I then went on, beginning with the rise and progress of the primitive religions, and coming down to the various religions of the present time, during which time I labored to show Queequeg that all these Lents, Ramadans, and prolonged ham-squattings in cold, cheerless rooms were stark nonsense; bad for the health; useless for the soul; opposed, in short, to the obvious laws of Hygiene and common sense. I told him, too, that he being in other things such an extremely sensible and sagacious savage, it pained me, very badly pained me, to see him now so deplorably foolish about this ridiculous Ramadan of his. Besides, argued I, fasting makes the body cave in; hence the spirit caves in; and all thoughts born of a fast must necessarily be half-starved. This is the reason why most dyspeptic religionists cherish such melancholy notions about their hereafters. In one word, Queequeg, said I, rather digressively; hell is an idea first born on an undigested apple-dumpling; and since then perpetuated through the hereditary dyspepsias nurtured by Ramadans.
于是我便继续说下去,从原始的宗教起源和发展,直谈到现代的各种宗教,在这中间,我尽力对魁魁格说明所有这些斋戒,以及长时间地盘腿兀坐在冷冰冰。毫无生气的房间里的这种事情,全是荒谬的,有害健康的,无益身心的;总之,是明显的违反卫生规律,违反常识的。我也对他说,他在别的事情上是这样一个极其聪明伶俐的野人,现在竟看到他对他这种可笑的斋戒做出如此令人遗憾的傻事来,实在教我痛心,非常教我痛心。此外,我又劝说道,做斋戒会弄垮身体;因此也会弄垮精神;而且,一切由做斋戒而来的思想,必定也是半死不活的思想。这就是大多数患消化不良症的宗教家对来世怀有那么忧郁的想法的道理。总之,魁魁格,我比较转弯抹角地说,地狱就是首先由不易消化的苹果馅汤团而产生出来的一种心象;此后,通过斋戒所培养出来的代代相传的消化不良症而永久存在了。
I then asked Queequeg whether he himself was ever troubled with dyspepsia; expressing the idea very plainly, so that he could take it in. He said no; only upon one memorable occasion. It was after a great feast given by his father the king on the gaining of a great battle wherein fifty of the enemy had been killed by about two o'clock in the afternoon, and all cooked and eaten that very evening.
于是,我问魁魁格他自己可曾患过消化不良症;我把这意思说得很明白,好教他能够理会。他说,他不曾患过,只在一个值得记忆的场合上患过一回。那还是在吃过他那个父王举行的大筵席后才患的,当时,他父亲打了一个大胜仗,把中午二点钟模样所杀死的五十个敌人,当晚就拿来烹了吃了。