The chief mate of the Pequod was Starbuck, a native of Nantucket, and a Quaker by descent. He was a long, earnest man, and though born on an icy coast, seemed well adapted to endure hot latitudes1, his flesh being hard as twice-baked biscuit. Transported to the Indies, his live blood would not spoil like bottled ale. He must have been born in some time of general drought and famine, or upon one of those fast days for which his state is famous. Only some thirty arid2 summers had he seen; those summers had dried up all his physical superfluousness3. But this, his thinness, so to speak, seemed no more the token of wasting anxieties and cares, than it seemed the indication of any bodily blight4. It was merely the condensation5 of the man. He was by no means ill-looking; quite the contrary. His pure tight skin was an excellent fit; and closely wrapped up in it, and embalmed6 with inner health and strength, like a revivified Egyptian, this Starbuck seemed prepared to endure for long ages to come, and to endure always, as now; for be it Polar snow or torrid sun, like a patent chronometer7, his interior vitality8 was warranted to do well in all climates. Looking into his eyes, you seemed to see there the yet lingering images of those thousand-fold perils9 he had calmly confronted through life. A staid, steadfast11 man, whose life for the most part was a telling pantomime of action, and not a tame chapter of sounds. Yet, for all his hardy12 sobriety and fortitude13, there were certain qualities in him which at times affected14, and in some cases seemed well nigh to overbalance all the rest. Uncommonly15 conscientious16 for a seaman17, and endued18 with a deep natural reverence19, the wild watery20 loneliness of his life did therefore strongly incline him to superstition21; but to that sort of superstition, which in some organizations seems rather to spring, somehow, from intelligence than from ignorance. Outward portents22 and inward presentiments23 were his. And if at times these things bent24 the welded iron of his soul, much more did his far-away domestic memories of his young Cape25 wife and child, tend to bend him still more from the original ruggedness26 of his nature, and open him still further to those latent influences which, in some honest-hearted men, restrain the gush27 of dare-devil daring, so often evinced by others in the more perilous28 vicissitudes29 of the fishery. "I will have no man in my boat," said Starbuck, "who is not afraid of a whale." By this, he seemed to mean, not only that the most reliable and useful courage was that which arises from the fair estimation of the encountered peril10, but that an utterly30 fearless man is a far more dangerous comrade than a coward.
"Aye, aye," said Stubb, the second mate, "Starbuck, there, is as careful a man as you'll find anywhere in this fishery." But we shall ere long see what that word "careful" precisely31 means when used by a man like Stubb, or almost any other whale hunter.
Starbuck was no crusader after perils; in him courage was not a sentiment; but a thing simply useful to him, and always at hand upon all mortally practical occasions. Besides, he thought, perhaps, that in this business of whaling, courage was one of the great staple32 outfits33 of the ship, like her beef and her bread, and not to be foolishly wasted. Wherefore he had no fancy for lowering for whales after sun-down; nor for persisting in fighting a fish that too much persisted in fighting him. For, thought Starbuck, I am here in this critical ocean to kill whales for my living, and not to be killed by them for theirs; and that hundreds of men had been so killed Starbuck well knew. What doom34 was his own father's? Where, in the bottomless deeps, could he find the torn limbs of his brother?
With memories like these in him, and, moreover, given to a certain superstitiousness35, as has been said; the courage of this Starbuck, which could, nevertheless, still flourish, must indeed have been extreme. But it was not in reasonable nature that a man so organized, and with such terrible experiences and remembrances as he had; it was not in nature that these things should fail in latently engendering36 an element in him, which, under suitable circumstances, would break out from its confinement37, and burn all his courage up. And brave as he might be, it was that sort of bravery chiefly, visible in some intrepid38 men, which, while generally abiding39 firm in the conflict with seas, or winds, or whales, or any of the ordinary irrational40 horrors of the world, yet cannot withstand those more terrific, because more spiritual terrors, which sometimes menace you from the concentrating brow of an enraged41 and mighty42 man.
