Though, consumed with the hot fire of his purpose, Ahab in all his thoughts and actions ever had in view the ultimate capture of Moby Dick; —
尽管Ahab被他的目的的炽热火焰所吞噬，他在所有的思想和行为中都始终把捕捉白鲸Moby Dick作为最终目标； —

though he seemed ready to sacrifice all mortal interests to that one passion; —
尽管他似乎准备牺牲所有的人类利益来追求这个激情； —

nevertheless it may have been that he was by nature and long habituation far too wedded to a fiery whaleman’s ways, altogether to abandon the collateral prosecution of the voyage. —
然而，也许他出生和长期习惯于热血的捕鲸者生活方式，很难完全放弃航行的附带追求； —

Or at least if this were otherwise, there were not wanting other motives much more influential with him. —
或者至少如果情况不是这样，他也有其他更有影响力的动机； —

It would be refining too much, perhaps, even considering his monomania, to hint that his vindictiveness towards the White Whale might have possibly extended itself in some degree to all sperm whales, and that the more monsters he slew by so much the more he multiplied the chances that each subsequently encountered whale would prove to be the hated one he hunted. —
或许这种假设太过矫枉过正，即使考虑他的偏执狂，暗示他对白鲸的复仇心情可能在某种程度上延伸到所有抹香鲸身上，随着他杀死的怪兽越多，他遇到的每一头鲸鱼就越有可能是他追逐的仇恨对象； —

But if such an hypothesis be indeed exceptionable, there were still additional considerations which, though not so strictly according with the wildness of his ruling passion, yet were by no means incapable of swaying him.
但是如果这种假设确实存在问题，仍然有其他考虑因素，尽管不那么与他统治激情的狂放相符，但绝不无法左右他；

To accomplish his object Ahab must use tools; —
为了实现他的目标，Ahab必须使用工具； —

and of all tools used in the shadow of the moon, men are most apt to get out of order. —
在月影之下使用的所有工具中，人类最容易失效； —

He knew, for example, that however magnetic his ascendency in some respects was over Starbuck, yet that ascendency did not cover the complete spiritual man any more than mere corporeal superiority involves intellectual mastership; —
他知道，例如，无论他在某些方面对斯塔布克具有多大的磁性影响力，但这种影响力并不能涵盖完整的精神人格，正如单纯的肉体优势不涉及智力的控制一样； —

for to the purely spiritual, the intellectual but stand in a sort of corporeal relation. —
对于纯粹的精神来说，智力只是一种肉体关系； —

Starbuck’s body and Starbuck’s coerced will were Ahab’s, so long as Ahab kept his magnet at Starbuck’s brain; —
只要Ahab一直把他的磁铁放在斯塔布克的脑袋上，斯塔布克的身体和意志就属于Ahab； —

still he knew that for all this the chief mate, in his soul, abhorred his captain’s quest, and could he, would joyfully disintegrate himself from it, or even frustrate it. —
但他知道，虽然如此，总领航员在内心深处憎恨船长的追逐，如果可能的话，他会从中脱离出来，甚至挫败它； —

It might be that a long interval would elapse ere the White Whale was seen. —
白鲸Moby Dick可能在很长的间隔期内不见踪影； —

During that long interval Starbuck would ever be apt to fall into open relapses of rebellion against his captain’s leadership, unless some ordinary, prudential, circumstantial influences were brought to bear upon him. —
在这段很长的时间里，斯塔布克很容易因为某些普通的、审慎的、情境性的影响而对船长的领导力产生公开的倒退； —

Not only that, but the subtle insanity of Ahab respecting Moby Dick was noways more significantly manifested than in his superlative sense and shrewdness in foreseeing that, for the present, the hunt should in some way be stripped of that strange imaginative impiousness which naturally invested it; —
不止如此，Ahab关于Moby Dick的微妙疯狂在于他卓越的洞察力和敏锐性，预见到目前狩猎应该以某种方式剥去其原本自然赋予的怪异的想象力和亵渎性。 —

that the full terror of the voyage must be kept withdrawn into the obscure background (for few men’s courage is proof against protracted meditation unrelieved by action); —
航行的全部恐惧必须被隐藏在模糊的背景中（因为很少有人的勇气能够经受长时间无行动的沉思）; —

that when they stood their long night watches, his officers and men must have some nearer things to think of than Moby Dick. For however eagerly and impetuously the savage crew had hailed the announcement of his quest; —
当他们守夜的时候，他的军官和水手们必须有比白鲸更近的事情去考虑。因为无论野蛮的船员们多么热切和冲动地欢呼他的追逐任务的宣布; —

yet all sailors of all sorts are more or less capricious and unreliable– they live in the varying outer weather, and they inhale its fickleness– and when retained for any object remote and blank in the pursuit, however promissory of life and passion in the end, it is above all things requisite that temporary interests and employments should intervene and hold them healthily suspended for the final dash.
所有类型的水手或多或少都是反复无常和不可靠的–他们生活在多变的外界气候中，并吸入其中的善变–当他们为了某个遥远而空白的目标而被保留在追求中时，无论最终的冲刺如何具有生命和激情的希望，临时的兴趣和工作都至关重要，应该介入并让他们健康地悬起来等待最后的冲刺。

