鯨與牠的捕獵者》，亨利・契佛牧師著。

“If you make the least damn bit of noise,” replied Samuel, “I will send you to hell.” —Life of Samuel Comstock (the mutineer), by his brother, William Comstock.

「你要是敢發出半點該死的聲響，」山繆答道，「我就送你下地獄。」——《叛變者山繆・康斯托克傳》，其弟威廉・康斯托克著。

“The voyages of the Dutch and English to the Northern Ocean, in order, if possible, to discover a passage through it to India, though they failed of their main object, laid-open the haunts of the whale.” —McCulloch’s Commercial Dictionary.

「荷蘭與英國前往北冰洋的航行，本想找出一條通往印度的航道；雖未達成主要目的，卻意外揭開了鯨群出沒之地。」——麥卡洛克《商業辭典》。

“These things are reciprocal; the ball rebounds, only to bound forward again; for now in laying open the haunts of the whale, the whalemen seem to have indirectly hit upon new clews to that same mystic North-West Passage.” —From “Something” unpublished.

「這些事是相互的；球彈了回來，只為再往前彈去；如今捕鯨人在揭開鯨群出沒之地的同時，似乎也間接摸到了通往那神秘『西北航道』的新線索。」——出自某部未刊之作。

“It is impossible to meet a whale-ship on the ocean without being struck by her near appearance. The vessel under short sail, with look-outs at the mast-heads, eagerly scanning the wide expanse around them, has a totally different air from those engaged in regular voyage.” —Currents and Whaling. U.S. Ex. Ex.

「在海上遇見一艘捕鯨船，沒有人不被牠近看的模樣所震動。那船收著帆、桅頂站著瞭望手，急切地掃視四周的茫茫大海，氣派與一般跑常規航線的船全然不同。」——《洋流與捕鯨》，美國探勘遠征隊。

“Pedestrians in the vicinity of London and elsewhere may recollect having seen large curved bones set upright in the earth, either to form arches over gateways, or entrances to alcoves, and they may perhaps have been told that these were the ribs of whales.” —Tales of a Whale Voyager to the Arctic Ocean.

「在倫敦一帶或別處散步的人，也許記得曾見過一些巨大的彎骨豎插在地裡，或拱成大門，或當作壁龕的入口；也許有人告訴過他們：那些是鯨的肋骨。」——《一位北極捕鯨者的航海故事》。

“It was not till the boats returned from the pursuit of these whales, that the whites saw their ship in bloody possession of the savages enrolled among the crew.” —Newspaper Account of the Taking and Retaking of the Whale-Ship Hobomack.

「直到那些小艇追完鯨返航，白人才發現：自己的船已落入船員中那些蠻人之手，染滿了血。」——報紙報導《捕鯨船 Hobomack 號的奪取與奪回》。

“It is generally well known that out of the crews of Whaling vessels (American) few ever return in the ships on board of which they departed.” —Cruise in a Whale Boat.

「眾所周知，（美國）捕鯨船的船員，鮮有人能搭著當初出航的那艘船回來。」——《捕鯨小艇巡航記》。

“Suddenly a mighty mass emerged from the water, and shot up perpendicularly into the air. It was the whale.” —Miriam Coffin or the Whale Fisherman.

「忽然，一團龐然巨物從水裡冒出，筆直地射向半空。那是鯨。」——《米莉安・柯芬，又名捕鯨人》。

“The Whale is harpooned to be sure; but bethink you, how you would manage a powerful unbroken colt, with the mere appliance of a rope tied to the root of his tail.” —A Chapter on Whaling in Ribs and Trucks.

「不錯，鯨是被魚叉叉中了；可你想想，光靠一條綁在尾根的繩子，你要怎麼駕馭一匹強壯、從未馴服的烈駒。」——《肋與桁》中論捕鯨的一章。

“On one occasion I saw two of these monsters (whales) probably male and female, slowly swimming, one after the other, within less than a stone’s throw of the shore (Terra Del Fuego), over which the beech tree extended its branches.” —Darwin’s Voyage of a Naturalist.

「有一次，我看見兩頭這樣的巨獸（鯨），大概是一公一母，一前一後緩緩游著，離岸（火地島）不到一石之遙，岸上的山毛櫸正把枝椏伸向牠們上方。」——達爾文《一位博物學家的航行》。

“‘Stern all!’ exclaimed the mate, as upon turning his head, he saw the distended jaws of a large Sperm Whale close to the head of the boat, threatening it with instant destruction;—‘Stern all, for your lives!’” —Wharton the Whale Killer.

「『全速倒退！』大副大喊——他一回頭，看見一頭大抹香鯨那撐得大開的上下顎已逼到艇首，眼看就要把小艇瞬間撞毀；『全速倒退，保命要緊！』」——《捕鯨人沃頓》。

“So be cheery, my lads, let your hearts never fail, While the bold harpooneer is striking the whale!” —Nantucket Song.

「打起精神吧，弟兄們，別讓心氣垮了，趁那大膽的魚叉手正叉中那頭鯨！」——南塔克特歌謠。

“Oh, the rare old Whale, mid storm and gale In his ocean home will be A giant in might, where might is right, And King of the boundless sea.” —Whale Song.

「啊，那珍奇的老鯨，在風暴與狂飆之中，於牠的大洋之家，將是一個力量的巨人——在那弱肉強食之地，牠便是這無垠之海的王。」——鯨之歌。