Thus, then, one of our own noble stamp, even a whaleman, is the tutelary guardian of England; and by good rights, we harpooneers of Nantucket should be enrolled in the most noble order of St. George. And therefore, let not the knights of that honorable company (none of whom, I venture to say, have ever had to do with a whale like their great patron), let them never eye a Nantucketer with disdain, since even in our woollen frocks and tarred trowsers we are much better entitled to St. George's decoration than they.
那么，这样说来，哪怕是个捕鲸人，我们自己的高贵的标志之一就是英国的守护神了；而且，我们这些南塔开特的标枪手，理所当然地应该列入最高贵的圣乔治团哩。因此，得请属于这个荣誉集团的骑士们（我敢说，他们中间，决没有一个象他们的伟大的守护神那样曾经碰到过大鲸），得请他们别再瞧不起南塔开特人，尽管我们穿的是羊毛衫和黑裤子，我们实在比他们更有获得戴圣乔治章的资格。
Whether to admit Hercules among us or not, concerning this I long remained dubious: for though according to the Greek mythologies, that antique Crockett and Kit Carson—that brawny doer of rejoicing good deeds, was swallowed down and thrown up by a whale; still, whether that strictly makes a whaleman of him, that might be mooted. It nowhere appears that he ever actually harpooned his fish, unless, indeed, from the inside. Nevertheless, he may be deemed a sort of involuntary whaleman; at any rate the whale caught him, if he did not the whale. I claim him for one of our clan.
究竟要不要把海格立斯算做我们的人，在这个问题上，我踌躇良久：因为虽然根据希腊神话，那个古代的克罗克特和基特·卡森（戴维·克罗克特（1786—1836）——美国的拓荒者。克里斯托弗·卡森，又称基特·卡森（1806—1868）——美国的拓荒者，作者将海格立斯喻为开疆辟土的英雄，以这两人的"事迹"来比喻他。），——那个事业显赫的壮汉，曾经被大鲸吞下后又吐出来；然而严格地说来，他是否算得上个捕鲸人，可还值得商榷。到处都证明不出他曾用标枪戳过大鲸，如果有过的话，那一定是在鲸腹内倒戳出来的。不过，他也许可以算是个非自愿的捕鲸人；总之，如果他没有捉到大鲸，那么大鲸倒是捉过了他。我主张应该把他算做我们团体的一员。
But, by the best contradictory authorities, this Grecian story of Hercules and the whale is considered to be derived from the still more ancient Hebrew story of Jonah and the whale; and vice versa; certainly they are very similar. If I claim the demigod then, why not the prophet?
但是，据意见截然相反的权威家们看来，这种关于海格立斯与大鲸的希腊传说，一般都认为是脱胎于更早的关于约拿和大鲸的希伯来传说的；反过来说也是这样，这两个传说一定是十分相似的。这样说来，如果我认为是个半神半人，为什么就不能认为是个先知呢？