That mortal man should feed upon the creature that feeds his lamp, and, like Stubb, eat him by his own light, as you may say; —
凡人应该依靠为他的灯供养的生物，就像Stubb一样，借助自己的灯光吃掉他，可以这样说； —

this seems so outlandish a thing that one must needs go a little into the history and philosophy of it.
这似乎是一件古怪的事情，人们需要稍微了解一下它的历史和哲学。

It is upon record, that three centuries ago the tongue of the Right Whale was esteemed a great delicacy in France, and commanded large prices there. —
据记载，三个世纪前，鯨鲸的舌头在法国被视为一种美味佳肴，并在那里售出高价。 —

Also, that in Henry VIIIth’s time, a certain cook of the court obtained a handsome reward for inventing an admirable sauce to be eaten with barbacued porpoises, which, you remember, are a species of whale. —
同样，在亨利八世的时代，宫廷的某位厨师因发明了一种与烤海豚一起食用的绝妙调味汁而获得了丰厚的奖赏，你还记得，海豚是一种鲸类。 —

Porpoises, indeed, are to this day considered fine eating. —
海豚的肉的确被认为是美味的食物。 —

The meat is made into balls about the size of billiard balls, and being well seasoned and spiced might be taken for turtle-balls or veal balls. —
这种肉被做成了篮球大小的团，经过良好的调味，可能被当作龟球或小牛肉丸。 —

The old monks of Dunfermline were very fond of them. —
邓弗姆林的老僧侣们非常喜欢它们。 —

They had a great porpoise grant from the crown.
他们从王室得到了一份巨大的鲸肉补助金。

The fact is, that among his hunters at least, the whale would by all hands be considered a noble dish, were there not so much of him; —
事实是，在他的捕鲸者中，鲸鱼至少在所有人看来是一道高贵的食物；如果它不是那么大的话。 —

but when you come to sit down before a meat-pie nearly one hundred feet long, it takes away your appetite. —
但当你坐下来面对一个将近一百英尺长的肉饼时，你的胃口就会被吓跑。 —

Only the most unprejudiced of men like Stubb, nowadays partake of cooked whales; —
现在只有像Stubb这样最没有偏见的人才会吃熟鲸鱼。 —

but the Esquimaux are not so fastidious. —
但爱斯基摩人并不挑剔。 —

We all know how they live upon whales, and have rare old vintages of prime old train oil. —
我们都知道他们以吃鲸鱼为生，并有着稀有的顶级鲸油。 —

Zogranda, one of their most famous doctors, recommends strips of blubber for infants, as being exceedingly juicy and nourishing. —
其中一位著名的医生Zogranda推荐给婴儿吃脂肪条，因为它们极其多汁又有营养。 —

And this reminds me that certain Englishmen, who long ago were accidentally left in Greenland by a whaling vessel– that these men actually lived for several months on the mouldy scraps of whales which had been left ashore after trying out the blubber. —
这让我想起，曾经有一些英国人被一艘捕鲸船意外地留在了格陵兰，这些人竟然靠着捕鲸船试探出的剩余脂肪在岸边生活了几个月。 —

Among the Dutch whalemen these scraps are called “fritters”; —
在荷兰捕鲸人中，这些剩余部分被称为”油炸食品”； —

which, indeed, they greatly resemble, being brown and crisp, and smelling something like old Amsterdam housewives’ dough-nuts or oly-cooks, when fresh. —
它们实际上非常像，呈现出棕色和脆脆的外表，新鲜时闻起来有点像老阿姆斯特丹家庭主妇的面糊圈。 —

They have such an eatable look that the most self-denying stranger can hardly keep his hands off.
它们看起来如此可口，以至于最不受诱惑的陌生人都几乎无法忍住。

But what further depreciates the whale as a civilized dish, is his exceeding richness. —
但更进一步贬低鲸鱼作为一个文明菜肴的是它的极度肥腻。 —

He is the great prize ox of the sea, too fat to be delicately good. —
他是海上的大奖牛，太肥胖无法成为细腻美味。 —

Look at his hump, which would be as fine eating as the buffalo’s (which is esteemed a rare dish), were it not such a solid pyramid of fat. —
看看他的驼峰，如果不是如此厚实的脂肪金字塔，它将像水牛那样被视为一道珍馐佳肴。 —

But the spermaceti itself, how bland and creamy that is; —
但那鲸蜡本身，多么浓郁奶油般的口感； —

like the transparent, half jellied, white meat of a cocoanut in the third month of its growth, yet far too rich to supply a substitute for butter. —
像是在它成长的第三个月里那种透明、半凝结的椰子白肉，但远远过于浓郁，无法替代黄油。 —

Nevertheless, many whalemen have a method of absorbing it into some other substance, and then partaking of it. —
然而，许多捕鲸者有一种方法把它吸收到其他物质中，然后食用它。 —

