Screwed at its axis against the side, a swinging lamp slightly oscillates in Jonah's room; and the ship, heeling over towards the wharf with the weight of the last bales received, the lamp, flame and all, though in slight motion, still maintains a permanent obliquity with reference to the room; though, in truth, infallibly straight itself, it but made obvious the false, lying levels among which it hung. The lamp alarms and frightens Jonah; as lying in his berth his tormented eyes roll round the place, and this thus far successful fugitive finds no refuge for his restless glance. But that contradiction in the lamp more and more appals him. The floor, the ceiling, and the side, are all awry. 'Oh! so my conscience hangs in me!' he groans, "straight upward, so it burns; but the chambers of my soul are all in crookedness!'

一盏旋挂在舱侧上的摇晃晃的灯火,在约拿的房间里轻轻地摇动着;当那只船因为装上最后的货物而船身向码头一边倾斜时,那盏尽冒着烟焰的灯,虽然稍微一动,却始终是随着房间的倾斜而倾斜;事实上,尽管它是笔直地挂在那里,却显然是倾斜得很厉害了,这盏灯可把约拿给吓慌了;他躺在铺位上,那双苦恼的眼睛滴溜溜地滚来滚去,这回虽然逃成功了,可是那不安的眼色却还找不到依傍。而且,那盏象是反挂着的灯,也越来越教他害怕。地板，顶棚，舱侧全都歪歪斜斜。呵!我的良心也这样挂起啦!,他唉声叹气说,笔直朝上,它就这样点着;可是,我的心房却全都歪歪斜斜了。

"Like one who after a night of drunken revelry hies to his bed, still reeling, but with conscience yet pricking him, as the plungings of the Roman race-horse but so much the more strike his steel tags into him; as one who in that miserable plight still turns and turns in giddy anguish, praying God for annihilation until the fit be passed; and at last amid the whirl of woe he feels, a deep stupor steals over him, as over the man who bleeds to death, for conscience is the wound, and there's naught to staunch it; so, after sore wrestling in his berth, Jonah's prodigy of ponderous misery drags him drowning down to sleep.

他象一个通宵纵酒狂欢后急忙上床的人一般,脑子还是转呀旋呀的,不过,良心还在刺戳着他,正如罗马赛马场里一匹急冲狂奔的雄驹,越奔得快,脚镫也刺得它越凶;也如一个身处苦境.在苦恼的急转中不住地旋来转去。祈求上帝赐助.消灭病症的人一样;最后,在一阵眼花缭乱的悲痛中,他觉得有一阵强烈的麻痹悄悄地袭上身来,就象麻痹悄悄地袭上一个流血过多。快要断气的人一样,因为良心就是伤口,而那个伤口的血是止不注的;因此,约拿在铺位上猛烈地抽扭一阵后,他那沉重的苦难的怪物就把他拉向黑甜乡了。