這筆該死的勾銷不了的欠來欠去的人情賬!我真想象空氣一般的自由;但是我已經全身是債了。如果我很富有,那我可以到羅馬帝國(也就是世界的帝國)的拍賣場上去跟最有錢的將軍們討價還價了;但是,我卻少了一根可以大夸特夸的舌頭。真的!我要去找一只坩堝來,跳了進去,把我自己消溶成一小撮脊椎骨。就這樣行啦!
Carpenter ( resuming his work).
木匠(重新開始干活)
Well, well, well! Stubb knows him best of all, and Stubb always says he's queer; says nothing but that one sufficient little word queer; he's queer, says Stubb; he's queer—queer, queer; and keeps dinning it into Mr. Starbuck all the time—queer—sir—queer, queer, very queer. And here's his leg. Yes, now that I think of it, here's his bed-fellow! has a stick of whale's jaw-bone for a wife! And this is his leg; he'll stand on this. What was that now about one leg standing in three places, and all three places standing in one hell— how was that? Oh! I don't wonder he looked so scornful at me!
唔,唔,唔!斯塔布比誰都清楚他,斯塔布始終說他是個怪物;什么都不說,就只說怪物這兩個簡單字眼;他是怪物,斯塔布說;他是怪物——怪物,怪物;而且老是嘮嘮叨叨地把它說給斯達巴克先生聽——怪物,先生——怪物,怪物,真是怪物。喲,這是他的腿!嗯,我可想起來了,這就是他的睡伴!拿一根鯨嘴骨去做老婆!這就是他的腿;他就要靠這來支撐。這只腿這會兒怎么會經得起三種用場,而這三種用場又怎么經得起地獄——這究竟是怎么一回事?難怪他要那么傲慢地看著我!