But so have I seen little Miriam and Martha, laughing-eyed elves, heedlessly gambol around their old sire; sporting with the circle of singed locks which grew on the marge of that burnt-out crater of his brain.
可是，这就象我看到了小米利亚姆和马大（作者在这里似系指《圣经》上的人物罗得，并给他两个没有名字的女儿取了这两个名字。罗得的遭遇见《旧约·创世记》第十九章。），这两个眉开眼笑的小鬼头，漫不经心地在她们的老爸爸身旁嬉戏；戏弄着那长在他的烧尽了的喷火口似的脑边的绺绺鬈发。
Slowly crossing the deck from the scuttle, Ahab leaned over the side and watched how his shadow in the water sank and sank to his gaze, the more and the more that he strove to pierce the profundity. But the lovely aromas in that enchanted air did at last seem to dispel, for a moment, the cankerous thing in his soul. That glad, happy air, that winsome sky, did at last stroke and caress him; the step-mother world, so long cruel — forbidding — now threw affectionate arms round his stubborn neck, and did seem to joyously sob over him, as if over one, that however wilful and erring, she could yet find it in her heart to save and to bless. From beneath his slouched hat Ahab dropped a tear into the sea; nor did all the Pacific contain such wealth as that one wee drop.
亚哈缓悠悠地离开小舱口，穿过甲板，趴在船舷上，望着水里自己的影子，怎样在沉呀，沉地沉下去，看不见了，他却越来越想望穿那个深渊。可是，那迷人的空中的芬芳可人的气味，似乎终于暂时把他灵魂里的腐蚀的东西给驱散了。那快活愉快的气氛，那迷人的天空，终于来抚摩他了；这个一向是如此残酷——令人不敢亲近的晚娘般的世界，这会儿，伸出那双亲昵的胳臂，搂住他硬项的颈脖子，还似乎是快活地对他呜呜咽咽，仿佛是对着一个尽管是多么顽劣的罪人，她却存心要拯救他，祝福他似的。一滴泪水从亚哈那低挂着的帽子落下来，掉进了海里；整个太平洋还没有装过这么大的一滴泪水咧。
Starbuck saw the old man; saw him, how he heavily leaned over the side; and he seemed to hear in his own true heart the measureless sobbing that stole out of the centre of the serenity around. Careful not to touch him, or be noticed by him, he yet drew near to him, and stood there.
斯达巴克看到了这老头儿，看到了他是多么沉重地趴在船舷上；他似乎要以他自己那颗老实的心来听那悄悄地打宁静的周遭中发出来的无限的呜咽声。他虽然小心谨慎，不去碰着他，也不想让亚哈看到，然而，他终究还是走到他身边去，站在那里。