It was a cloudy, sultry afternoon; the seamen were lazily lounging about the decks, or vacantly gazing over into the lead-colored waters. —
这是一个多云而闷热的下午；海员们懒散地在甲板上闲逛，或者无聊地凝视着铅灰色的海水。 —

Queequeg and I were mildly employed weaving what is called a sword-mat, for an additional lashing to our boat. —
我和基桥格正在温和地编织一种被称为剑垫的东西，用于额外绑扎我们的小船。 —

So still and subdued and yet somehow preluding was all the scene, and such an incantation of revelry lurked in the air, that each silent sailor seemed resolved into his own invisible self.
整个场景是如此寂静和缓和，又蕴藏着一种沉浸在空气中的喧闹气氛，以至于每个静默的水手似乎都融入了他自己看不见的自我之中。

I was the attendant or page of Queequeg, while busy at the mat. —
我是基桥格的侍从或页，忙于制作垫子。 —

As I kept passing and repassing the filling or woof of marline between the long yarns of the warp, using my own hand for the shuttle, and as Queequeg, standing sideways, ever and anon slid his heavy oaken sword between the threads, and idly looking off upon the water, carelessly and unthinkingly drove home every yarn; —
当我不断地往返于用自己的手为梭子，将填充物或麻线穿过经线的间隙时，而基桥格则侧身站在那里，时不时地将他沉重的橡木剑插入缝隙之间，又随意地望向远处的水面，毫不在意地、无意识地将每根线掰过去； —

I say so strange a dreaminess did there then reign all over the ship and all over the sea, only broken by the intermitting dull sound of the sword, that it seemed as if this were the Loom of Time, and I myself were a shuttle mechanically weaving and weaving away at the Fates. There lay the fixed threads of the warp subject to but one single, ever returning, unchanging vibration, and that vibration merely enough to admit of the crosswise interblending of other threads with its own. —
我说，这种奇怪的梦幻氛围在整个船上，整个海域都统治着，只有偶尔被剑的沉闷声音打破，那时感觉就像这是“时间的织机”，而我自己则象一个机械般不停地穿梭于命运之中。那里有经线的固定线束，只受一个单一、不断重复、不变的振动作用，而那个振动仅仅足以容纳其他线束与其交叉编织。 —

This warp seemed necessity; and here, thought I, with my own hand I ply my own shuttle and weave my own destiny into these unalterable threads. —
这个经线似乎是必然的；在此，我想， 用自己的手动作梭子，把自己的命运编织进这些不变的线中。 —

Meantime, Queequeg’s impulsive, indifferent sword, sometimes hitting the woof slantingly, or crookedly, or strongly, or weakly, as the case might be; —
与此同时，基桥格冲动的、漠不关心的剑，有时倾斜地、歪斜地、有力地、无力地击中经线； —

and by this difference in the concluding blow producing a corresponding contrast in the final aspect of the completed fabric; —
通过这最后一击的差异，在成品的最终外观中产生相应的对比； —

this savage’s sword, thought I, which thus finally shapes and fashions both warp and woof; —
我心想，这个野蛮人的剑，最终塑造并形成了经线和纬线； —

this easy, indifferent sword must be chance– aye, chance, free will, and necessity–no wise incompatible– all interweavingly working together. —
这把漠不关心的剑，我想，必然是机会–是的，机会，自由意志，和必然–完全不矛盾–全部交织在一起。 —

The straight warp of necessity, not to be swerved from its ultimate course– its every alternating vibration, indeed, only tending to that; —
必然的直线经线，不可偏离其最终路线–它的每一次交替振动，的确只是往那个方向倾斜； —

free will still free to ply her shuttle between given threads; —
自由意志仍然自由地在给定的线束之间穿梭； —

and chance, though restrained in its play within the right lines of necessity, and sideways in its motions directed by free will, though thus prescribed to by both, chance by turns rules either, and has the last featuring blow at events.
机会固然在必然轨道内受到限制，在自由意志指导的条件下侧向运动，虽然被两者规定，但机会也由此交替支配着任何一方，并对事件产生最后的特殊影响。

Thus we were weaving and weaving away when I started at a sound so strange, long drawn, and musically wild and unearthly, that the ball of free will dropped from my hand, and I stood gazing up at the clouds whence that voice dropped like a wing. —
因此，当我被一声如此奇怪、长而具有音乐感、野生和超自然的声音惊醒时，自由意志的球从我的手中滑落，而我则仰望着云层，那声音就像一只降落的翼一样。 —

High aloft in the cross-trees was that mad Gay-Header, Tashtego. —
在船桅的高处是那个疯狂的头顶盖口手工人，塔斯泰戈。 —

