帽子

And now that at the proper time and place, after so long and wide a preliminary cruise, Ahab,—all other whaling waters swept—seemed to have chased his foe into an ocean-fold, to slay him the more securely there... now it was that there lurked a something in the old man’s eyes, which it was hardly sufferable for feeble souls to see. As the unsetting polar star, which through the livelong, arctic, six months’ night sustains its piercing, steady, central gaze; so Ahab’s purpose now fixedly gleamed down upon the constant midnight of the gloomy crew. It domineered above them so, that all their bodings, doubts, misgivings, fears, were fain to hide beneath their souls, and not sprout forth a single spear or leaf.

如今，在這恰當的時間與地點、歷經如此漫長而遼闊的前期巡航之後，亞哈——所有其他捕鯨海域都已掃遍——彷彿已把宿敵逼進了一道「海的褶皺」，好在那裡更穩當地把牠殺掉……此刻，老人眼裡潛伏著某種東西，是孱弱的靈魂幾乎不忍直視的。就像那永不落下的北極星，整整六個月的北極長夜裡始終維持著牠那穿透一切、沉穩而居中的凝視；亞哈的意志此刻也這般直直地、釘住般地俯照著這群陰鬱水手那永恆的午夜。它就這樣君臨在他們頭上，以至於他們所有的不祥預感、疑慮、惶惑與恐懼，都只得縮藏進各自的靈魂底下，連一根矛尖、一片葉子都不敢冒出來。

In this foreshadowing interval too, all humor, forced or natural, vanished. Stubb no more strove to raise a smile; Starbuck no more strove to check one. Alike, joy and sorrow, hope and fear, seemed ground to finest dust, and powdered, for the time, in the clamped mortar of Ahab’s iron soul. Like machines, they dumbly moved about the deck, ever conscious that the old man’s despot eye was on them.

在這預示著什麼的間隙裡，一切玩笑——無論勉強的還是天然的——也都消失了。斯塔布不再費力去逗人發笑；斯塔巴克也不再費力去忍住笑。歡樂與悲傷、希望與恐懼，一律像被碾成了最細的粉末，此時此刻，全被舂進亞哈那鋼鐵靈魂鉗死的研缽裡。眾人像機器一般，默默地在甲板上挪動，無時無刻不感覺到老人那專制的目光，正落在他們身上。

But did you deeply scan him in his more secret confidential hours... then you would have seen that even as Ahab’s eyes so awed the crew’s, the inscrutable Parsee’s glance awed his... Such an added, gliding strangeness began to invest the thin Fedallah now; such ceaseless shudderings shook him; that the men looked dubious at him; half uncertain, whether indeed he were a mortal substance, or else a tremulous shadow cast upon the deck by some unseen being’s body. And that shadow was always hovering there. For not by night, even, had Fedallah ever certainly been known to slumber, or go below. He would stand still for hours: but never sat or leaned; his wan but wondrous eyes did plainly say—We two watchmen never rest.

可你若在他那更為私密、不設防的時刻深深地端詳他……你便會看見，正如亞哈的眼睛這般震懾著全船，那高深莫測的拜火教徒的一瞥，也這般震懾著亞哈；或者至少，在某種狂野的意義上，時時影響著他。如今，一種益發增添的、滑行般的詭異，開始籠罩著那瘦削的費達拉；一陣陣不止的戰慄搖撼著他；以至於眾人疑惑地望著他，半信半疑——他究竟是有血有肉的實體，還是某個看不見的存在投在甲板上的、一道顫動的影子。而那影子總是懸浮在那兒。因為即便在夜裡，也從沒人確切見過費達拉睡覺，或是下到艙裡去。他能一連幾個鐘頭一動不動地站著：卻從不坐下、也從不倚靠；他那蒼白卻奇異的眼睛分明在說——我們這兩個守夜人，從不歇息。

Nor, at any time, by night or day could the mariners now step upon the deck, unless Ahab was before them; either standing in his pivot-hole, or exactly pacing the planks between two undeviating limits,—the main-mast and the mizen; or else they saw him standing in the cabin-scuttle,—his living foot advanced upon the deck, as if to step; his hat slouched heavily over his eyes; so that however motionless he stood... they could never tell unerringly whether his eyes were really closed at times; or whether he was still intently scanning them... The clothes that the night had wet, the next day’s sunshine dried upon him; and so, day after day, and night after night; he went no more beneath the planks.

