Ere now it has been related how Ahab was wont1 to pace his quarter-deck, taking regular turns at either limit, the binnacle and mainmast; but in the multiplicity of other things requiring narration2 it has not been added how that sometimes in these walks, when most plunged3 in his mood, he was wont to pause in turn at each spot, and stand there strangely eyeing the particular object before him. When he halted before the binnacle, with his glance fastened on the pointed4 needle in the compass, that glance shot like a javelin5 with the pointed intensity6 of his purpose; and when resuming his walk he again paused before the mainmast, then, as the same riveted7 glance fastened upon the riveted gold coin there, he still wore the same aspect of nailed firmness, only dashed with a certain wild longing8, if not hopefulness.
But one morning, turning to pass the doubloon, he seemed to be newly attracted by the strange figures and inscriptions9 stamped on it, as though now for the first time beginning to interpret for himself in some monomaniac way whatever significance might lurk10 in them. And some certain significance lurks12 in all things, else all things are little worth, and the round world itself but an empty cipher13, except to sell by the cartload, as they do hills about Boston, to fill up some morass14 in the Milky15 Way.
Now this doubloon was of purest, virgin16 gold, raked somewhere out of the heart of gorgeous hills, whence, east and west, over golden sands, the head-waters of many a Pactolus flows. And though now nailed amidst all the rustiness17 of iron bolts and the verdigris18 of copper19 spikes20, yet, untouchable and immaculate to any foulness21, it still preserved its Quito glow. Nor, though placed amongst a ruthless crew and every hour passed by ruthless hands, and through the livelong nights shrouded22 with thick darkness which might cover any pilfering23 approach, nevertheless every sunrise found the doubloon where the sunset last left it last. For it was set apart and sanctified to one awe-striking end; and however wanton in their sailor ways, one and all, the mariners24 revered25 it as the white whale's talisman26. Sometimes they talked it over in the weary watch by night, wondering whose it was to be at last, and whether he would ever live to spend it.
Now those noble golden coins of South America are as medals of the sun and tropic token-pieces. Here palms, alpacas, and volcanoes; sun's disks and stars, ecliptics, horns-of-plenty, and rich banners waving, are in luxuriant profusion27 stamped; so that the precious gold seems almost to derive28 an added preciousness and enhancing glories, by passing through those fancy mints, so Spanishly poetic29.
It so chanced that the doubloon of the Pequod was a most wealthy example of these things. On its round border it bore the letters, REPUBLICA DEL ECUADOR: QUITO. So this bright coin came from a country planted in the middle of the world, and beneath the great equator, and named after it; and it had been cast midway up the Andes, in the unwaning clime that knows no autumn. Zoned30 by those letters you saw the likeness31 of three Andes' summits; from one a flame; a tower on another; on the third a crowing cock; while arching over all was a segment of the partitioned zodiac, the signs all marked with their usual cabalistics, and the keystone sun entering the equinoctial point at Libra.
Before this equatorial coin, Ahab, not unobserved by others, was now pausing.
"There's something ever egotistical in mountain-tops and towers, and all other grand and lofty things; look here,-- three peaks as proud as Lucifer. The firm tower, that is Ahab; the volcano, that is Ahab; the courageous32, the undaunted, and victorious33 fowl34, that, too, is Ahab; all are Ahab; and this round gold is but the image of the rounder globe, which, like a magician's glass, to each and every man in turn but mirrors back his own mysterious self. Great pains, small gains for those who ask the world to solve them; it cannot solve itself. Methinks now this coined sun wears a ruddy face; but see! aye, he enters the sign of storms, the equinox! and but six months before he wheeled out of a former equinox at Aries! From storm to storm! So be it, then. Born in throes, 't is fit that man should live in pains and die in pangs35! So be it, then! Here's stout36 stuff for woe37 to work on. So be it, then."
"No fairy fingers can have pressed the gold, but devil's claws must have left their mouldings there since yesterday," murmured Starbuck to himself, leaning against the bulwarks38. "The old man seems to read Belshazzar's awful writing. I have never marked the coin inspectingly. He goes below; let me read. A dark valley between three mighty40, heaven-abiding peaks, that almost seem the Trinity, in some faint earthly symbol. So in this vale of Death, God girds us round; and over all our gloom, the sun of Righteousness still shines a beacon41 and a hope. If we bend down our eyes, the dark vale shows her mouldy soil; but if we lift them, the bright sun meets our glance half way, to cheer. Yet, oh, the great sun is no fixture42; and if, at midnight, we would fain snatch some sweet solace43 from him, we gaze for him in vain! This coin speaks wisely, mildly, truly, but still sadly to me. I will quit it, lest Truth shake me falsely."
