South-eastward from the Cape, off the distant Crozetts, a good cruising ground for Right Whalemen, a sail loomed ahead, the Goney (Albatross) by name. —
从开普角向东南方向，远处的克罗泽特岛外，是一片适合捕鲸船员巡游的海域，一艘帆船名叫Goney（信天翁）浮现在前方。 —

As she slowly drew nigh, from my lofty perch at the fore-mast-head, I had a good view of that sight so remarkable to a tyro in the far ocean fisheries– a whaler at sea, and long absent from home.
当她缓缓靠近时，我站在舷梯顶端的高处，可以清楚地看到这一景象，对一个在遥远的海洋渔场里初出茅庐的人来说是如此引人注目 – 一艘在海上的捕鲸船，长时间离家。

As if the waves had been fullers, this craft was bleached like the skeleton of a stranded walrus. —
仿佛波浪就像漂洗者一样，这艘船被晒得如同一只搁浅的海象的骷髅。 —

All down her sides, this spectral appearance was traced with long channels of reddened rust, while all her spars and her rigging were like the thick branches of trees furred over with hoar-frost. —
沿着她的两侧，这个幽灵般的外表被长长的生锈痕迹所标记，而她所有的桅杆和绳索都如同被白霜所覆盖的树粗枝一般。 —

Only her lower sails were set. A wild sight it was to see her long-bearded look-outs at those three mast-heads. —
她只张着下帆。看到她那三座桅杆上的长胡子望风，真是一幅狂野的景象。 —

They seemed clad in the skins of beasts, so torn and bepatched the raiment that had survived nearly four years of cruising. —
他们看起来像身披兽皮，衣服几乎被拆破，修补之后已经存活了将近四年的航行。 —

Standing in iron hoops nailed to the mast, they swayed and swung over a fathomless sea; —
站在钉在桅杆上的铁箍中，他们在深不可测的海上摇摆不定； —

and though, when the ship slowly glided close under our stern, we six men in the air came so nigh to each other that we might almost have leaped from the mast-heads of one ship to those of the other; —
而当那艘船慢慢地贴近我们的船尾时，我们六个人在空中相距那么近，几乎可以从一艘船的桅杆跳到另一艘船的桅杆； —

yet, those forlorn-looking fishermen, mildly eyeing us as they passed, said not one word to our own look-outs, while the quarter-deck hail was being heard from below.
然而，那些看起来颓废的渔民，温和地注视着经过的我们，却对我们的看风人一言未发，此时船尾甲板上传来了号令。

“Ship ahoy! Have ye seen the White Whale?”
“船长！看见那白色的大鲸了吗？”

But as the strange captain, leaning over the pallid bulwarks, was in the act of putting his trumpet to his mouth, it somehow fell from his hand into the sea; —
但就在这名陌生船长倚在苍白的舷墙上，准备将喇叭放到嘴边时，却不知怎么从手中滑落入海中； —

and the wind now rising amain, he in vain strove to make himself heard without it. —
随着风势的不断加强，他无法再不靠喇叭发出声音。 —

Meantime his ship was still increasing the distance between us. —
与此同时，他的船仍在与我们之间拉开距离。 —

While in various silent ways the seamen of the Pequod were evincing their observance of this ominous incident at the first mere mention of the White Whale’s name to another ship, Ahab for a moment paused; —
当佩克奎德号的水手们以各种无声的方式表达对这一不祥事件的迷信，一提起白鲸这个名字，阿哈布瞬间停顿； —

it almost seemed as though he would have lowered a boat to board the stranger, had not the threatening wind forbade. —
似乎他差点就下令放船登上陌生船只，如果不是那威胁性的风势在阻止。 —

But taking advantage of his windward position, he again seized his trumpet, and knowing by her aspect that the stranger vessel was a Nantucketer and shortly bound home, he loudly hailed–“Ahoy there! —
但利用他处于迎风位置的优势，他再次拿起号角，看着那陌生船只是一艘南安普敦的，即将归航，他大声呼喊：“喂，那里！ —

This is the Pequod, bound round the world! —
这是佩克德号，绕着世界航行！ —

Tell them to address all future letters to the Pacific ocean! —
告诉他们以后所有的信件都寄往太平洋！ —

and this time three years, if I am not at home, tell them to address them to-”
而且这次是三年后，如果我不在家里，请告诉他们将信寄给-”

At that moment the two wakes were fairly crossed, and instantly, then, in accordance with their singular ways, shoals of small harmless fish, that for some days before had been placidly swimming by our side, darted away with what seemed shuddering fins, and ranged themselves fore and aft with the stranger’s flanks. —
正在这时，两条船航迹正好交叉，立刻，按照它们奇怪的方式，几天前一直平静游在我们身边的一群小无害的鱼，带着似乎发抖的鳍，立刻跑到陌生人船体的前后排列起来。 —

Though in the course of his continual voyagings Ahab must often before have noticed a similar sight, yet, to any monomaniac man, the veriest trifles capriciously carry meanings.
虽然亚哈布在不断的航行中以前可能经常注意到类似的情景，但是对于任何狂热的人来说，甚至是最细微的事物都具有意义。

“Swim away from me, do ye?” murmured Ahab, gazing over into the water. —
“你们要游开离我吗？”亚哈布低声说着，凝视着水面。 —

There seemed but little in the words, but the tone conveyed more of deep helpless sadness than the insane old man had ever before evinced. —
这些话似乎毫无意义，但语气传达的却比这个疯狂的老人以前表现出的更多深沉的无助和悲伤。 —

But turning to the steersman, who thus far had been holding the ship in the wind to diminish her headway, he cried out in his old lion voice,–“Up helm! —
但是转向一直在掌舵，到目前为止一直在使船减慢速度的掌舵手，他用那熟悉的狮子般的声音喊道，“右舵！ —

Keep her off round the world!”
把她绕向地球一圈！”

Round the world! There is much in that sound to inspire proud feelings; —
绕着世界！这个声音中有很多能激发自豪感的东西； —

but whereto does all that circumnavigation conduct? —
但是那整个环球航行会导致什么？ —

Only through numberless perils to the very point whence we started, where those that we left behind secure, were all the time before us.
只有通过无数的危险到达我们出发的那个点，我们留下来的人却安然无恙，一直在我们面前。

Were this world an endless plain, and by sailing eastward we could for ever reach new distances, and discover sights more sweet and strange than any Cyclades or Islands of King Solomon, then there were promise in the voyage. —
如果这个世界是一个无尽的平原，通过向东航行，我们永远能到达更遥远的地方，并发现比任何西里西亚群岛或所罗门王岛更甜美和奇异的景观，那么航行中才有希望。 —

But in pursuit of those far mysteries we dream of, or in tormented chase of that demon phantom that, some time or other, swims before all human hearts; —
但是为追求我们梦想的那些遥远的奥秘，或者在追逐某个时刻或另一个时刻总会出现在所有人类心中的恶魔幻影，怀着焦虑追赶； —

while chasing such over this round globe, they either lead us on in barren mazes or midway leave us whelmed.
在追逐这个圆球上的任何人时，他们要么在贫瘠的迷宫里将我们引领，要么在半途中让我们感到不知所措。