For several hours the Nautilus drifted in this brilliant tide, and our wonderment grew when we saw huge marine animals cavorting in it, like the fire-dwelling salamanders of myth. In the midst of these flames that didn't burn, I could see swift, elegant porpoises, the tireless pranksters of the seas, and sailfish three meters long, those shrewd heralds of hurricanes, whose fearsome broadswords sometimes banged against the lounge window. Then smaller fish appeared: miscellaneous triggerfish, leather jacks, unicornfish, and a hundred others that left stripes on this luminous atmosphere in their course.
諾第留斯號在這種光輝的海波中浮游了好幾個鐘頭,我看見粗大的海中動物,像火蛇一樣在那里游來游去,我贊美的情緒更高漲了我看見在那里,在那不發(fā)熱的火光中間,有許多美觀、迅速快走的海豬,這是跑來跑去、不感到疲乏的海中丑角,有許多長三米的劍魚,它們是大風(fēng)暴要來的先知者,它們的巨大劍鋒時常碰在大廳的玻璃上。然后又出現(xiàn)了那些比較小的魚類,各種形樣的箭魚,跳躍的鰭魚,人頭形樣的狼魚,以及成千成百的其他魚類,它們奔跑的時候,在這失明的大氣中,畫成帶子一樣的條條的花紋。
Some magic lay behind this dazzling sight! Perhaps some atmospheric condition had intensified this phenomenon? Perhaps a storm had been unleashed on the surface of the waves? But only a few meters down, the Nautilus felt no tempest's fury, and the ship rocked peacefully in the midst of the calm waters.
這種光輝奪目的景象真是迷人心神的魔法!是不是空氣中的一些變化使這種現(xiàn)象更為加強呢?是不是海波上面發(fā)生了風(fēng)暴呢?不過在水下幾米的深度,諾第留斯號并不感到風(fēng)暴的怒吼,它和平地在安靜的海水中擺來擺去。
And so it went, some new wonder constantly delighting us. Conseil observed and classified his zoophytes, articulates, mollusks, and fish. The days passed quickly, and I no longer kept track of them. Ned, as usual, kept looking for changes of pace from our standard fare. Like actual snails, we were at home in our shell, and I can vouch that it's easy to turn into a full-fledged snail.
我們就是這樣行駛著,不斷為眼前偽新奇景象所陶醉??等麪柸栽谟^察,他把他的植蟲類、節(jié)肢類、軟體類、魚類等搬出來加以分類。日子過得很快,我簡直不能計算了。尼德·蘭照他的習(xí)慣,總想法子把船上日常的事物變換一下。我們是真正的蝸牛,在我們殼中住慣了,我同時又要肯定,成為一個完全的蝸牛也并不是很難的事。
So this way of living began to seem simple and natural to us, and we no longer envisioned a different lifestyle on the surface of the planet earth, when something happened to remind us of our strange circumstances.
因此,這種生活在我們覺得是很方便,很自然,我們并不想象在地球面上還有另一種不同的生活,就在這個時候,發(fā)生了一件事情,使我們覺得我們所處地位的離奇古怪。
On January 18 the Nautilus lay in longitude 105 degrees and latitude 15 degrees south. The weather was threatening, the sea rough and billowy. The wind was blowing a strong gust from the east. The barometer, which had been falling for some days, forecast an approaching struggle of the elements.
1月18日,諾第留斯號到了東經(jīng)105度和南緯15度的地方。天氣很壞,海上險惡,多風(fēng)浪。大鳳猛烈地從東方吹來。風(fēng)雨表好幾天以來就下降了,預(yù)告不久將有暴風(fēng)和雨——海水和空氣的惡斗。