Twas not so hard a task. I thought to find one stubborn, at the least; but my one cogged circle fits into all their various wheels, and they revolve. Or, if you will, like so many ant-hills of powder, they all stand before me; and I their match. Oh, hard! that to fire others, the match itself must needs be wasting! What I've dared, I've willed; and what I've willed, I'll do! They think me mad-- Starbuck does; but I'm demoniac, I am madness maddened! That wild madness that's only calm to comprehend itself! The prophecy was that I should be dismembered; and--Aye! I lost this leg. I now prophesy that I will dismember my dismemberer. Now, then, be the prophet and the fulfiller one. That's more than ye, ye great gods, ever were. I laugh and hoot at ye, ye cricket-players, ye pugilists, ye deaf Burkes and blinded Bendigoes! I will not say as schoolboys do to bullies--Take some one of your own size; don't pommel me! No, ye've knocked me down, and I am up again; but ye have run and hidden. Come forth from behind your cotton bags! I have no long gun to reach ye. Come, Ahab's compliments to ye; come and see if ye can swerve me. Swerve me? ye cannot swerve me, else ye swerve yourselves! man has ye there. Swerve me? The path to my fixed purpose is laid with iron rails, whereon my soul is grooved to run. Over unsounded gorges, through the rifled hearts of mountains, under torrents' beds, unerringly I rush! Naught's an obstacle, naught's an angle to the iron way!
这并不是怎样困难的事。我想至少总得找个倔强的人;但是,我的独脚轮一装进了他们那各式各样的轮盘,他们也就滚着走了。或者是,如果你高兴的话,把他们弄成许多埋藏火药的蚁冢,摆在我的面前;那么,我就是他们的火柴。困难啊!要去点燃别人,火柴本身也必须要牺牲呀!我所敢做的,我就有决心做;而我有决心做的,我就要做!他们当我发疯了...斯达巴克就这么想;可是,我是恶魔,我是疯上加疯!疯狂的人才真会平心静气地了解他自己!预言说我必须割断四肢;所以...呀!我失掉了这条腿。我现在预言,我一定要肢解那肢解我的家伙。那么,但愿预言应验。那是连你们,你们这些大神也望尘莫及的。我笑你们,嘘你们,你们这些玩板球的人,你们这些拳师,你们这些哑巴柏克斯和瞎眼的本第哥佬!我决不会象小学生对那些欺弱凌善的恶徒那样说...去找些跟你身材差不多的人干吧!别来打我!不,你已经把我敲倒了,我又爬起来了,但是,你却跑了,藏了起来。出来呀,打你那棉花包后面出来呀!我没有射得到你的长枪。出来呀,亚哈向你致意,出来呀,看看你可逃得了我。逃得了我?你是逃不了的,除非是你自己消灭了!人看到你在那边,逃得了我么?那条通向我的既定目标的道路都是铺着铁轨的,我的灵魂就要嵌在那上面的槽沟飞奔而去。越过杳无人烟的峡谷,穿过深山丛壑,钻过急流的河床,我就这样正确地冲出去!这条铁路毫无阻碍,毫不弯曲。