There now came a lull in his look, as he silently turned over the leaves of the Book once more; and, at last, standing motionless, with closed eyes, for the moment, seemed communing with God and himself.

这时,他的脸色平静下来了,他再次悄悄翻着《圣经》;最后,他紧闭双眼.一动不动地站了一会,象在跟上帝交谈似的。

But again he leaned over towards the people, and bowing his head lowly, with an aspect of the deepest yet manliest humility, he spake these words:

但是,他又伛着身子,对着下边的人群,低垂着头,以一种非常深切而又极富有男子气概的谦恭态度,说出这些话来:

"Shipmates, God has laid but one hand upon you; both his hands press upon me. I have read ye by what murky light may be mine the lesson that Jonah teaches to all sinners; and therefore to ye, and still more to me, for I am a greater sinner than ye. And now how gladly would I come down from this mast-head and sit on the hatches there where you sit, and listen as you listen, while some one of you reads me that other and more awful lesson which Jonah teaches to me, as a pilot of the living God. How being an anointed pilot-prophet, or speaker of true things and bidden by the Lord to sound those unwelcome truths in the ears of a wicked Nineveh, Jonah, appalled at the hostility he should raise, fled from his mission, and sought to escape his duty and his God by taking ship at Joppa.

船友们,上帝放在你们身上的只有一只手;可是按在我身上的却是一双手。我刚才已经用了我的可以说是不很清楚的见解给你们讲出了约拿告诫一切犯罪者的教训了;因此,这些教训与其说是对你们的,不如说是对我自己的,因为我是个比你们更大的犯罪者。现在,要是我能够从这个桅顶似的地方走下来,坐到你们坐着的那些舱口上,象你们听我一样地听着,而让你们中间哪一位来对我念约拿所告诉我的,告诉我这个身为永生之主的舵工的另外一些更可怕的教训,那可多愉快呵。让我来听你们讲约拿这个搽了圣油的舵工的先知,也可以说是一个传播真理的人,受了主的嘱托,去对邪恶的尼尼微人传播那些不受欢迎的真理,可他却因害怕会惹起那里的人的敌意而逃避了自己的使命,想逃避他的职守和他的上帝,竟跑到约帕去乘船。上帝是无所不在的;约拿永远也对他无计可施。