雜燴濃湯

It was quite late in the evening when the little Moss came snugly to anchor, and Queequeg and I went ashore; so we could attend to no business that day, at least none but a supper and a bed.

小青苔號穩穩下錨時，夜已相當深了，我和魁魁格上了岸；所以那天我們什麼正事都辦不成，至少除了一頓晚飯、一張床之外，別無他事。

The landlord of the Spouter-Inn had recommended us to his cousin Hosea Hussey of the Try Pots, whom he asserted to be the proprietor of one of the best kept hotels in all Nantucket, and moreover he had assured us that Cousin Hosea, as he called him, was famous for his chowders.

噴水客棧的店主把我們推薦給他開「鼎沸客棧」的表親何西亞・赫西，一口咬定他是全南塔克特管理最好的旅館之一的老闆，還向我們保證，他口中的「何西亞表哥」做的雜燴濃湯遠近聞名。

In short, he plainly hinted that we could not possibly do better than try pot-luck at the Try Pots.

總之，他明白暗示：我們再沒有比去「鼎沸客棧」碰碰「鍋」運（嚐嚐家常便飯）更好的選擇了。

But the directions he had given us about keeping a yellow warehouse on our starboard hand till we opened a white church to the larboard, and then keeping that on the larboard hand till we made a corner three points to the starboard, and that done, then ask the first man we met where the place was: these crooked directions of his very much puzzled us at first, especially as, at the outset, Queequeg insisted that the yellow warehouse—our first point of departure—must be left on the larboard hand, whereas I had understood Peter Coffin to say it was on the starboard.

但他給我們指的路——讓一座黃倉庫留在右舷側，直到一座白教堂出現在左舷；再讓那教堂留在左舷側，直到我們轉過一個偏右舷三個羅經點的街角；做完這些，再問碰到的第一個人那地方在哪兒：他這套彎彎繞繞的指路，起初把我們搞得一頭霧水，尤其因為一開始魁魁格就堅持，那座黃倉庫——我們的第一個出發參照點——該留在左舷側，而我卻記得彼得・柯芬說的是右舷。

However, by dint of beating about a little in the dark, and now and then knocking up a peaceable inhabitant to inquire the way, we at last came to something which there was no mistaking.

不過，靠著在黑暗裡來回摸索了一陣、又不時把某個安分的居民敲門叫起來問路，我們最後總算來到一處絕不會認錯的東西跟前。

Two enormous wooden pots painted black, and suspended by asses’ ears, swung from the cross-trees of an old top-mast, planted in front of an old doorway.

兩口塗成黑色的巨大木鍋，由「驢耳」（鍋柄環）吊著，從一根豎在舊門口前的老頂桅的桅橫桁上盪著。

The horns of the cross-trees were sawed off on the other side, so that this old top-mast looked not a little like a gallows.

那桅橫桁另一側的「角」被鋸掉了，於是這根老頂桅看上去活像一座絞刑架。

Perhaps I was over sensitive to such impressions at the time, but I could not help staring at this gallows with a vague misgiving.

也許當時我對這類印象過於敏感了，但我忍不住盯著這座「絞架」，心頭隱隱泛起一陣不安。

A sort of crick was in my neck as I gazed up to the two remaining horns; yes, two of them, one for Queequeg, and one for me.

我抬頭望著那剩下的兩隻「角」，脖子都望僵了；沒錯，兩隻——一隻給魁魁格，一隻給我。

It’s ominous, thinks I.

不祥啊，我心想。

A Coffin my Innkeeper upon landing in my first whaling port; tombstones staring at me in the whalemen’s chapel; and here a gallows! and a pair of prodigious black pots too! Are these last throwing out oblique hints touching Tophet?

我登陸第一個捕鯨港，店主就姓「柯芬（棺材）」；捕鯨人禮拜堂裡墓碑直瞪著我；如今又來一座絞架！外加一對碩大的黑鍋！這最後這對黑鍋，莫非是在拐彎抹角地暗示「陀斐特（地獄）」？

I was called from these reflections by the sight of a freckled woman with yellow hair and a yellow gown, standing in the porch of the inn, under a dull red lamp swinging there, that looked much like an injured eye, and carrying on a brisk scolding with a man in a purple woollen shirt.