Nor was Ahab unmindful of another thing. In times of strong emotion mankind disdain all base considerations; —
阿哈布也没有忽视另一件事。在强烈情绪的时候，人类都蔑视所有卑劣的考虑; —

but such times are evanescent. The permanent constitutional condition of the manufactured man, thought Ahab, is sordidness. —
但这种时刻是瞬息的。制造出来的人的永久宪法状况是肮脏的。 —

Granting that the White Whale fully incites the hearts of this my savage crew, and playing round their savageness even breeds a certain generous knight-errantism in them, still, while for the love of it they give chase to Moby Dick, they must also have food for their more common, daily appetites. —
即使古代高贵和侠义的十字军也不满足于穿越两千英里的陆地去为了他们的圣坟而战，而不在途中实施盗窃、掏包等勾当，并通过这些圣洁的收益来获取其他圣洁的好处。 —

For even the high lifted and chivalric Crusaders of old times were not content to traverse two thousand miles of land to fight for their holy sepulchre, without committing burglaries, picking pockets, and gaining other pious perquisites by the way. —
因为即使是昔日举起高举侠义的十字军也会对白鲸的热情激发了我野蛮船员的心灵，并在他们的野蛮中培养了某种慷慨的骑士精神，但在为了白鲸而追逐的过程中，他们也必须有满足日常食欲的食物。 —

Had they been strictly held to their one final and romantic object– that final and romantic object, too many would have turned from in disgust. —
若他们被严格要求只关注最终浪漫的目标——那个最终浪漫的目标，太多人会感到厌恶。 —

I will not strip these men, thought Ahab, of all hopes of cash–aye, cash. They may scorn cash now; —
我不会剥夺这些人的所有现金希望，阿哈伯想，啊，现金。他们现在可能会蔑视现金； —

but let some months go by, and no perspective promise of it to them, and then this same quiescent cash all at once mutinying in them, this same cash would soon cashier Ahab.
但让几个月过去，他们对现金再没有前景的承诺，然后这些平静的现金突然在他们中间闹事，这些现金很快会解除阿哈伯的指挥。

Nor was there wanting still another precautionary motive more related to Ahab personally. —
阿哈伯还有另一种与他个人更相关的预防动机。 —

Having impulsively, it is probable, and perhaps somewhat prematurely revealed the prime but private purpose of the Pequod’s voyage, Ahab was now entirely conscious that, in so doing, he had indirectly laid himself open to the unanswerable charge of usurpation; —
既然冲动地，并且可能有些过早地透露了“皮夸”号航行的主要但私人目的，阿哈伯现在完全意识到，通过这样做，他间接地让自己暴露在无法反驳的篡夺指控之下； —

and with perfect impunity, both moral and legal, his crew if so disposed, and to that end competent, could refuse all further obedience to him, and even violently wrest from him the command. —
如果愿意做到这一点，有这样的能力的话，他的船员甚至可以拒绝对他进一步服从，甚至可以强行夺取指挥。 —

From even the barely hinted imputation of usurpation, and the possible consequences of such a suppressed impression gaining ground, Ahab must of course have been most anxious to protect himself. —
面对甚至只是暗示的篡夺指控，以及这种被隐忍的印象传播可能带来的后果，阿哈伯当然可能会极度渴望保护自己。 —

That protection could only consist in his own predominating brain and heart and hand, backed by a heedful, closely calculating attention to every minute atmospheric influence which it was possible for his crew to be subjected to.
防护只能在他卓越的头脑和心灵和手及时施加，其背后是对他的船员可能受到的每一分钟大气影响的小心、密切计算的关注。

For all these reasons then, and others perhaps too analytic to be verbally developed here, Ahab plainly saw that he must still in a good degree continue true to the natural, nominal purpose of the Pequod’s voyage; —
因为所有这些原因，还可能有其他一些太过分析无法用言语表达的原因，阿哈伯明显看到，他必须在很大程度上继续忠于“皮夸”号航行的自然、名义目的； —

observe all customary usages; and not only that, but force himself to evince all his well known passionate interest in the general pursuit of his profession.
遵守所有惯例；而且不仅如此，还要强迫自己表现出他在追求他职业的总体兴趣中众所周知的热忱。

Be all this as it may, his voice was now often heard hailing the three mastheads and admonishing them to keep a bright look-out, and not omit reporting even a porpoise. —
无论情况如何，他的声音现在经常听到在呼喊着三根桅杆，并警告他们保持警惕，甚至不要漏报一个海豚。 —

This vigilance was not long without reward.
这种警惕没过多久就得到了回报。