His body was reaching eagerly forward, his hand stretched out like a wand, and at brief sudden intervals he continued his cries. —
他的身体急切地向前伸展着，他的手像一根魔杖般伸出，不时发出短促的喊声。 —

To be sure the same sound was that very moment perhaps being heard all over the seas, from hundreds of whalemen’s look-outs perched as high in the air; —
可以肯定，此时此刻也许所有海上的从事捕鲸工作的人，都能听到同样的声音，他们站在高高的空中展望台上； —

but from few of those lungs could that accustomed old cry have derived such a marvellous cadence as from Tashtego the Indian’s.
但很少有人的肺部能像这位印第安人塔斯泰戈一样，那样释放出如此奇妙的音调。

As he stood hovering over you half suspended in air, so wildly and eagerly peering towards the horizon, you would have thought him some prophet or seer beholding the shadows of Fate, and by those wild cries announcing their coming.
当他站在你身上方半空中，疯狂地、急切地凝视着地平线时，你会以为他是某位预言家或先知，看到命运的阴影，通过那些疯狂的呼喊来宣告它们的到来。

“There she blows! there! there! there! she blows! she blows!”
“那里喷水了！那里！那里！那里有喷水了！她们喷水了！”

“Where-away?”
“在哪个方向？”

“On the lee-beam, about two miles off! a school of them!”
“在横风的一侧，大约两英里远！有一群！”

Instantly all was commotion.
瞬间一片混乱。

The Sperm Whale blows as a clock ticks, with the same undeviating and reliable uniformity. —
抹香鲸的喷水声像时钟滴答作响，具有同样的持续而可靠的一致性。 —

And thereby whalemen distinguish this fish from other tribes of his genus.
因此，捕鲸者可以区分这种鱼与其他同类动物。

“There go flukes!” was now the cry from Tashtego; and the whales disappeared.
“它们扬起尾巴啦！”这时塔斯泰戈大喊道，鲸鱼消失了。

“Quick, steward!” cried Ahab. “Time! time!”
“快，管家！”艾哈布喊道。 “时间！时间！”

Dough-Boy hurried below, glanced at the watch, and reported the exact minute to Ahab.
面包师赶紧下去，看了看手表，向艾哈布报告了准确的时间。

The ship was now kept away from the wind, and she went gently rolling before it. —
船此时已经偏离风向，温和地在风前滚动。 —

Tashtego reporting that the whales had gone down heading to leeward, we confidently looked to see them again directly in advance of our bows. —
塔什提戈报告说鲸鱼向下游航去，我们充满信心地期待着它们会再次直接在我们的船头前出现。 —

For that singular craft at times evinced by the Sperm Whale when, sounding with his head in one direction, he nevertheless, while concealed beneath the surface, mills around, and swiftly swims off in the opposite quarter–this deceitfulness of his could not now be in action; —
对抹香鲸的一种独特技艺，即在头部向一侧声纳的情况下，它却躲在水面下隐匿，然后迅速向相反方向游去——现在这种诡计并未生效； —

for there was no reason to suppose that the fish seen by Tashtego had been in any way alarmed, or indeed knew at all of our vicinity. —
因为不应该认为，被塔什提戈看到的鱼已经在任何情况下受到惊吓，或者根本不知道我们附近的存在。 —

One of the men selected for shipkeepers–that is, those not appointed to the boats, by this time relieved the Indian at the main-mast head. —
那些被选为值班水手的人——也就是那些没有被分配到小船的人，此时已经取代印第安人站在主桅头。 —

The sailors at the fore and mizzen had come down; the line tubs were fixed in their places; —
前桅和旗桅上的水手已经下来了；吊桶已经固定在相应位置上； —

the cranes were thrust out; the mainyard was backed, and the three boats swung over the sea like three samphire baskets over high cliffs. —
吊横杆被推出去了；主桅被挡住了，三只小船就像三个菜篮子一样被吊到了海面上。 —

Outside of the bulwarks their eager crews with one hand clung to the rail, while one foot was expectantly poised on the gunwale. —
在舷侧以外，他们急切地抓住舷杆，一只脚期待地悬在舷梁上。 —

So look the long line of man-of-war’s men about to throw themselves on board an enemy’s ship.
就像一队敌船上的士兵准备投入战斗一样，眺望着的一长队军舰水手们。

But at this critical instant a sudden exclamation was heard that took every eye from the whale. —
但就在这关键时刻，突然听到一个惊叹声，所有人的眼睛都被从鲸鱼身上吸引开。 —

With a start all glared at dark Ahab, who was surrounded by five dusky phantoms that seemed fresh formed out of air.
大家惊讶地看着黑暗的艾哈伯，周围站着五个黑黑的鬼魅，仿佛刚刚从空气中凝结而成。