评论
打印
But the third Emir, now seeing himself all alone on the quarter-deck, seems to feel relieved from some curious restraint; for, tipping all sorts of knowing winks in all sorts of directions, and kicking off his shoes, he strikes into a sharp but noiseless squall of a hornpipe right over the Grand Turk's head; and then, by a dexterous sleight, pitching his cap up into the mizentop for a shelf, he goes down rollicking so far at least as he remains visible from the deck, reversing all other processions, by bringing up the rear with music. But ere stepping into the cabin doorway below, he pauses, ships a new face altogether, and, then, independent, hilarious little Flask enters King Ahab's presence, in the character of Abjectus, or the Slave.
但是,这位三王子,现在看到只有他一个人在后甲板上,似乎觉得已从某种奇怪的拘束里获得了解脱;因为他一边对前后左右暗丢各种灵敏的眼色,一边踢掉他的鞋子后,突然在太君的头顶直跳起迅捷无声,有如狂风的水手舞来;接着,又以一种灵巧的手法,把他的帽子扔进后桅楼里,当它是只架子,这才高高兴兴地走下去,至少当他还未完全走下舱口的时候,他还是用音乐做殿后变换起其他各种节目来。但是,在他跨进下边的船长室的门口之前,他却歇了一下,又装出一副面孔来,于是,这位自食其力的。愉愉快快的小弗拉斯克便以一种贱民或者奴隶的身份走到亚哈王跟前去了。
It is not the least among the strange things bred by the intense artificialness of sea-usages, that while in the open air of the deck some officers will, upon provocation, bear themselves boldly and defyingly enough towards their commander; yet, ten to one, let those very officers the next moment go down to their customary dinner in that same commander's cabin, and straightway their inoffensive, not to say deprecatory and humble air towards him, as he sits at the head of the table; this is marvellous, sometimes most comical. Wherefore this difference? A problem? Perhaps not. To have been Belshazzar, King of Babylon; and to have been Belshazzar, not haughtily but courteously, therein certainly must have been some touch of mundane grandeur.
许多由强烈的人为的海上习惯所产生出来的怪事真是无奇不有,比如说,在露天甲板上,有些头目偶然火性一发,也会冒失得敢于冲犯一下他的上司;然而,再隔一会,一下到舱里,走进这个上司的舱室里去吃那例常便饭时,对着那个坐在上席的首长,刚才那个发了火的头目,十个倒有九个就立刻循规蹈矩起来,至于唯唯诺诺和卑躬屈膝的态度那就更甭提了;这是颇难置信的,往往也是挺滑稽的。为什么会有这种截然不同的情形呢?是个问题吗?也许不是。世上既然有过巴比伦王伯沙撒;且又是态度不是傲慢而是礼仪十足的伯沙撒;其中一定就有一种世俗的气概了。