而且，無論晝夜，水手們此刻一踏上甲板，眼前必有亞哈——他若不是站在自己那舵旁的固定凹槽裡，就是不偏不倚地在兩個絕不踰越的界限之間——主桅與後桅之間——精確地來回踱步；要不就見他立在艙口梯道處——那條活著的腿往甲板上探出，彷彿正要邁步；帽簷沉沉地壓過雙眼；於是任憑他站得多麼一動不動……他們也始終無法準確判斷，他的眼睛是否有時當真闔上了；還是仍在專注地審視著他們……夜裡被打濕的衣裳，次日的陽光便在他身上曬乾；就這樣，日復一日、夜復一夜；他再不下到甲板底下去了。

He ate in the same open air; that is, his two only meals,—breakfast and dinner... nor reaped his beard; which darkly grew all gnarled, as unearthed roots of trees blown over, which still grow idly on at naked base, though perished in the upper verdure. But though his whole life was now become one watch on deck... yet these two never seemed to speak—one man to the other—unless at long intervals some passing unmomentous matter made it necessary... At times, for longest hours, without a single hail, they stood far parted in the starlight; Ahab in his scuttle, the Parsee by the mainmast; but still fixedly gazing upon each other; as if in the Parsee Ahab saw his forethrown shadow, in Ahab the Parsee his abandoned substance.

他也在這同一片露天裡進食；也就是他僅有的兩餐——早飯與午飯：晚飯他從不沾；也不修剪鬍子；那鬍子黑黝黝地長得盤虯交錯，像被風吹倒、連根掀起的樹根，雖然頂上的青翠早已枯死，光禿的根部卻仍兀自閒閒地生長著。可儘管他如今整個人生已化作甲板上一場不歇的守望……這兩人卻似乎從不交談——彼此之間——除非隔著很長的間隔，偶有一樁無關緊要的小事使其不得不然……有時，一連數個鐘頭，連一聲招呼也沒有，他們便在星光下遠遠地各據一方站著；亞哈在他的艙口、拜火教徒在主桅旁；卻仍直直地凝望著彼此；彷彿在那拜火教徒身上，亞哈看見了自己投射在前的影子，而在亞哈身上，拜火教徒看見了自己被遺棄的實體。

And yet, somehow, did Ahab—in his own proper self, as daily, hourly, and every instant, commandingly revealed to his subordinates,—Ahab seemed an independent lord; the Parsee but his slave. Still again both seemed yoked together, and an unseen tyrant driving them; the lean shade siding the solid rib. For be this Parsee what he may, all rib and keel was solid Ahab.

然而，不知怎地——就亞哈本人而言，正如他每日、每時、每刻都以威臨之姿展現給屬下看的那樣——亞哈彷彿是個獨立自主的君主；那拜火教徒不過是他的奴隸。可話說回來，兩人又像是同軛縛在一起，由一個看不見的暴君驅趕著；那瘦削的影子，傍著那堅實的肋骨。因為這拜火教徒無論究竟是什麼，那一身的肋骨與龍骨，可都是堅實的亞哈。

At the first faintest glimmering of the dawn, his iron voice was heard from aft,—“Man the mast-heads!”... But when three or four days had slided by, after meeting the children-seeking Rachel; and no spout had yet been seen; the monomaniac old man seemed distrustful of his crew’s fidelity; at least, of nearly all except the Pagan harpooneers; he seemed to doubt, even, whether Stubb and Flask might not willingly overlook the sight he sought. But if these suspicions were really his, he sagaciously refrained from verbally expressing them.

天色剛透出最微弱的一線曙光，便聽見他那鋼鐵般的嗓音從船尾傳來——「上桅頂瞭望！」……可在遇上那艘尋子的拉結號之後，三四天過去了，仍不見一道鯨噴；這偏執成狂的老人似乎開始不信任全船的忠誠了；至少，除了那幾名異教標槍手之外，幾乎全船他都信不過；他甚至懷疑，斯塔布與弗拉斯克會不會故意對他要找的目標視而不見。可即便這些猜疑當真是他心裡所想，他也很精明地克制著不把它們說出口。

“I will have the first sight of the whale myself,”—he said. “Aye! Ahab must have the doubloon!” and with his own hands he rigged a nest of basketed bowlines... he looked round upon his crew, sweeping from one to the other; pausing his glance long upon Daggoo, Queequeg, Tashtego; but shunning Fedallah; and then settling his firm relying eye upon the chief mate, said,—“Take the rope, sir—I give it into thy hands, Starbuck.” Then arranging his person in the basket, he gave the word for them to hoist him to his perch, Starbuck being the one who secured the rope at last... And thus, with one hand clinging round the royal mast, Ahab gazed abroad upon the sea for miles and miles.

