Ahab's harpoon, the one forged at Perth's fire, remained firmly lashed in its conspicuous crotch, so that it projected beyond his whale-boat's bow; but the sea that had stove its bottom had caused the loose leather sheath to drop off; and from the keen steel barb there now came a levelled flame of pale, forked fire. As the silent harpoon burned there like a serpent's tongue, Starbuck grasped Ahab by the arm — "God, God is against thee, old man; forbear! 't is an ill voyage! ill begun, ill continued; let me square the yards, while we may, old man, and make a fair wind of it homewards, to go on a better voyage than this."
亚哈的标枪，就是那支在柏斯的熔炉里炼出来的标枪，依然紧缚在它那突出的枪架上，所以，它直伸在他那只捕鲸小艇的艇头外边；可是那打穿了艇肚的海浪，已使得那松弛了的标枪鞘皮脱落了；那锐利的钢钩上，有一股均匀的灰蒙蒙的、叉形的火焰。就在那支悄然的标枪头烧得象一条蛇舌的时候，斯达巴克抓住亚哈的胳膊——"天啊，上天也在反对你啦，老人家；得当心呀！这是个不吉利的航程呀，不吉利开始啦，不吉利还要继续下去；趁我们还来得及，老人家，我们还是调正帆臂，使它顺风驶回家去，总比这样的航程好呀。"
Overhearing Starbuck, the panic-stricken crew instantly ran to the braces — though not a sail was left aloft. For the moment all the aghast mate's thoughts seemed theirs; they raised a half mutinous cry. But dashing the rattling lightning links to the deck, and snatching the burning harpoon, Ahab waved it like a torch among them; swearing to transfix with it the first sailor that but cast loose a rope's end. Petrified by his aspect, and still more shrinking from the fiery dart that he held, the men fell back in dismay, and Ahab again spoke: —
那些吓慌了的水手一偷听到斯达巴克这番话，立刻都奔到转帆索那边去——虽然那上面连一张帆都没有了。一时间，那个惊慌的大副的一切想法似乎也就是他们的想法，水手们发出一阵有点象是哗变的叫声。可是，亚哈把那些闪电似的链环克朗地朝甲板上一掷，抓起那支燃烧着的标枪，象擎着一支火把那般，在他们中间挥来挥去；大声咒骂说，哪个水手敢先松解一下索头，就用这标枪把他戳穿。水手们看到他这副神气，都傻了眼，又更怕他手里拿着的火一般的标枪会猛地戳来，大家都沮丧地退缩了，于是亚哈又开口了：
All your oaths to hunt the White Whale are as binding as mine; and heart, soul, and body, lungs and life, old Ahab is bound.
你们大家那个打白鲸的誓约，都跟我的誓约一样应该兑现；我亚哈老头已经把良心、灵魂、身体、五脏六腑和生命全都交给它了。