First take your leg off from the crown of the anchor here, though, so I can pass the rope; now listen. What's the mighty difference between holding a mast's lightning-rod in the storm, and standing close by a mast that hasn't got any lightning-rod at all in a storm? Don't you see, you timber-head, that no harm can come to the holder of the rod, unless the mast is first struck? What are you talking about, then? Not one ship in a hundred carries rods, and Ahab, — aye, man, and all of us, — were in no more danger then, in my poor opinion, than all the crews in ten thousand ships now sailing the seas. Why, you King-Post, you, I suppose you would have every man in the world go about with a small lightning-rod running up the corner of his hat, like a militia officer's skewered feather, and trailing behind like his sash. Why don't ye be sensible, Flask? it's easy to be sensible; why don't ye, then? any man with half an eye can be sensible.
你先把脚拿开，别搁在锚顶上，让我把绳索兜过去；现在；听着。在暴风雨里拿着一根桅杆避雷针，跟在暴风雨里站在一根本来就没有什么避雷针的桅杆边，这中间有什么重大的分别呀？你知道，你这傻瓜，除非是桅杆先让轰击了，拿避雷针的人决不会遭到什么伤害？那么，你在扯些什么？一百艘船里头，装有避雷针的，连一艘都不到，那么，亚哈，——喂，朋友，也包括我们大家在内，——按照我的鄙见，也是跟现在正在海上航行的十万艘船的全体水手一样没有危险。怎么，你这个中柱，你呀，我看，你是要叫世界上每个人都在帽子上插着一根小避雷针走来走去，就象一个民兵队长拖着一串鸡毛，象头带那样拖在背后，这才痛快。你为什么这样不明白事理，弗拉斯克？明白事理又不是什么难事；你为什么不明白事理？随便什么人，哪怕是长了半只眼睛的人也会明白事理。
I don't know that, Stubb. You sometimes find it rather hard.
这我不知道，斯塔布。有时候总觉得这是很难懂的。
Yes, when a fellow's soaked through, it's hard to be sensible, that's a fact. And I am about drenched with this spray. Never mind; catch the turn there, and pass it. Seems to me we are lashing down these anchors now as if they were never going to be used again. Tying these two anchors here, Flask, seems like tying a man's hands behind him. And what big generous hands they are, to be sure. These are your iron fists, hey? What a hold they have, too!
当然啦，一个浑身湿透了的人，是很难明白事理的，这倒是事实。我也要给这浪花泼得浑身湿淋淋了。可是，不要紧：喂，捉住那锚角，把绳子撩过去。据我看来，我们现在在缚着的这些锚，好象是从此再也用不着它了。弗拉斯克，把这两只锚缚在这里，就象是把一个人双手反缚起来那样。老实说，这两只手有多大呀。嗨，这些就是你的铁拳头嘛？它们可有多大的力气呵！