Thou saw'st the locked lovers when leaping from their flaming ship; heart to heart they sank beneath the exulting wave; true to each other, when heaven seemed false to them. Thou saw'st the murdered mate when tossed by pirates from the midnight deck; for hours he fell into the deeper midnight of the insatiate maw; and his murderers still sailed on unharmed— while swift lightnings shivered the neighboring ship that would have borne a righteous husband to outstretched, longing arms. O head! thou hast seen enough to split the planets and make an infidel of Abraham, and not one syllable is thine!"
你看到过双双紧抱的爱人，正从他们那燃烧着的船上跳了下去；他们心贴心地沉在汹涌的浪潮里；在上天似乎对他们不忠实的当儿，他们却是彼此忠诚的。你也看到在午夜的甲板上，那个被谋害了的大副让海盗抛到了海里，好久才掉进了那夜阑人静似的贪得无厌的血口里，但杀害了他的凶手，却仍一无损伤地继续航去——突然一阵迅疾的闪电，教邻船吓得发颤，它本来是会把那个正直的丈夫，载负到那个双臂伸得长长的、渴盼的人儿那里去的。头啊！你已经看得连对天上的行星也能剖析分明，可以使亚伯拉罕也变成了异教徒，可这会儿，却一言也不发！"
"Sail ho!" cried a triumphant voice from the main-mast-head.
"有船啊！"主桅顶上传来了一声神气十足的叫喊。
"Aye? Well, now, that's cheering," cried Ahab, suddenly erecting himself, while whole thunder-clouds swept aside from his brow. "That lively cry upon this deadly calm might almost convert a better man.—Where away?"
"是吗？唔，这倒是叫人高兴的事，"亚哈嚷道，突然挺起身子，这时，他额头上的整片雷云散掉了。"在这半死气沉沉的静寂里，有了这么一声怪有生气的呼喊，简直使人精神百倍起来——。在哪儿呀？"
"Three points on the starboard bow, sir, and bringing down her breeze to us!
"在船头右舷三个方位的地方，先生，还给我们带来一阵和风呢！"
"Better and better, man. Would now St. Paul would come along that way, and to my breezelessness bring his breeze! O Nature, and O soul of man! how far beyond all utterance are your linked analogies; not the smallest atom stirs or lives on matter, but has its cunning duplicate in mind."
"不错，真不错，老朋友。现在但愿圣保罗会沿着那方向到来，给我的无风无息的心情带来一阵和风！造物主呵！人类的主呀！你那些异体同功的东西，可多么说不尽讲不完呀！一点儿也不必靠物质生活和刺激，精神上自有它的巧妙的复本。"