"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 fathoms44 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, insignificant45 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 Chili46, 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 killing47 wonderful? By Golconda! let me read it once. Halloa! here's signs and wonders truly! That, now, is what old Bowditch in his Epitome48 calls the zodiac, and what my almanack below calls ditto. I'll get the almanack; and as I have heard devils can be raised with Daboll's arithmetic, I'll try my hand at raising a meaning out of these queer curvicues here with the Massachusetts calendar. Here's the book. Let's see now. Signs and wonders; and the sun, he's always among 'em. Hem11, hem, hem; here they are-- here they go--all alive: Aries, or the Ram49; Taurus, or the Bull and Jimimi! here's Gemini himself, or the Twins. Well; the sun he wheels among 'em. Aye, here on the coin he's just crossing the threshold between two of twelve sitting-rooms all in a ring. Book! you lie there; the fact is, you books must know your places. You'll do to give us the bare words and facts, but we come in to supply the thoughts. That's my small experience, so far as the Massachusetts calendar, and Bowditch's navigator, and Daboll's arithmetic go. Signs and wonders, eh? Pity if there is nothing wonderful in signs, and significant in wonders! There's a clue somewhere; wait a bit; hist--hark! By Jove, I have it! Look you, Doubloon, your zodiac here is the life of man in one round chapter; and now I'll read it off, straight out of the book. Come, Almanack! To begin: there's Aries, or the Ram-- lecherous50 dog, he begets51 us; then, Taurus, or the Bull-- he bumps us the first thing; then Gemini, or the Twins-- that is, Virtue52 and Vice53; we try to reach Virtue, when lo! comes Cancer the Crab54, and drags us back; and here, going from Virtue, Leo, a roaring Lion, lies in the path-- he gives a few fierce bites and surly dabs55 with his paw; we escape, and hail Virgo, the Virgin! that's our first love; we marry and think to be happy for aye, when pop comes Libra, or the Scales--happiness weighed and found wanting; and while we are very sad about that, Lord! how we suddenly jump, as Scorpio, or the Scorpion56, stings us in the rear; we are curing the wound, when whang comes the arrows all round; Sagittarius, or the Archer57, is amusing himself. As we pluck out the shafts58, stand aside! here's the battering-ram, Capricornus, or the Goat; full tilt59, he comes rushing, and headlong we are tossed; when Aquarius, or the Waterbearer, pours out his whole deluge60 and drowns us; and to wind up with Pisces, or the Fishes, we sleep. There's a sermon now, writ39 in high heaven, and the sun goes through it every year, and yet comes out of it all alive and hearty61. Jollily he, aloft there, wheels through toil62 and trouble; and so, alow here, does jolly Stubb. Oh, jolly's the word for aye! Adieu, Doubloon! But stop; here comes little King-Post; dodge63 round the try-works, now, and let's hear what he'll have to say. There; he's before it; he'll out with something presently. So, so; he's beginning."
"I see nothing here, but a round thing made of gold, and whoever raises a certain whale, this round thing belongs to him. So, what's all this staring been about? It is worth sixteen dollars, that's true; and at two cents the cigar, that's nine hundred and sixty cigars. I won't smoke dirty pipes like Stubb, but I like cigars, and here's nine hundred and sixty of them; so here goes Flask64 aloft to spy 'em out."
"Shall I call that Wise or foolish, now; if it be really wise it has a foolish look to it; yet, if it be really foolish, then has it a sort of wiseish look to it. But, avast; here comes our old Manxman--the old hearse-driver, he must have been, that is, before he took to the sea. He luffs up before the doubloon; halloa, and goes round on the other side of the mast; why, there's a horse-shoe nailed on that side; and now he's back again; what does that mean? Hark! he's muttering-- voice like an old worn-out coffee-mill. Prick65 ears, and listen!"
"If the White Whale be raised, it must be in a month and a day, when the sun stands in some one of these signs. I've studied signs, and know their marks; they were taught me two score years ago, by the old witch in Copenhagen. Now, in what sign will the sun then be? The horse-shoe sign; for there it is, right opposite the gold. And what's the horse-shoe sign? The lion is the horse-shoe sign-- the roaring and devouring66 lion. Ship, old ship! my old head shakes to think of thee."
