The season for the Line at length drew near; and every day when Ahab, coming from his cabin cast his eyes aloft, the vigilant1 helmsman would ostentatiously handle his spokes3, and the eager mariners4 quickly run to the braces5, and would stand there with all their eyes centrally fixed6 on the nailed doubloon; impatient for the order to point the ship's prow7 for the equator. In good time the order came. It was hard upon high noon; and Ahab, seated in the bows of his high-hoisted boat, was about taking his wonted daily observation of the sun to determine his latitude8.
Now, in that Japanese sea, the days in summer are as freshets of effulgences. That unblinkingly vivid Japanese sun seems the blazing focus of the glassy ocean's immeasurable burning-glass. The sky looks lacquered; clouds there are none; the horizon floats; and this nakedness of unrelieved radiance is as the insufferable splendors9 of God's throne. Well that Ahab's quadrant was furnished with colored glasses, through which to take sight of that solar fire. So, swinging his seated form to the roll of the ship, and with his astrological-looking instrument placed to his eye, he remained in that posture10 for some moments to catch the precise instant when the sun should gain its precise meridian11. Meantime while his whole attention was absorbed, the Parsee was kneeling beneath him on the ship's deck, and with face thrown up like Ahab's, was eyeing the same sun with him; only the lids of his eyes half hooded12 their orbs13, and his wild face was subdued14 to an earthly passionlessness. At length the desired observation was taken; and with his pencil upon his ivory leg, Ahab soon calculated what his latitude must be at that precise instant. Then falling into a moment's revery, he again looked up towards the sun and murmured to himself: "Thou seamark! thou high and mighty15 Pilot! thou tellest me truly where I am--but canst thou cast the least hint where I shall be? Or canst thou tell where some other thing besides me is this moment living? Where is Moby Dick? This instant thou must be eyeing him. These eyes of mine look into the very eye that is even now beholding16 him; aye, and into the eye that is even now equally beholding the objects on the unknown, thither17 side of thee, thou sun!"
Then gazing at his quadrant, and handling, one after the other, its numerous cabalistical contrivances, he pondered again, and muttered: "Foolish toy! babies' plaything of haughty18 Admirals, and Commodores, and Captains; the world brags19 of thee, of thy cunning and might; but what after all canst thou do, but tell the poor, pitiful point, where thou thyself happenest to be on this wide planet, and the hand that holds thee: no! not one jot20 more! Thou canst not tell where one drop of water or one grain of sand will be to-morrow noon; and yet with thy impotence thou insultest the sun! Science! Curse thee, thou vain toy; and cursed be all the things that cast man's eyes aloft to that heaven, whose live vividness but scorches21 him, as these old eyes are even now scorched22 with thy light, O sun! Level by nature to this earth's horizon are the glances of man's eyes; not shot from the crown of his head, as if God had meant him to gaze on his firmament23. Curse thee, thou quadrant!" dashing it to the deck, "no longer will I guide my earthly way by thee; the level ship's compass, and the level deadreckoning, by log and by line; these shall conduct me, and show me my place on the sea. Aye," lighting24 from the boat to the deck, "thus I trample25 on thee, thou paltry26 thing that feebly pointest on high; thus I split and destroy thee!"
As the frantic27 old man thus spoke2 and thus trampled28 with his live and dead feet, a sneering29 triumph that seemed meant for Ahab, and a fatalistic despair that seemed meant for himself-- these passed over the mute, motionless Parsee's face. Unobserved he rose and glided30 away; while, awestruck by the aspect of their commander, the seamen31 clustered together on the forecastle, till Ahab, troubledly pacing the deck, shouted out--"To the braces! Up helm!--square in!"
In an instant the yards swung round; and as the ship half-wheeled upon her heel, her three firm-seated graceful32 masts erectly33 poised34 upon her long, ribbed hull35, seemed as the three Horatii pirouetting on one sufficient steed.
Standing36 between the knight-heads, Starbuck watched the Pequod's tumultuous way, and Ahab's also, as he went lurching along the deck.
"I have sat before the dense37 coal fire and watched it all aglow38, full of its tormented39 flaming life; and I have seen it wane40 at last, down, down, to dumbest dust. Old man of oceans! of all this fiery41 life of thine, what will at length remain but one little heap of ashes!"