把我從這些遐想中喚回來的，是這麼一幅景象：一個滿臉雀斑、黃頭髮、穿黃袍的女人，站在客棧門廊下、一盞盪著的暗紅燈籠底下——那燈籠很像一隻受了傷的眼睛——正跟一個穿紫色毛襯衫的男人潑辣地對罵。

“Get along with ye,” said she to the man, “or I’ll be combing ye!”

「給我滾開，」她對那男人說，「不然我可要『梳理梳理』你（修理你）了！」

“Come on, Queequeg,” said I, “all right. There’s Mrs. Hussey.”

「來吧，魁魁格，」我說，「沒錯。那位就是赫西太太了。」

And so it turned out; Mr. Hosea Hussey being from home, but leaving Mrs. Hussey entirely competent to attend to all his affairs.

果然如此；何西亞・赫西先生不在家，但留下赫西太太一人，完全能幹地打理他所有的事務。

Upon making known our desires for a supper and a bed, Mrs. Hussey, postponing further scolding for the present, ushered us into a little room, and seating us at a table spread with the relics of a recently concluded repast, turned round to us and said—“Clam or Cod?”

我們一說明想要晚飯和床鋪，赫西太太便暫且擱下罵人，把我們領進一個小房間，讓我們在一張擺著剛吃完一餐的殘羹剩飯的桌邊坐下，然後轉過身來對我們說——「蛤，還是鱈？」

“What’s that about Cods, ma’am?” said I, with much politeness.

「您說鱈魚怎麼了，太太？」我十分客氣地問。

“Clam or Cod?” she repeated.

「蛤，還是鱈？」她又問了一遍。

“A clam for supper? a cold clam; is that what you mean, Mrs. Hussey?” says I, “but that’s a rather cold and clammy reception in the winter time, ain’t it, Mrs. Hussey?”

「晚飯吃一個蛤？一個冷蛤；您是這意思嗎，赫西太太？」我說，「可大冬天的，這招待也未免又冷又黏（clammy）了點吧，赫西太太？」

But being in a great hurry to resume scolding the man in the purple Shirt, who was waiting for it in the entry, and seeming to hear nothing but the word “clam,” Mrs. Hussey hurried towards an open door leading to the kitchen, and bawling out “clam for two,” disappeared.

但赫西太太急著要回去繼續罵那個在門廳裡等著挨罵、穿紫襯衫的男人，又似乎只聽見「蛤」這個字，便匆匆朝通往廚房的一扇開著的門走去，大聲嚷一句「兩份蛤」，就不見了人影。

“Queequeg,” said I, “do you think that we can make out a supper for us both on one clam?”

「魁魁格，」我說，「你覺得我倆靠一個蛤湊得出一頓晚飯來嗎？」

However, a warm savory steam from the kitchen served to belie the apparently cheerless prospect before us.

然而，從廚房飄來一股溫暖噴香的蒸氣，把我們眼前這看似淒清的前景一舉推翻了。

But when that smoking chowder came in, the mystery was delightfully explained.

而當那鍋熱氣騰騰的雜燴濃湯端上來時，謎底便令人欣喜地揭曉了。

Oh, sweet friends! hearken to me. It was made of small juicy clams, scarcely bigger than hazel nuts, mixed with pounded ship biscuit, and salted pork cut up into little flakes; the whole enriched with butter, and plentifully seasoned with pepper and salt.

噢，親愛的朋友們！且聽我說。它是用一種多汁的小蛤——幾乎不比榛子大——拌上搗碎的船用餅乾、切成小薄片的鹹豬肉做的；整鍋再用奶油增添濃郁、又用大量鹽與胡椒調味。

Our appetites being sharpened by the frosty voyage, and in particular, Queequeg seeing his favourite fishing food before him, and the chowder being surpassingly excellent, we despatched it with great expedition: when leaning back a moment and bethinking me of Mrs. Hussey’s clam and cod announcement, I thought I would try a little experiment.

我們的胃口被那趟寒冷的航程磨得正利，尤其魁魁格見到眼前這道他最愛的漁家食物，加上這雜燴又美味得無與倫比，我們便以極快的速度把它一掃而光：這時我往後一靠，想起赫西太太「蛤還是鱈」的那句問話，便起了做個小實驗的念頭。

Stepping to the kitchen door, I uttered the word “cod” with great emphasis, and resumed my seat. In a few moments the savoury steam came forth again, but with a different flavor, and in good time a fine cod-chowder was placed before us.

