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More than all, his treacherous retreats struck more of dismay than perhaps aught else. For, when swimming before his exulting pursuers, with every apparent symptom of alarm, he had several times been known to turn around suddenly,
尤其是它那种可说是比之任何事情都更使人丧胆的奸诈的退却。因为,它在它那些兴高采烈的追击者面前一路游去的时候,就显得非常警觉,
and, bearing down upon them, either stave their boats to splinters, or drive them back in consternation to their ship.
还故意突然转了几次身,可是,一下子就扑上他们,不是把他们的小艇撞得粉碎,就是把他们吓得手足无措,赶紧逃回大船。
Already several fatalities had attended his chase.
为了追击它,已经发生了好几次惨案。
But though similar disasters, however little bruited ashore, were by no means unusual in the fishery;
虽则这些类似的不幸事件,在岸上是不大传布的,但在捕鱼业中,也决不是什么了不起的;
yet, in most instances, such seemed the White Whale's infernal aforethought of ferocity, that every dismembering or death that he caused, was not wholly regarded as having been inflicted by an unintelligent agent.
而且,在多数场合上,似乎还有人并不完全把白鲸每次使得人们断肢失体或者丧命的凶残的预谋,看成是遭到无理性的神力的打击。
Judge, then, to what pitches of inflamed, distracted fury the minds of his more desperate hunters were impelled, when amid the chips of chewed boats,
那么,看一看那些身处险境的猎手的内心给迫得多么激动。气得发昏的情况吧。当时,他们的四周尽是些被嚼得细碎的小艇残片,
and the sinking limbs of torn comrades, they swam out of the white curds of the whale's direful wrath into the serene, exasperating sunlight, that smiled on, as if at a birth or a bridal.
同伴们被折断了的。行将下沉的肢体,他们总算从大鲸那可怕的怒火所发出来的白色浆液中游了出来,游到那仿佛在对着新生婴孩或者新娘含笑相迎的。恬静而强烈的阳光里来。
His three boats stove around him, and oars and men both whirling in the eddies;
那个船长的四周是三只被冲破了的小艇,船桨和水手都在涡流里旋来旋去;
one captain, seizing the line-knife from his broken prow, had dashed at the whale, as an Arkansas duellist at his foe, blindly seeking with a six inch blade to reach the fathom-deep life of the whale.
他从那破烂的艇头抓到一把小刀,朝大鲸猛地掷去,象个阿肯色州人在跟他的宿敌决斗,胡乱地找到一把六英寸的刀,想结束那条大鲸的深不可测的生命。
That captain was Ahab. And then it was, that suddenly sweeping his sickle-shaped lower jaw beneath him, Moby Dick had reaped away Ahab's leg, as a mower a blade of grass in the field.
那个船长就是亚哈。而且正在这时,莫比－迪克突然从他下边挥起它那镰刀似的下颚,如同一架刈草机在地里刈草一样,把亚哈的腿给刈掉了。