"There's another rendering67 now; but still one text. All sorts of men in one kind of world, you see. Dodge again! here comes Queequeg-- all tattooing--looks like the signs of the Zodiac himself. What says the Cannibal? As I live he's comparing notes; looking at his thigh68 bone; thinks the sun is in the thigh, or in the calf69, or in the bowels70, I suppose, as the old women talk Surgeon's Astronomy in the back country. And by Jove, he's found something there in the vicinity of his thigh-- I guess it's Sagittarius, or the Archer. No: he don't know what to make of the doubloon; he takes it for an old button off some king's trowsers. But, aside again! here comes that ghost-devil, Fedallah; tail coiled out of sight as usual, oakum in the toes of his pumps as usual. What does he say, with that look of his? Ah, only makes a sign to the sign and bows himself; there is a sun on the coin-- fire worshipper, depend upon it. Ho! more and more. This way comes Pip-- poor boy! would he had died, or I; he's half horrible to me. He too has been watching all of these interpreters myself included-- and look now, he comes to read, with that unearthly idiot face. Stand away again and hear him. Hark!"
"I look, you look, he looks; we look, ye look, they look."
"Upon my soul, he's been studying Murray's Grammar! Improving his mind, poor fellow! But what's that he says now--hist!"
"I look, you look, he looks; we look, ye look, they look."
"Why, he's getting it by heart--hist! again."
"I look, you look, he looks; we look, ye look, they look."
"Well, that's funny."
"And I, you, and he; and we, ye, and they, are all bats; and I'm a crow, especially when I stand a'top of this pine tree here. Caw! caw! caw! caw! caw! caw! Ain't I a crow? And where's the scare-crow? There he stands; two bones stuck into a pair of old trowsers, and two more poked71 into the sleeves of an old jacket."
"Wonder if he means me?--complimentary--poor lad!--I could go hang myself. Any way, for the present, I'll quit Pip's vicinity. I can stand the rest, for they have plain wits; but he's too crazy-witty for my sanity72. So, so, I leave him muttering."
"Here's the ship's navel, this doubloon here, and they are all one fire to unscrew it. But, unscrew your navel, and what's the consequence? Then again, if it stays here, that is ugly, too, for when aught's nailed to the mast it's a sign that things grow desperate. Ha! ha! old Ahab! the White Whale; he'll nail ye! This is a pine tree. My father, in old Tolland county, cut down a pine tree once, and found a silver ring grown over in it; some old darkey's wedding ring. How did it get there? And so they'll say in the resurrection, when they come to fish up this old mast, and find a doubloon lodged73 in it, with bedded oysters74 for the shaggy bark. Oh, the gold! the precious, precious gold!--the green miser'll hoard75 ye soon! Hish! hish! God goes 'mong the worlds blackberrying. Cook! ho, cook! and cook us! Jenny! hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, Jenny, Jenny! and get your hoe-cake done!"
收听单词发音 |
1
wont
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| adj.习惯于；v.习惯；n.习惯 | |
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narration
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| n.讲述，叙述；故事；记叙体 | |
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plunged
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| v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
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pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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javelin
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| n.标枪，投枪 | |
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intensity
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| n.强烈，剧烈；强度；烈度 | |
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riveted
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| 铆接( rivet的过去式和过去分词 )； 把…固定住； 吸引； 引起某人的注意 | |
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longing
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| n.（for）渴望 | |
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inscriptions
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| （作者）题词( inscription的名词复数 )； 献词； 碑文； 证劵持有人的登记 | |
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lurk
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| n.潜伏，潜行；v.潜藏，潜伏，埋伏 | |
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hem
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| n.贴边，镶边；vt.缝贴边；(in)包围，限制 | |
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lurks
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| n.潜在，潜伏；（lurk的复数形式）vi.潜伏，埋伏（lurk的第三人称单数形式） | |
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cipher
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| n.零；无影响力的人；密码 | |
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morass
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| n.沼泽，困境 | |
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milky
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| adj.牛奶的，多奶的；乳白色的 | |
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virgin
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| n.处女，未婚女子；adj.未经使用的；未经开发的 | |
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rustiness
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| 生锈，声音沙哑； 荒疏； 锈蚀 | |
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verdigris
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| n.铜锈；铜绿 | |
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copper
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| n.铜；铜币；铜器；adj.铜(制)的；(紫)铜色的 | |
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spikes
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| n.穗( spike的名词复数 )；跑鞋；（防滑）鞋钉；尖状物v.加烈酒于( spike的第三人称单数 )；偷偷地给某人的饮料加入（更多）酒精（ 或药物）；把尖状物钉入；打乱某人的计划 | |
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foulness
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| n. 纠缠, 卑鄙 | |
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shrouded
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| v.隐瞒( shroud的过去式和过去分词 )；保密 | |
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pilfering
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| v.偷窃（小东西），小偷( pilfer的现在分词 )；偷窃（一般指小偷小摸） | |
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mariners
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| 海员，水手（mariner的复数形式） | |
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revered
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| v.崇敬，尊崇，敬畏( revere的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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talisman
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| n.避邪物，护身符 | |
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profusion
