然而,啊,偉大的太陽(yáng)可不是始終屹立不動(dòng)的;如果在午夜時(shí)分,我們真想從它那里獲取一點(diǎn)溫存的安慰的話,那就是望穿了眼,也是徒勞的!這塊金幣表現(xiàn)得真聰明、柔順、忠實(shí),可是在我看來(lái),還是有點(diǎn)憂傷。我得趕緊離開(kāi)它,否則,真理倒要變成謊言了。"
There now's the old Mogul, soliloquized Stubb by the try-works, "he's been twigging it; and there goes Starbuck from the same, and both with faces which I should say might be somewhere within nine fathoms long. And all from looking at a piece of gold, which did I have it now on Negro Hill or in Corlaer's Hook, I'd not look at it very long ere spending it. Humph! in my poor, insignificant opinion, I regard this as queer. I have seen doubloons before now in my voyagings; your doubloons of old Spain, your doubloons of Peru, your doubloons of Chili, your doubloons of Bolivia, your doubloons of Popayan; with plenty of gold moidores and pistoles, and joes, and half joes, and quarter joes. What then should there be in this doubloon of the Equator that is so killing wonderful? By Golconda! let me read it once. Halloa! here's signs and wonders truly! That, now, is what old Bowditch in his Epitome calls the zodiac, and what my almanack below calls ditto.
瞧那老蒙兀兒,斯塔布在煉油間旁邊自言自語(yǔ)道,"他剛才已經(jīng)看明白了;斯達(dá)巴克也是為了這才去的,可是,他們兩個(gè)人的臉兒呀,我敢說(shuō),都大約拉得有三十六英尺長(zhǎng)。這都是因?yàn)榭戳四菈K金幣的緣故,如果我在黑人山或者在柯?tīng)柪瓲栣嫡业竭@塊東西的話,我準(zhǔn)不會(huì)瞧它好久,馬上把它拿去花掉。哼!照我的微不足道的鄙見(jiàn)看來(lái),這就是一種怪事。我在以前的多次航行中,早就看到過(guò)好些種杜柏侖;你們那些古西班牙的杜柏侖,秘魯?shù)亩虐貋?,智利的杜柏侖,玻利維亞的杜柏侖,波巴揚(yáng)(波巴揚(yáng)——南美哥倫比亞的一個(gè)城市。)的杜柏侖,還看到許多金蒙伊多爾(蒙伊多爾——葡萄牙舊金幣名。),比斯多(比斯多——西班牙的舊金幣名。),約伊(約伊——英國(guó)對(duì)于值四個(gè)便士的銀元的稱呼。),半個(gè)約伊,四分之一的約伊。那么,這種厄瓜多爾的杜柏侖居然有這么了不起?乖乖(原文為"By Golconda"按戈康第是印度海達(dá)拉巴特城,從前是著名的金剛鉆礦。這里似有類似英文的"By God"即驚奇。發(fā)誓之感嘆語(yǔ)。)!讓我也去看它一看吧。??!這倒真是奇跡!那么,這大概就是波狄奇老頭在他那本《概論》(納·波狄奇(1773—1838)——美國(guó)數(shù)學(xué)家和天文學(xué)家?!陡耪摗烦霭嬗谝话肆愣?。)里管它叫黃道的東西,也就是我放在下面那本歷書(shū)上同樣管它叫黃道的東西吧。