禮拜堂

In this same New Bedford there stands a Whaleman’s Chapel, and few are the moody fishermen, shortly bound for the Indian Ocean or Pacific, who fail to make a Sunday visit to the spot.

就在這同一個新貝德福，立著一座「捕鯨人禮拜堂」；那些心事重重、即將駛向印度洋或太平洋的漁人，鮮少有人不在禮拜日去這地方走一趟。

I am sure that I did not.

我確信我沒有錯過。

Returning from my first morning stroll, I again sallied out upon this special errand.

從第一次晨間散步回來後，我又為了這件特別的差事再次出門。

The sky had changed from clear, sunny cold, to driving sleet and mist.

天色已從晴朗、陽光卻寒冷，轉成漫天斜打的雨雪與霧。

Wrapping myself in my shaggy jacket of the cloth called bearskin, I fought my way against the stubborn storm.

我裹緊那件用所謂「熊皮呢」做的毛茸茸外套，頂著那場頑固的風暴一路奮力前行。

Entering, I found a small scattered congregation of sailors, and sailors’ wives and widows.

進門後，我看見堂裡零零落落坐著一小群會眾——水手，以及水手的妻子與寡婦。

A muffled silence reigned, only broken at times by the shrieks of the storm.

一片悶悶的寂靜籠罩著，只偶爾被風暴的尖嘯打破。

Each silent worshipper seemed purposely sitting apart from the other, as if each silent grief were insular and incommunicable.

每一個沉默的禮拜者都像是刻意與旁人隔開而坐，彷彿每一份無聲的哀慟都自成孤島、無從傳達。

The chaplain had not yet arrived; and there these silent islands of men and women sat steadfastly eyeing several marble tablets, with black borders, masoned into the wall on either side the pulpit.

牧師還沒到；那些沉默如孤島般的男男女女，便定定地凝望著講壇兩側牆上幾塊鑲嵌進去的黑邊大理石紀念碑。

Three of them ran something like the following, but I do not pretend to quote:—

其中三塊上頭大致是這麼寫的，但我不敢說是原文照引：——

SACRED TO THE MEMORY OF JOHN TALBOT, Who, at the age of eighteen, was lost overboard, Near the Isle of Desolation, off Patagonia, November 1st, 1836. THIS TABLET Is erected to his Memory BY HIS SISTER.

謹此紀念 約翰・塔伯特，年十八，於一八三六年十一月一日，在巴塔哥尼亞外海「荒涼島」附近落海罹難。此碑 由其胞姐 為紀念他而立。

SACRED TO THE MEMORY OF ROBERT LONG, WILLIS ELLERY, NATHAN COLEMAN, WALTER CANNY, SETH MACY, AND SAMUEL GLEIG, Forming one of the boats’ crews OF THE SHIP ELIZA Who were towed out of sight by a Whale, On the Off-shore Ground in the PACIFIC, December 31st, 1839. THIS MARBLE Is here placed by their surviving SHIPMATES.

謹此紀念 羅伯特・隆恩、威利斯・艾勒里、內森・柯爾曼、華特・坎尼、賽斯・梅西、山繆・葛雷格——「伊萊莎號」一艘捕鯨小艇的全體船員；一八三九年十二月三十一日，在太平洋遠洋漁場，被一頭鯨拖曳得不見蹤影。此石 由其倖存的同船夥伴 立於此。

SACRED TO THE MEMORY OF The late CAPTAIN EZEKIEL HARDY, Who in the bows of his boat was killed by a Sperm Whale on the coast of Japan, August 3d, 1833. THIS TABLET Is erected to his Memory BY HIS WIDOW.

謹此紀念 已故船長 以西結・哈迪，一八三三年八月三日，於日本沿海，在自己小艇的船首被一頭抹香鯨擊斃。此碑 由其遺孀 為紀念他而立。

Shaking off the sleet from my ice-glazed hat and jacket, I seated myself near the door, and turning sideways was surprised to see Queequeg near me.

抖落結了冰的帽子與外套上的雨雪，我在靠門的地方坐下，側身一看，意外見到魁魁格就在我旁邊。

Affected by the solemnity of the scene, there was a wondering gaze of incredulous curiosity in his countenance.

受這肅穆場面的感染，他臉上有一種帶著難以置信的好奇、若有所思的凝視。

This savage was the only person present who seemed to notice my entrance; because he was the only one who could not read, and, therefore, was not reading those frigid inscriptions on the wall.

這野人是在場唯一似乎注意到我進門的人；因為他是唯一不識字的人，因而也就沒在讀牆上那些冷冰冰的碑文。

Whether any of the relatives of the seamen whose names appeared there were now among the congregation, I knew not; but so many are the unrecorded accidents in the fishery, and so plainly did several women present wear the countenance if not the trappings of some unceasing grief, that I feel sure that here before me were assembled those, in whose unhealing hearts the sight of those bleak tablets sympathetically caused the old wounds to bleed afresh.

碑上那些海員的親屬此刻是否就在會眾之中，我不得而知；但捕鯨這行裡無從記錄的意外是那麼多，而在場好幾位婦人，臉上即便沒有那身（喪服的）行頭，也分明帶著某種無休止的哀慟之色，以致我深信：聚在我眼前的，正是這樣一些人——在他們難以癒合的心裡，這些淒冷碑石的景象，感同身受地讓舊傷再度滲血。

Oh! ye whose dead lie buried beneath the green grass; who standing among flowers can say—here, here lies my beloved; ye know not the desolation that broods in bosoms like these.