我走到廚房門口，特別加重語氣說了「鱈」這個字，便回到座位。沒過多久，那噴香的蒸氣又冒了出來，只是換了一種味道，不一會兒，一鍋上好的鱈魚雜燴就擺到了我們面前。

We resumed business; and while plying our spoons in the bowl, thinks I to myself, I wonder now if this here has any effect on the head? What’s that stultifying saying about chowder-headed people?

我們又埋頭吃了起來；一邊在碗裡忙活著湯匙，我一邊暗想，不曉得這玩意兒對腦袋有沒有什麼影響？那句說人「雜燴腦袋（笨頭笨腦）」的傻話是怎麼說來著？

“But look, Queequeg, ain’t that a live eel in your bowl? Where’s your harpoon?”

「不過你看，魁魁格，你碗裡那不是條活鰻魚嗎？你的魚叉呢？」

Fishiest of all fishy places was the Try Pots, which well deserved its name; for the pots there were always boiling chowders.

在所有魚腥的地方裡，「鼎沸客棧」是最魚腥的，它這名字真是名副其實；因為那兒的鍋總是煮著雜燴濃湯。

Chowder for breakfast, and chowder for dinner, and chowder for supper, till you began to look for fish-bones coming through your clothes.

早餐雜燴、午餐雜燴、晚餐還是雜燴，吃到你開始留神看會不會有魚刺從你衣服裡冒出來。

The area before the house was paved with clam-shells. Mrs. Hussey wore a polished necklace of codfish vertebra; and Hosea Hussey had his account books bound in superior old shark-skin.

屋前那片地是用蛤殼鋪的。赫西太太戴著一條磨光的鱈魚脊椎骨項鍊；何西亞・赫西的帳本則是用上等的老鯊魚皮裝訂的。

There was a fishy flavor to the milk, too, which I could not at all account for, till one morning happening to take a stroll along the beach among some fishermen’s boats, I saw Hosea’s brindled cow feeding on fish remnants, and marching along the sand with each foot in a cod’s decapitated head, looking very slip-shod, I assure ye.

連牛奶都帶著一股魚味，這我怎麼也想不通，直到一天早晨，我碰巧在沙灘上的幾條漁船之間散步，看見何西亞那頭花斑乳牛正吃著魚的殘骸，在沙灘上邁步走著，四隻腳各踩在一顆被斬了頭的鱈魚頭裡——我向你保證，那模樣可真是邋遢拖沓得很。

Supper concluded, we received a lamp, and directions from Mrs. Hussey concerning the nearest way to bed; but, as Queequeg was about to precede me up the stairs, the lady reached forth her arm, and demanded his harpoon; she allowed no harpoon in her chambers.

晚飯吃完，我們從赫西太太那兒領了一盞燈、聽了去睡覺最近的路怎麼走；但魁魁格正要先我一步上樓時，這位太太伸出手臂，要他交出魚叉；她房裡不准擺魚叉。

“Why not?” said I; “every true whaleman sleeps with his harpoon—but why not?” “Because it’s dangerous,” says she.

「為什麼不行？」我說；「每個真正的捕鯨人都帶著魚叉睡覺——可為什麼不行呢？」「因為危險，」她說。

“Ever since young Stiggs coming from that unfort’nt v’y’ge of his, when he was gone four years and a half, with only three barrels of ile, was found dead in my first floor back, with his harpoon in his side; ever since then I allow no boarders to take sich dangerous weepons in their rooms at night.

「自從那年輕的斯蒂格斯，打他那趟倒楣的航程回來——他一去就是四年半，才換回三桶油——被人發現死在我家二樓後間、魚叉插在他自己肋下；打那以後，我就不准房客夜裡把這種危險傢伙帶進房裡了。

So, Mr. Queequeg” (for she had learned his name), “I will just take this here iron, and keep it for you till morning. But the chowder; clam or cod to-morrow for breakfast, men?”

所以呢，魁魁格先生」（她已經學會了他的名字），「我就把這支鐵傢伙拿走，替你保管到天亮。對了，雜燴湯；二位明早早餐要蛤還是鱈？」

“Both,” says I; “and let’s have a couple of smoked herring by way of variety.”

「都要，」我說；「再來兩條煙燻鯡魚換換口味吧。」