Freeze his blood, and he dies. How wonderful is it then—except after explanation—that this great monster, to whom corporeal warmth is as indispensable as it is to man; how wonderful that he should be found at home, immersed to his lips for life in those Arctic waters! where, when seamen fall overboard, they are sometimes found, months afterwards, perpendicularly frozen into the hearts of fields of ice, as a fly is found glued in amber. But more surprising is it to know, as has been proved by experiment, that the blood of a Polar whale is warmer than that of a Borneo negro in summer.
它的血一冻结，它也就完蛋了。所以，这是多么奇妙——如果不事先讲明的话——这种大怪物之需要保持体温，正跟人类完全相同；可是，它竟会终生没头没脑地躲在北极的海里而过得愉愉快快，这又是多么希奇呵！在那种地方，如果水手跌了下去，有时在好几个月后被人发现了，都是直挺挺地冻僵在大冰块里，有如一只苍蝇给胶住在琥珀里。但是，更奇怪的事情还有着呢，根据试验证明，一只北极鲸的血，远比夏天里一个婆罗洲黑人的血还要热。
It does seem to me, that herein we see the rare virtue of a strong individual vitality, and the rare virtue of thick walls, and the rare virtue of interior spaciousness. Oh, man! admire and model thyself after the whale! Do thou, too, remain warm among ice. Do thou, too, live in this world without being of it. Be cool at the equator; keep thy blood fluid at the Pole. Like the great dome of St. Peter's, and like the great whale, retain, O man! in all seasons a temperature of thine own.
据我看来，从这里，我们就看出一种坚强独特的生命力的罕有的价值，看出了厚墙固壁的罕有的价值，也看出城府深广的罕有的价值了。人呀！你应该礼赞鲸，以鲸作为你的楷模！你置身在冰封雪冻的海里，也会浑身暖热嘛？你如果不象它那样，也会在这个世界上活下去嘛？在赤道上可别热血沸腾；在北极上可别让血冻结。人呀，要象圣彼得大教堂（圣彼得大教堂——意大利文艺复兴时代所建的一所最富丽堂皇的教堂，尤其是那圆形大屋顶，据说是举世无双的。）的大圆屋顶一样，更要象那大鲸一样，一年四季都要保持你自己的温度！
But how easy and how hopeless to teach these fine things! Of erections, how few are domed like St. Peter's! of creatures, how few vast as the whale!
可是，要传授这些美妙的东西，是多么容易，又多么无望呵！在建筑物中，能有圣彼得大教堂那样的大圆屋顶的毕竟是为数寥寥呀！在动物中，能象鲸那么硕大的又是多么屈指可数呀！