But were the coming narrative43 to reveal in any instance, the complete abasement44 of poor Starbuck's fortitude, scarce might I have the heart to write it; for it is a thing most sorrowful, nay45 shocking, to expose the fall of valor46 in the soul. Men may seem detestable as joint47 stock-companies and nations; knaves48, fools, and murderers there may be; men may have mean and meagre faces; but, man, in the ideal, is so noble and so sparkling, such a grand and glowing creature, that over any ignominious49 blemish50 in him all his fellows should run to throw their costliest51 robes. That immaculate manliness52 we feel within ourselves, so far within us, that it remains53 intact though all the outer character seem gone; bleeds with keenest anguish54 at the undraped spectacle of a valor-ruined man. Nor can piety55 itself, at such a shameful56 sight, completely stifle57 her upbraidings against the permitting stars. But this august dignity I treat of, is not the dignity of kings and robes, but that abounding58 dignity which has no robed investiture. Thou shalt see it shining in the arm that wields59 a pick or drives a spike60; that democratic dignity which, on all hands, radiates without end from God; Himself! The great God absolute! The centre and circumference61 of all democracy! His omnipresence, our divine equality!
If, then, to meanest mariners62, and renegades and castaways, I shall hereafter ascribe high qualities, though dark; weave round them tragic63 graces; if even the most mournful, perchance the most abased64, among them all, shall at times lift himself to the exalted65 mounts; if I shall touch that workman's arm with some ethereal light; if I shall spread a rainbow over his disastrous66 set of sun; then against all mortal critics bear me out in it, thou just Spirit of Equality, which hast spread one royal mantle67 of humanity over all my kind! Bear me out in it, thou great democratic God! who didst not refuse to the swart convict, Bunyan, the pale, poetic68 pearl; Thou who didst clothe with doubly hammered leaves of finest gold, the stumped69 and paupered arm of old Cervantes; Thou who didst pick up Andrew Jackson from the pebbles70; who didst hurl71 him upon a war-horse; who didst thunder him higher than a throne! Thou who, in all Thy mighty, earthly marchings, ever cullest Thy selectest champions from the kingly commoners; bear me out in it, O God!
1 latitudes | |
纬度 | |
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2 arid | |
adj.干旱的;(土地)贫瘠的 | |
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3 superfluousness | |
过剩,多余 | |
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4 blight | |
n.枯萎病;造成破坏的因素;vt.破坏,摧残 | |
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5 condensation | |
n.压缩,浓缩;凝结的水珠 | |
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6 embalmed | |
adj.用防腐药物保存(尸体)的v.保存(尸体)不腐( embalm的过去式和过去分词 );使不被遗忘;使充满香气 | |
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7 chronometer | |
n.精密的计时器 | |
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8 vitality | |
n.活力,生命力,效力 | |
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9 perils | |
极大危险( peril的名词复数 ); 危险的事(或环境) | |
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10 peril | |
n.(严重的)危险;危险的事物 | |
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11 steadfast | |
adj.固定的,不变的,不动摇的;忠实的;坚贞不移的 | |
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12 hardy | |
adj.勇敢的,果断的,吃苦的;耐寒的 | |
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13 fortitude | |
n.坚忍不拔;刚毅 | |
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14 affected | |
adj.不自然的,假装的 | |
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15 uncommonly | |
adv. 稀罕(极,非常) | |
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16 conscientious | |
adj.审慎正直的,认真的,本着良心的 | |
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17 seaman | |
n.海员,水手,水兵 | |
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18 endued | |
v.授予,赋予(特性、才能等)( endue的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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19 reverence | |
n.敬畏,尊敬,尊严;Reverence:对某些基督教神职人员的尊称;v.尊敬,敬畏,崇敬 | |
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20 watery | |
adj.有水的,水汪汪的;湿的,湿润的 | |
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21 superstition | |
n.迷信,迷信行为 | |
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22 portents | |
n.预兆( portent的名词复数 );征兆;怪事;奇物 | |
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23 presentiments | |
n.(对不祥事物的)预感( presentiment的名词复数 ) | |
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24 bent | |
