英語聽書《白鯨記》第394期

But he who in the rightly regal and intelligent spirit presides over his own private dinner-table of invited guests, that man's unchallenged power and dominion of individual influence for the time; that man's royalty of state transcends Belshazzar's, for Belshazzar was not the greatest. Who has but once dined his friends, has tasted what it is to be Caesar. It is a witchery of social czarship which there is no withstanding. Now, if to this consideration you super-add the official supremacy of a ship-master, then, by inference, you will derive the cause of that peculiarity of sea-life just mentioned.

不過,凡是請人吃飯而擺出一副帝王的。凜然不可侵犯的架勢的,那種人就暫時具有一種穩(wěn)如磐石的權力和威信;那種人的王相一定超過了伯沙撒,因為伯沙撒也并不是最了不起的。誰只要曾經請朋友吃過一次飯,誰就體會到做愷撒大帝的味道。這就是一種無可抗拒的社交的王權的魔法。現(xiàn)在,如果再把一個船長的正式的霸權加在這種理由上,那么,一加推斷,人們就可以追索出剛才所說的海上生活的特點的道理了。

Over his ivory-inlaid table, Ahab presided like a mute, maned sea-lion on the white coral beach, surrounded by his war-like but still deferential cubs. In his own proper turn, each officer waited to be served. They were as little children before Ahab; and yet, in Ahab, there seemed not to lurk the smallest social arrogance. With one mind, their intent eyes all fastened upon the old man's knife, as he carved the chief dish before him. I do not suppose that for the world they would have profaned that moment with the slightest observation, even upon so neutral a topic as the weather. No! And when reaching out his knife and fork, between which the slice of beef was locked, Ahab thereby motioned Starbuck's plate towards him, the mate received his meat as though receiving alms; and cut it tenderly; and a little started if, perchance, the knife grazed against the plate; and chewed it noiselessly; and swallowed it, not without circumspection.

亞哈坐在他那只鑲著牙骨的飯桌上首,有如一只坐在雪白的珊瑚壩上的默默的。有鬃毛的海獅,被他那些尚武而頗謙讓的小獅團團圍著。每個頭目都等著亞哈分給自己的菜。他們在亞哈面前都象小孩一般;然而,亞哈卻好象一點也沒有社交上的妄自尊大的氣態(tài)。亞哈在切著他面前那道主菜的時候,他們幾雙緊張的眼睛都一致凝神不動地盯著那老頭的刀子。我認為,無論如何,他們當時是一點也不敢隨意說話,哪怕連天氣這樣無關緊要的話題都不敢談。不錯!當亞哈伸出他的刀叉,中間夾著一片牛肉,并對斯達巴克示意,要他把盆子遞過來的時候,這個大副就象接受施舍物般把那塊肉接了過來,輕輕地切著;如果偶然刀子跟盆子稍微一碰,就不免要嚇了一跳;無聲無息地咀嚼著,小心翼翼地把它咽下去。