When darkness came on, sky and sea roared and split with the thunder, and blazed with the lightning, that showed the disabled mast fluttering here and there with the rags which the first fury of the tempest had left for its after sport.
夜幕拢来的时候，霹雳一阵雷鸣，弄得海天齐吼，电光狂闪，照出了那仅剩下一些破布条在这里那里索索抖着的残桅，这就是初发的暴风雨，在一阵恶作剧后所留下来的东西。
Holding by a shroud, Starbuck was standing on the quarter-deck; at every flash of the lightning glancing aloft, to see what additional disaster might have befallen the intricate hamper there; while Stubb and Flask were directing the men in the higher hoisting and firmer lashing of the boats. But all their pains seemed naught. Though lifted to the very top of the cranes, the windward quarter boat (Ahab's) did not escape. A great rolling sea, dashing high up against the reeling ship's high teetering side, stove in the boat's bottom at the stern, and left it again, all dripping through like a sieve.
斯达巴克抓住一根护桅索，站在后甲板上；闪电每一打闪，他便往上一望，看看那些纠缠不清的索具是不是又遭了难；斯塔布和弗拉斯克则在指挥水手们把几只小艇吊得更高，缚得更牢。可是，他们所有的辛劳似乎都等于零。亚哈那只在上风的小艇，虽然高缚在吊钩的顶端，也逃不了厄运。一阵滔天大浪，高高地直冲击着这艘摇摇晃晃的船侧，泼落在船梢那只小艇的艇肚里，海浪一卷回去，那只小艇就象一只筛子似的滴滴嗒嗒地淌着水。
Bad work, bad work! Mr. Starbuck, said Stubb, regarding the wreck, "but the sea will have its way. Stubb, for one, can't fight it. You see, Mr. Starbuck, a wave has such a great long start before it leaps, all round the world it runs, and then comes the spring! But as for me, all the start I have to meet it, is just across the deck here. But never mind; it's all in fun: so the old song says;" — (sings.)
倒霉，倒霉！斯达巴克先生，斯塔布担心着沉船，说道，"海浪总是爱怎样就怎样。我这个斯塔布有它什么办法呢。你看，斯达巴克先生，浪潮是这么声势浩大地做好充分准备后就冲过来，象泉水似的涌过来！可是我呀，我只消从这边向那边一跨就避开了。不过，没关系，这都是闹着玩的：那首古老的歌儿就这么说；"——（他唱起来了）
Oh! jolly is the gale, And a joker is the whale, A' flourishin' his tail, — Such a funny, sporty, gamy, jesty, joky, hoky-poky lad, is the Ocean, oh!
啊！大风真有劲儿，大鲸是个丑角儿，它那尾巴一挥舞，——海洋呵！就是这么一个好笑，有趣，好胜，开胃，爱闹，骗人的家伙。