"Aye," cried Stubb, "but sea-coal ashes--mind ye that, Mr. Starbuck-- sea-coal, not your common charcoal42. Well, well! I heard Ahab mutter, 'Here some one thrusts these cards into these old hands of mine; swears that I must play them, and no others.' And damn me, Ahab, but thou actest right; live in the game, and die in it!"
1 vigilant | |
adj.警觉的,警戒的,警惕的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
2 spoke | |
n.(车轮的)辐条;轮辐;破坏某人的计划;阻挠某人的行动 v.讲,谈(speak的过去式);说;演说;从某种观点来说 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
3 spokes | |
n.(车轮的)辐条( spoke的名词复数 );轮辐;破坏某人的计划;阻挠某人的行动 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
4 mariners | |
海员,水手(mariner的复数形式) | |
参考例句: |
|
|
5 braces | |
n.吊带,背带;托架( brace的名词复数 );箍子;括弧;(儿童)牙箍v.支住( brace的第三人称单数 );撑牢;使自己站稳;振作起来 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
6 fixed | |
adj.固定的,不变的,准备好的;(计算机)固定的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
7 prow | |
n.(飞机)机头,船头 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
8 latitude | |
n.纬度,行动或言论的自由(范围),(pl.)地区 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
9 splendors | |
n.华丽( splendor的名词复数 );壮丽;光辉;显赫 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
10 posture | |
n.姿势,姿态,心态,态度;v.作出某种姿势 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
11 meridian | |
adj.子午线的;全盛期的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
12 hooded | |
adj.戴头巾的;有罩盖的;颈部因肋骨运动而膨胀的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
13 orbs | |
abbr.off-reservation boarding school 在校寄宿学校n.球,天体,圆形物( orb的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句: |
|
|
14 subdued | |
adj. 屈服的,柔和的,减弱的 动词subdue的过去式和过去分词 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
15 mighty | |
adj.强有力的;巨大的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
16 beholding | |
v.看,注视( behold的现在分词 );瞧;看呀;(叙述中用于引出某人意外的出现)哎哟 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
17 thither | |
adv.向那里;adj.在那边的,对岸的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
18 haughty | |
adj.傲慢的,高傲的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
19 brags | |
v.自夸,吹嘘( brag的第三人称单数 ) | |
参考例句: |
|
|
20 jot | |
n.少量;vi.草草记下;vt.匆匆写下 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
21 scorches | |
烧焦,烤焦( scorch的第三人称单数 ); 使(植物)枯萎,把…晒枯; 高速行驶 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
22 scorched | |
烧焦,烤焦( scorch的过去式和过去分词 ); 使(植物)枯萎,把…晒枯; 高速行驶; 枯焦 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
23 firmament | |
n.苍穹;最高层 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
24 lighting | |
n.照明,光线的明暗,舞台灯光 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
25 trample | |
vt.踩,践踏;无视,伤害,侵犯 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
26 paltry | |
adj.无价值的,微不足道的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
27 frantic | |
adj.狂乱的,错乱的,激昂的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
28 trampled | |
踩( trample的过去式和过去分词 ); 践踏; 无视; 侵犯 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
29 sneering | |
嘲笑的,轻蔑的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
30 glided | |
v.滑动( glide的过去式和过去分词 );掠过;(鸟或飞机 ) 滑翔 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
31 seamen | |
n.海员 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
32 graceful | |
adj.优美的,优雅的;得体的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
33 erectly | |
adv.直立地,垂直地 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
34 poised | |
a.摆好姿势不动的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
35 hull | |
n.船身;(果、实等的)外壳;vt.去(谷物等)壳 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
36 standing | |
n.持续,地位;adj.永久的,不动的,直立的,不流动的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
37 dense | |
a.密集的,稠密的,浓密的;密度大的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
38 aglow | |
adj.发亮的;发红的;adv.发亮地 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
39 tormented | |
饱受折磨的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
40 wane | |
n.衰微,亏缺,变弱;v.变小,亏缺,呈下弦 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
41 fiery | |
adj.燃烧着的,火红的;暴躁的;激烈的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
42 charcoal | |
n.炭,木炭,生物炭 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
欢迎访问英文小说网 |