When at last the twelve rods were made, Ahab tried them, one by one, by spiralling them, with his own hand, round a long, heavy iron bolt. "A flaw!" rejecting the last one. "Work that over again, Perth."
最后，十二根棒条终于打出来了，亚哈一根一根拿来试过，亲自把它们盘绕起来，卷成一根又长又粗的铁螺丝闩。"这根是次货！"他不满意最后一根。"得再打一遍，柏斯。"
This done, Perth was about to begin welding the twelve into one, when Ahab stayed his hand, and said he would weld his own iron. As, then, with regular, gasping hems, he hammered on the anvil, Perth passing to him the glowing rods, one after the other, and the hard pressed forge shooting up its intense straight flame, the Parsee passed silently, and bowing over his head towards the fire, seemed invoking some curse or some blessing on the toil. But, as Ahab looked up, he slid aside.
最后一根打好后，柏斯正想把这十二根东西煅成一根时，不料亚哈揿住了他的手，说他要亲自煅接自己的标枪。于是，亚哈就一哼一喘地在铁砧上锤打起来，柏斯在旁边把那些通红的东西一根一根递给他，那个给压得透不过气的熔炉直迸射出猛烈的火焰，这时，那个祆教徒悄悄地从旁边走过来，俯首对着火，似乎不是在对这个活儿表示祝福便是诅咒。可是，亚哈一抬起头来，那个祆教徒就闪开了。
What's that bunch of lucifers dodging about there for? muttered Stubb, looking on from the forecastle. "That Parsee smells fire like a fusee; and smells of it himself, like a hot musket's powder-pan."
那边为什么有许多金星在闪烁呀？斯塔布在船头楼一边望着，一边嘟哝道。"那个祆教徒一闻到火就象是闻到了信号火？他自己一闻，就象闻到热烘烘的滑膛枪的火药池。"
At last the shank, in one complete rod, received its final heat; and as Perth, to temper it, plunged it all hissing into the cask of water near by, the scalding steam shot up into Ahab's bent face.
最后，这根已打成一整根的东西，再回一次火；柏斯为了淬硬它，把它咝的一声插进了旁边一桶冷水里，滚热的水气直冲到亚哈那俯视着的脸上。
Would'st thou brand me, Perth? wincing for a moment with the pain; "have I been but forging my own branding-iron, then?"
你要给我打烙印嘛？柏斯？痛得眨了一阵眼；"这样说来，我是在铸打我自己的烙铁吗？"
Pray God, not that; yet I fear something, Captain Ahab. Is not this harpoon for the White Whale?
天啊，不是，不过，我还是有点害怕，亚哈船长。这根标枪可不是拿去打白鲸吗？