「我要親自第一個看見那條鯨，」他說。「對！這枚金幣，非亞哈莫屬！」他親手綁了個用單套結編成的吊籃……他環視全船，目光從一個人掃到另一個人；在大個兒、魁魁格、塔斯蒂哥身上久久停留；卻避開了費達拉；然後把那沉穩而託付的眼神，定在大副身上，說道——「接住這繩子，先生——我把它交到你手裡了，斯塔巴克。」接著他把身子在吊籃裡安頓好，下令把他升到那高處的棲位上，最後是斯塔巴克親手把繩子繫牢的……就這樣，亞哈一手攀著最頂端的桅杆，極目眺望著綿延數哩的大海。

...its fastened end on deck is always given in strict charge to some one man who has the special watch of it... it would be but a natural fatality, if, unprovided with a constant watchman, the hoisted sailor should by some carelessness of the crew be cast adrift and fall all swooping to the sea. So Ahab’s proceedings in this matter were not unusual; the only strange thing about them seemed to be, that Starbuck, almost the one only man who had ever ventured to oppose him with anything in the slightest degree approaching to decision—one of those too, whose faithfulness on the look-out he had seemed to doubt somewhat;—it was strange, that this was the very man he should select for his watchman; freely giving his whole life into such an otherwise distrusted person’s hands.

……繩子繫在甲板上的那一端，總要嚴格託付給某個專門看守它的人……要是沒有一個始終在旁的看守人，萬一因船員一時疏忽，那被吊上去的水手便會被拋落、整個人俯衝著栽進海裡——這幾乎是順理成章的橫禍。所以，亞哈在這件事上的做法並不反常；唯一奇怪的地方似乎在於：斯塔巴克——這個幾乎是全船唯一一個敢以略帶決斷的姿態反對過他的人，也正是他似乎多少懷疑過其瞭望忠誠的人之一——奇怪的是，他偏偏選了這個人來當自己的看守，毫無保留地把自己的整條性命，交到這麼一個本被他猜疑的人手裡。

Now, the first time Ahab was perched aloft; ere he had been there ten minutes; one of those red-billed savage sea-hawks which so often fly incommodiously close round the manned mast-heads of whalemen in these latitudes; one of these birds came wheeling and screaming round his head in a maze of untrackably swift circlings. Then it darted a thousand feet straight up into the air; then spiralized downwards, and went eddying again round his head. But with his gaze fixed upon the dim and distant horizon, Ahab seemed not to mark this wild bird; nor, indeed, would any one else have marked it much... only now almost the least heedful eye seemed to see some sort of cunning meaning in almost every sight.

且說亞哈第一次高踞桅頂；待了還不到十分鐘；那種紅嘴的兇野海鷹——在這些緯度上，牠們常常擾人地緊貼著捕鯨船有人值守的桅頂飛繞——其中一隻，便繞著他的頭打起轉來，尖叫著，盤旋得快到無從追蹤、亂成一團。接著牠筆直地朝上空疾射千呎；然後又螺旋盤降，再度繞著他的頭打起旋來。可亞哈的目光緊釘在那昏暗而遙遠的水平線上，似乎根本沒留意這隻狂野的鳥；說實在的，旁人也不會太把它當回事……只是如今，連最不上心的眼睛，也彷彿在幾乎每一樁景象裡，都看出了某種狡黠的含意。

“Your hat, your hat, sir!” suddenly cried the Sicilian seaman, who being posted at the mizen-mast-head, stood directly behind Ahab, though somewhat lower than his level, and with a deep gulf of air dividing them. But already the sable wing was before the old man’s eyes; the long hooked bill at his head: with a scream, the black hawk darted away with his prize.

「您的帽子，您的帽子，先生！」後桅頂上那名西西里水手突然喊道，他正站在亞哈的正後方，雖比他的高度略低，中間還隔著一道深深的空氣鴻溝。可那烏黑的翅膀早已掠到老人眼前；那長而帶鉤的喙啄向他的頭頂：隨著一聲尖叫，那黑鷹叼著牠的戰利品疾飛而去。

An eagle flew thrice round Tarquin’s head, removing his cap to replace it, and thereupon Tanaquil, his wife, declared that Tarquin would be king of Rome. But only by the replacing of the cap was that omen accounted good. Ahab’s hat was never restored; the wild hawk flew on and on with it; far in advance of the prow: and at last disappeared; while from the point of that disappearance, a minute black spot was dimly discerned, falling from that vast height into the sea.

當年有隻鷹繞著塔克文的頭飛了三圈，把他的帽子叼起、又放了回去，於是他的妻子坦娜奎爾便斷言，塔克文將成為羅馬之王。可那預兆之所以被解作吉兆，全在於帽子被放了回去。亞哈的帽子卻再沒被放回來；那兇野的鷹叼著它越飛越遠；遠遠地飛到船頭前方去了：最後消失不見；而就從牠消失的那一點上，隱約辨得出一個極小的黑點，正從那無垠的高處，墜落入海。