n.爱好,癖好;adj.弯的;决心的,一心的 | |
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25 cape | |
n.海角,岬;披肩,短披风 | |
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26 ruggedness | |
险峻,粗野; 耐久性; 坚固性 | |
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27 gush | |
v.喷,涌;滔滔不绝(说话);n.喷,涌流;迸发 | |
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28 perilous | |
adj.危险的,冒险的 | |
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29 vicissitudes | |
n.变迁,世事变化;变迁兴衰( vicissitude的名词复数 );盛衰兴废 | |
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30 utterly | |
adv.完全地,绝对地 | |
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31 precisely | |
adv.恰好,正好,精确地,细致地 | |
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32 staple | |
n.主要产物,常用品,主要要素,原料,订书钉,钩环;adj.主要的,重要的;vt.分类 | |
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33 outfits | |
n.全套装备( outfit的名词复数 );一套服装;集体;组织v.装备,配置设备,供给服装( outfit的第三人称单数 ) | |
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34 doom | |
n.厄运,劫数;v.注定,命定 | |
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35 superstitiousness | |
被邪教所支配 | |
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36 engendering | |
v.产生(某形势或状况),造成,引起( engender的现在分词 ) | |
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37 confinement | |
n.幽禁,拘留,监禁;分娩;限制,局限 | |
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38 intrepid | |
adj.无畏的,刚毅的 | |
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39 abiding | |
adj.永久的,持久的,不变的 | |
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40 irrational | |
adj.无理性的,失去理性的 | |
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41 enraged | |
使暴怒( enrage的过去式和过去分词 ); 歜; 激愤 | |
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42 mighty | |
adj.强有力的;巨大的 | |
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43 narrative | |
n.叙述,故事;adj.叙事的,故事体的 | |
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44 abasement | |
n.滥用 | |
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45 nay | |
adv.不;n.反对票,投反对票者 | |
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46 valor | |
n.勇气,英勇 | |
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47 joint | |
adj.联合的,共同的;n.关节,接合处;v.连接,贴合 | |
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48 knaves | |
n.恶棍,无赖( knave的名词复数 );(纸牌中的)杰克 | |
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49 ignominious | |
adj.可鄙的,不光彩的,耻辱的 | |
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50 blemish | |
v.损害;玷污;瑕疵,缺点 | |
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51 costliest | |
adj.昂贵的( costly的最高级 );代价高的;引起困难的;造成损失的 | |
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52 manliness | |
刚毅 | |
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53 remains | |
n.剩余物,残留物;遗体,遗迹 | |
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54 anguish | |
n.(尤指心灵上的)极度痛苦,烦恼 | |
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55 piety | |
n.虔诚,虔敬 | |
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56 shameful | |
adj.可耻的,不道德的 | |
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57 stifle | |
vt.使窒息;闷死;扼杀;抑止,阻止 | |
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58 abounding | |
adj.丰富的,大量的v.大量存在,充满,富于( abound的现在分词 ) | |
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59 wields | |
手持着使用(武器、工具等)( wield的第三人称单数 ); 具有; 运用(权力); 施加(影响) | |
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60 spike | |
n.长钉,钉鞋;v.以大钉钉牢,使...失效 | |
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61 circumference | |
n.圆周,周长,圆周线 | |
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62 mariners | |
海员,水手(mariner的复数形式) | |
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63 tragic | |
adj.悲剧的,悲剧性的,悲惨的 | |
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64 abased | |
使谦卑( abase的过去式和过去分词 ); 使感到羞耻; 使降低(地位、身份等); 降下 | |
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65 exalted | |
adj.(地位等)高的,崇高的;尊贵的,高尚的 | |
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66 disastrous | |
adj.灾难性的,造成灾害的;极坏的,很糟的 | |
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67 mantle | |
n.斗篷,覆罩之物,罩子;v.罩住,覆盖,脸红 | |
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68 poetic | |
adj.富有诗意的,有诗人气质的,善于抒情的 | |
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69 stumped | |
僵直地行走,跺步行走( stump的过去式和过去分词 ); 把(某人)难住; 使为难; (选举前)在某一地区作政治性巡回演说 | |
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70 pebbles | |
[复数]鹅卵石; 沙砾; 卵石,小圆石( pebble的名词复数 ) | |
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71 hurl | |
vt.猛投,力掷,声叫骂 | |
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