約拿的歷史觀

Reference was made to the historical story of Jonah and the whale in the preceding chapter. Now some Nantucketers rather distrust this historical story of Jonah and the whale. But then there were some sceptical Greeks and Romans... equally doubted the story of Hercules and the whale, and Arion and the dolphin; and yet their doubting those traditions did not make those traditions one whit the less facts, for all that.

上一章提到了「約拿與鯨」的歷史故事。如今有些南塔克特人頗不信（distrust）這「約拿與鯨」的歷史故事。但當年也有些懷疑的（sceptical）希臘人與羅馬人，站出來反對他們時代的「正統（orthodox）異教徒」，同樣懷疑「海克力斯與鯨」「阿里翁與海豚」的故事；可即便如此，他們對那些傳統的懷疑，並沒有使那些傳統「絲毫減損其為事實」。

One old Sag-Harbor whaleman’s chief reason for questioning the Hebrew story was this:—He had one of those quaint old-fashioned Bibles... which represented Jonah’s whale with two spouts in his head... “A penny roll would choke him”; his swallow is so very small. But, to this, Bishop Jebb’s anticipative answer is ready. It is not necessary, hints the Bishop, that we consider Jonah as tombed in the whale’s belly, but as temporarily lodged in some part of his mouth. ...the Right Whale’s mouth would accommodate a couple of whist-tables, and comfortably seat all the players. Possibly, too, Jonah might have ensconced himself in a hollow tooth; but, on second thoughts, the Right Whale is toothless.

一個薩格港老捕鯨人質疑這希伯來故事的主要理由是這個：他有一本古樸老式（quaint）的聖經、配著奇異而不科學的插圖，其中一幅把約拿的鯨畫成頭上有「兩個噴孔」——這個特徵只對露脊鯨那類巨獸成立；而關於這種鯨，漁人有句話：「一個小麵包卷（a penny roll）就會噎死牠」——牠的喉嚨小得很。但對此，傑布主教（Bishop Jebb）「預先準備好的（anticipative）」回答現成可用。主教暗示：我們不必認為約拿是被「葬」在鯨的肚子裡，而只是暫時「待在」牠嘴的某個部位。這在這位好主教看來夠合理了：因為說真的，露脊鯨的嘴能容下兩張惠斯特（whist）牌桌、舒舒服服坐下所有的牌手。約拿也可能把自己安頓（ensconced）在一顆中空的牙裡——但再一想，露脊鯨是無牙的。

Another reason which Sag-Harbor... urged for his want of faith... was something obscurely in reference to his incarcerated body and the whale’s gastric juices. But this objection likewise falls to the ground, because a German exegetist supposes that Jonah must have taken refuge in the floating body of a dead whale... Nor have there been wanting learned exegetists who have opined that the whale mentioned in the book of Jonah merely meant a life-preserver—an inflated bag of wind... How is that?

薩格港（眾人就這麼叫他）對這先知之事缺乏信心的另一個理由，含糊地與「他被囚禁（incarcerated）的身體和鯨的胃液（gastric juices）」有關。但這異議同樣站不住腳：因為一位德國釋經家（exegetist）推測，約拿必是躲進了一頭死鯨漂浮的屍體——正如俄國戰役中的法國士兵把他們的死馬掏空當帳篷、爬了進去。此外，別的歐陸註經家也「占卜（divined）」出：約拿從約帕的船上被拋下海後，立刻逃到了附近另一艘船上——某艘以鯨為船首雕像的船；我還想補一句，那船可能就叫「鯨號（The Whale）」，正如今天有些船被命名（christened）為「鯊魚號」「海鷗號」「鷹號」。也不乏博學的釋經家主張（opined）：約拿書裡提到的那「鯨」，不過是指一個救生圈——一個充氣的風袋——遇險的先知游向它、因而免於溺斃的厄運。所以可憐的薩格港似乎四面受挫（worsted）。但他還有一個缺乏信心的理由。若我沒記錯，是這個：約拿是在地中海被鯨吞下的，三天後卻在「離尼尼微（底格里斯河畔的城）三天路程之內」的某處被吐出來——而尼尼微離地中海海岸最近的一點，遠不止三天的路程。這怎麼解釋？

But was there no other way for the whale to land the prophet within that short distance of Nineveh? Yes. He might have carried him round by the way of the Cape of Good Hope. ...such a supposition would involve the complete circumnavigation of all Africa in three days... Besides, this idea of Jonah’s weathering the Cape of Good Hope at so early a day would wrest the honor of the discovery of that great headland from Bartholomew Diaz... and so make modern history a liar.

但難道鯨就沒有別的辦法，在離尼尼微那麼短的距離內把先知送上岸嗎？有的：牠可能繞道「好望角（Cape of Good Hope）」帶他過去。但別說要穿過整個地中海的全長、再上溯波斯灣與紅海，這種假設還會牽涉到「三天之內完整環航（circumnavigation）整個非洲」——更別提尼尼微遺址附近的底格里斯河水太淺、任何鯨都游不進去。再說，約拿在這麼早的年代就「繞過（weathering）好望角」這念頭，會把發現那座大海岬的榮譽，從它公認的發現者巴托洛梅烏·迪亞士（Bartholomew Diaz）手裡奪走（wrest）、從而使近代史成了一個騙子。

But all these foolish arguments of old Sag-Harbor only evinced his foolish pride of reason—a thing still more reprehensible in him, seeing that he had but little learning... I say it only shows his foolish, impious pride, and abominable, devilish rebellion against the reverend clergy. ...And some three centuries ago, an English traveller in old Harris’s Voyages, speaks of a Turkish Mosque built in honor of Jonah, in which Mosque was a miraculous lamp that burnt without any oil.

但老薩格港這一切愚蠢的論證，只顯出他「理性的愚蠢驕傲（foolish pride of reason）」——這在他身上尤其該責（reprehensible），因為他除了從太陽和大海撿來的一點之外，幾乎沒什麼學問。我說，這只顯出他愚蠢的、瀆神的（impious）驕傲，以及可憎的（abominable）、魔鬼般的、對尊貴神職人員的反叛。因為，一位葡萄牙天主教神父，正是把「約拿繞好望角去尼尼微」這個念頭，當作對這整個神蹟的「顯著放大（magnification）」提出來的——它也確實如此。此外，直到今天，那高度開化的土耳其人仍虔誠地（devoutly）相信約拿的歷史故事。而約三百年前，老哈里斯航海集中的一位英國旅人，提到一座為紀念約拿而建的土耳其清真寺，寺中有一盞「不用任何油卻能燃燒的神燈（miraculous lamp）」。