In the long try watches of the night it is a common thing for the seamen to dip their ship-biscuit into the huge oil-pots and let them fry there awhile. —
在深夜的漫长值夜班里，水手们常常会把他们的干饼干浸入巨大的油罐中，然后让它们在那里煎一会儿。 —

Many a good supper have I thus made.
我就是这样吃过许多美味的晚餐。

In the case of a small Sperm Whale the brains are accounted a fine dish. —
对于一只小抹香鲸来说，大脑被认为是一道美味佳肴。 —

The casket of the skull is broken into with an axe, and the two plump, whitish lobes being withdrawn (precisely resembling two large puddings), they are then mixed with flour, and cooked into a most delectable mess, in flavor somewhat resembling calves’ head, which is quite a dish among some epicures; —
用一把斧头破开头骨，取出两个丰满的白色叶叶（看起来恰似两个大布丁），然后与面粉混合，烹制成一道美味佳肴，其味道有些类似小牛头肉，在一些美食家中非常受欢迎； —

and every one knows that some young bucks among the epicures, by continually dining upon calves’ brains, by and by get to have a little brains of their own, so as to be able to tell a calf’s head from their own heads; —
每个人都知道，一些年轻小伙在不断用小牛脑子宴请自己后，最终也会长出一点脑子，以至于能分辨小牛头肉和自己的脑袋； —

which, indeed, requires uncommon discrimination. —
这确实需要非常细腻的辨别力。 —

And that is the reason why a young buck with an intelligent looking calf’s head before him, is somehow one of the saddest sights you can see. —
这就是为什么在看到一个年轻小伙面前摆着一个聪明看相的小牛头是如此悲伤的一幕。 —

The head looks a sort of reproachfully at him, with an “Et tu Brute!” expression.
小牛头似乎用一种“连你也叛变了！”的表情责备着他。

It is not, perhaps, entirely because the whale is so excessively unctuous that landsmen seem to regard the eating of him with abhorrence; —
或许不完全是因为鲸鱼如此极度脂性，使得陆地人似乎对吃他感到厌恶； —

that appears to result, in some way, from the consideration before mentioned: i. —
也许这在某种程度上与前面提到的那个考虑有关： —

e. that a man should eat a newly murdered thing of the sea, and eat it too by its own light. —
即人应当吃一个被刚刚杀害的海洋生物，并且还要在它自己的光亮中吃掉。 —

But no doubt the first man that ever murdered an ox was regarded as a murderer; —
但毫无疑问，第一个杀死一头牛的人被视为一名杀人犯； —

perhaps he was hung; and if he had been put on his trial by oxen, he certainly would have been; —
或许他被绞死了；如果他被牛审判，他肯定会被绞死； —

and he certainly deserved it if any murderer does. —
如果任何凶手都应受到惩罚，那么他绝对理应受到惩罚。 —

Go to the meat-market of a Saturday night and see the crowds of live bipeds staring up at the long rows of dead quadrupeds. —
周六晚上去肉市看看，看看一群群活着的两足动物盯着长长的一排排死去的四足动物。 —

Does not that sight take a tooth out of the cannibal’s jaw? Cannibals? who is not a cannibal? —
那幅景象不是会让食人族的牙齿松动吗？谁又不是食人族呢？ —

I tell you it will be more tolerable for the Fejee that salted down a lean missionary in his cellar against a coming famine; —
我告诉你，那为了未来饥荒而在地下室储备了瘦骨如柴的传教士的菲德吉，他在审判的那一天会更容易得多； —

it will be more tolerable for that provident Fejee, I say, in the day of judgment, than for thee, civilized and enlightened gourmand, who nailest geese to the ground and feastest on their bloated livers in thy pate-de-foie-gras.
这些精打细算的菲德吉，在审判的那一天，比你这个文明开明的美食家更容易受审，你把鹅钉在地上，品尝它们肿大的肝脏制作成鹅肝酱。

But Stubb, he eats the whale by its own light, does he? and that is adding insult to injury, is it? —
但斯塔布，他用鲸鱼的光芒来吃鲸鱼，是吗？这是在伤口上撒盐，对吗？ —

Look at your knife-handle, there, my civilized and enlightened gourmand, dining off that roast beef, what is that handle made of? —
瞧瞧你那里的刀柄，我的文明开明的美食家，用来吃那块烤牛肉，那是什么做的？ —

–what but the bones of the brother of the very ox you are eating? —
– 难道不就是你正在吃的那头牛的亲兄弟的骨头吗？ —

And what do you pick your teeth with, after devouring that fat goose? —
然后吃完那只肥美的鹅，你用什么剔牙呢？ —

With a feather of the same fowl. And with what quill did the Secretary of the Society for the Suppression of Cruelty to Ganders formally indite his circulars? —
用同一只鹅的羽毛。以及照顾雄雁协会的秘书，写他的通告信时用的羽毛笔是什么做的？ —

It is only within the last month or two that that society passed a resolution to patronize nothing but steel pens.
过去一个多月，这个协会才通过了一项决议，只支持使用钢笔。