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| n.挥霍；丰富 | |
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derive
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| v.取得；导出；引申；来自；源自；出自 | |
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poetic
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| adj.富有诗意的，有诗人气质的，善于抒情的 | |
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zoned
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| adj.划成区域的，束带的v.（飞机、汽车等）急速移动( zoom的现在分词 )；（价格、费用等）急升，猛涨 | |
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likeness
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| n.相像，相似（之处） | |
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courageous
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| adj.勇敢的，有胆量的 | |
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victorious
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| adj.胜利的，得胜的 | |
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fowl
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| n.家禽，鸡，禽肉 | |
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pangs
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| 突然的剧痛( pang的名词复数 )； 悲痛 | |
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woe
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| n.悲哀，苦痛，不幸，困难；int.用来表达悲伤或惊慌 | |
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bulwarks
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| n.堡垒( bulwark的名词复数 )；保障；支柱；舷墙 | |
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writ
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| n.命令状，书面命令 | |
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mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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beacon
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| n.烽火，（警告用的）闪火灯，灯塔 | |
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fixture
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| n.固定设备；预定日期；比赛时间；定期存款 | |
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solace
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| n.安慰；v.使快乐；vt.安慰(物)，缓和 | |
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fathoms
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| 英寻( fathom的名词复数 ) | |
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insignificant
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| adj.无关紧要的，可忽略的，无意义的 | |
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chili
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| n.辣椒 | |
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killing
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| n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财 | |
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epitome
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| n.典型，梗概 | |
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ram
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| (random access memory)随机存取存储器 | |
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lecherous
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| adj.好色的；淫邪的 | |
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begets
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| v.为…之生父( beget的第三人称单数 )；产生，引起 | |
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virtue
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| n.德行，美德；贞操；优点；功效，效力 | |
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vice
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| n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的 | |
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crab
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| n.螃蟹，偏航，脾气乖戾的人，酸苹果；vi.捕蟹，偏航，发牢骚；vt.使偏航，发脾气 | |
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dabs
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| 少许( dab的名词复数 )； 是…能手； 做某事很在行； 在某方面技术熟练 | |
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scorpion
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| n.蝎子，心黑的人，蝎子鞭 | |
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archer
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| n.射手，弓箭手 | |
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shafts
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| n.轴( shaft的名词复数 )；（箭、高尔夫球棒等的）杆；通风井；一阵（疼痛、害怕等） | |
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59
tilt
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| v.(使)倾侧；(使)倾斜；n.倾侧；倾斜 | |
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deluge
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| n./vt.洪水，暴雨，使泛滥 | |
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hearty
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| adj.热情友好的；衷心的；尽情的，纵情的 | |
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toil
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| vi.辛劳工作，艰难地行动；n.苦工，难事 | |
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dodge
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| v.闪开，躲开，避开；n.妙计，诡计 | |
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64
flask
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| n.瓶，火药筒，砂箱 | |
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prick
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| v.刺伤，刺痛，刺孔；n.刺伤，刺痛 | |
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devouring
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| 吞没( devour的现在分词 )； 耗尽； 津津有味地看； 狼吞虎咽地吃光 | |
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rendering
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| n.表现，描写 | |
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68
thigh
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| n.大腿；股骨 | |
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69
calf
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| n.小牛，犊，幼仔，小牛皮 | |
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70
bowels
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| n.肠，内脏，内部；肠( bowel的名词复数 )；内部，最深处 | |
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71
poked
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| v.伸出( poke的过去式和过去分词 )；戳出；拨弄；与（某人）性交 | |
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72
sanity
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| n.心智健全，神智正常，判断正确 | |
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73
lodged
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| v.存放( lodge的过去式和过去分词 )；暂住；埋入；（权利、权威等）归属 | |
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74
oysters
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| 牡蛎( oyster的名词复数 ) | |
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75
hoard
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| n./v.窖藏，贮存，囤积 | |
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