啊！你們這些逝者安葬在青草底下的人；你們能站在花叢中說——這裡，我所愛的人就長眠在這裡；你們不會懂得，像這樣的胸膛裡鬱結著怎樣的淒涼。

What bitter blanks in those black-bordered marbles which cover no ashes!

那些黑邊大理石底下並未覆蓋任何骨灰——其中有著何等苦澀的空白！

What despair in those immovable inscriptions!

那些一動不動的碑文裡，有著何等的絕望！

What deadly voids and unbidden infidelities in the lines that seem to gnaw upon all Faith, and refuse resurrections to the beings who have placelessly perished without a grave.

那一行行字句裡，有著怎樣致命的空無、怎樣不請自來的信仰動搖——它們彷彿啃噬著一切信仰，拒絕讓那些無墳無地、無處可葬而消逝的人得到復活。

As well might those tablets stand in the cave of Elephanta as here.

這些碑石立在象島石窟裡，也未必比立在這兒更合適（意即同樣令人對神明茫然）。

In what census of living creatures, the dead of mankind are included; why it is that a universal proverb says of them, that they tell no tales, though containing more secrets than the Goodwin Sands; how it is that to his name who yesterday departed for the other world, we prefix so significant and infidel a word, and yet do not thus entitle him, if he but embarks for the remotest Indies of this living earth; why the Life Insurance Companies pay death-forfeitures upon immortals; in what eternal, unstirring paralysis, and deadly, hopeless trance, yet lies antique Adam who died sixty round centuries ago; how it is that we still refuse to be comforted for those who we nevertheless maintain are dwelling in unspeakable bliss; why all the living so strive to hush all the dead; wherefore but the rumor of a knocking in a tomb will terrify a whole city.

在哪一份生物的普查名冊裡，人類的死者也被算了進去；為何天下流傳的一句俗諺說他們「死無對證、不吐一語」，儘管他們藏著比古德溫沙洲還多的祕密；為何對一個昨日剛啟程前往另一個世界的人，我們要在他名字前冠上「已故（the late）」這麼一個意味深長、又如此不信神的字眼，可只要他不過是要航向這活生生大地上最遙遠的印度群島，我們卻又不這麼稱他；為何人壽保險公司要為「不朽者」支付死亡賠償；六十個整世紀前死去的遠古亞當，如今正躺在怎樣一種永恆、靜止的癱瘓、致命而絕望的恍惚之中；為何我們對那些我們口口聲聲說正住在難以言喻福樂中的人，仍舊拒絕被勸慰；為何所有活人都這麼極力要噤住所有死人；為何僅僅一則「墳中有敲擊聲」的傳言，便足以嚇壞一整座城。

All these things are not without their meanings.

這一切，都並非毫無意義。

But Faith, like a jackal, feeds among the tombs, and even from these dead doubts she gathers her most vital hope.

但信仰，像一頭豺狼，在墳塚間覓食；甚至就從這些死寂的疑惑裡，她也採得了她最旺盛的希望。

It needs scarcely to be told, with what feelings, on the eve of a Nantucket voyage, I regarded those marble tablets, and by the murky light of that darkened, doleful day read the fate of the whalemen who had gone before me.

在一趟南塔克特航程的前夕，我懷著怎樣的心情凝望那些大理石碑、又借著那昏暗、淒苦之日的幽光，讀著那些先我而去的捕鯨人的命運——這幾乎不必我多說。

Yes, Ishmael, the same fate may be thine.

是啊，以實瑪利，同樣的命運也可能輪到你。

But somehow I grew merry again.

但不知怎地，我又高興了起來。

Delightful inducements to embark, fine chance for promotion, it seems—aye, a stove boat will make me an immortal by brevet.

出海的誘因可真叫人開心，晉升的機會看來也不錯——是啊，一艘被撞破的小艇，就能讓我「榮譽晉升」為不朽之身。

Yes, there is death in this business of whaling—a speechlessly quick chaotic bundling of a man into Eternity.

不錯，捕鯨這行裡是有死亡的——快得來不及出聲、亂糟糟地把一個人一捆，便塞進了永恆。

But what then?

但那又怎樣？

Methinks we have hugely mistaken this matter of Life and Death.

我看哪，我們對「生與死」這件事，根本是大大地弄錯了。

Methinks that what they call my shadow here on earth is my true substance.

我看哪，他們所謂我在塵世間的「影子」，才是我真正的本體。

Methinks that in looking at things spiritual, we are too much like oysters observing the sun through the water, and thinking that thick water the thinnest of air.

我看哪，在看待屬靈的事物時，我們太像隔著水觀看太陽的牡蠣，還把那厚厚的水當成了最稀薄的空氣。

Methinks my body is but the lees of my better being.

我看哪，我的身體不過是我那更好的存在所沉澱下的渣滓。

In fact take my body who will, take it I say, it is not me.

其實，誰想要我的身體儘管拿去，我說，拿去吧——那並不是我。

And therefore three cheers for Nantucket; and come a stove boat and stove body when they will, for stave my soul, Jove himself cannot.

所以，為南塔克特三呼萬歲；至於被撞破的小艇、被撞爛的身體，要來就來吧——因為要劈碎我的靈魂，連天神宙斯也辦不到。