The Nautilus was steadily pursuing its southerly course, following the fiftieth meridian with considerable speed.
鹦鹉螺号正在稳步地向南航行，以相当快的速度沿着第五十子午线前进。 —

Did he wish to reach the pole?
他是否想要到达北极？ —

I did not think so, for every attempt to reach that point had hitherto failed.
我不这么认为，因为迄今为止每一次尝试到达那个地点都失败了。 —

Again, the season was far advanced, for in the Antarctic regions the 13th of March corresponds with the 13th of September of northern regions, which begin at the equinoctial season.
再说，季节已经很晚了，因为在南极地区，3月13日相当于北半球地区的9月13日，北半球从秋分季节开始。 —

On the 14th of March I saw floating ice in latitude 55°, merely pale bits of debris from twenty to twenty-five feet long, forming banks over which the sea curled.
在3月14日，我在纬度55°处看到浮冰，只是一些长度为二十至二十五英尺的苍白碎片，形成了海浪拍打的堆。 —

The Nautilus remained on the surface of the ocean.
鹦鹉螺号停留在海洋表面。 —

Ned Land, who had fished in the Arctic Seas, was familiar with its icebergs;
在北极海域捕鱼过的尼德·兰德熟悉那里的冰山； —

but Conseil and I admired them for the first time.
但是康塞尔和我第一次欣赏到它们。 —

In the atmosphere towards the southern horizon stretched a white dazzling band.
在南方地平线上方的大气中展开一片耀眼的白色带状区域。 —

English whalers have given it the name of “ice blink.
英国捕鲸船员将其称为“冰眼”。 —

” However thick the clouds may be, it is always visible, and announces the presence of an ice pack or bank.
无论云层有多厚，它总是可见的，它预示着冰盖或冰块的存在。 —

Accordingly, larger blocks soon appeared, whose brilliancy changed with the caprices of the fog.
因此，很快出现了更大的冰块，其明亮度随雾气的变幻而变化。 —

Some of these masses showed green veins, as if long undulating lines had been traced with sulphate of copper;
有些冰块显示出绿色的纹理，好像用硫酸铜绘制了长而波动的线条； —

others resembled enormous amethysts with the light shining through them.
其他的则像是透亮的巨大紫水晶。 —

Some reflected the light of day upon a thousand crystal facets.
有些在一千个水晶面上反射出白昼的光芒。 —

Others shaded with vivid calcareous reflections resembled a perfect town of marble.
另一些则呈现出鲜艳的钙质反射，仿佛是一座完美的大理石城市。 —

The more we neared the south the more these floating islands increased both in number and importance.
我们越接近南方，越发现这些漂浮的岛屿的数量和重要性增加。

At 60° lat. every pass had disappeared. But, seeking carefully, Captain Nemo soon found a narrow opening, through which he boldly slipped, knowing, however, that it would close behind him.
在60°纬度，每一个通道都消失了。然而，船长尼莫仔细寻找后很快找到了一个窄窄的入口，他大胆地穿过，知道它会在他身后关闭。 —

Thus, guided by this clever hand, the Nautilus passed through all the ice with a precision which quite charmed Conseil;
因此，在这只聪明的手的引导下，鱼逃逸了所有冰块，这种精确无误的行动令康塞伊尔非常惊讶。 —

icebergs or mountains, ice-fields or smooth plains, seeming to have no limits, drift-ice or floating ice-packs, plains broken up, called palchs when they are circular, and streams when they are made up of long strips.
冰山或山脉，冰原或平坦的平原，在那看似没有尽头的、漂浮的冰块或流冰，断开的平原，如果呈圆形则称为碎冰，如果由长条组成则称为流冰。 —

The temperature was very low;
气温非常低， —

the thermometer exposed to the air marked 2 deg.
暴露在空气中的温度计标志着零下2摄氏度。 —

or 3° below zero, but we were warmly clad with fur, at the expense of the sea-bear and seal.
或零下3度，但我们穿着海熊和海豹的毛皮，很温暖。 —

The interior of the Nautilus, warmed regularly by its electric apparatus, defied the most intense cold.
内部的鱼潜艇通过其电器设备定期加热，使之可以抵挡最强烈的寒冷。 —

Besides, it would only have been necessary to go some yards beneath the waves to find a more bearable temperature.
此外，只需要潜到几米深的海底，就能找到一个更宜人的温度。 —

Two months earlier we should have had perpetual daylight in these latitudes;
如果在两个月之前，我们将在这些纬度拥有永恒的白昼； —

but already we had had three or four hours of night, and by and by there would be six months of darkness in these circumpolar regions.
但现在我们已经有了三到四个小时的黑夜，不久之后在这些北极地区将有六个月的黑暗。 —

On the 15th of March we were in the latitude of New Shetland and South Orkney.
在3月15日，我们位于新设得兰和南奥克尼的纬度上。 —

The Captain told me that formerly numerous tribes of seals inhabited them;
船长告诉我，以前有许多海豹部落居住在那里； —

but that English and American whalers, in their rage for destruction, massacred both old and young;
但是英国和美国的捕鲸船在他们对破坏的狂热中屠杀了老幼； —

thus, where there was once life and animation, they had left silence and death.
因此，曾经有生命和活力的地方现在只有寂静和死亡。

About eight o’clock on the morning of the 16th of March the Nautilus, following the fifty-fifth meridian, cut the Antarctic polar circle.
在3月16日上午八点左右，潜艇“鹦鹉螺”沿着第55个子午线穿过南极圈。 —

Ice surrounded us on all sides, and closed the horizon.
冰围绕着我们，封锁了视野。 —

But Captain Nemo went from one opening to another, still going higher.
但是尼莫船长一直从一个开口到另一个开口，继续向更高的地方前进。 —

I cannot express my astonishment at the beauties of these new regions.
我对这些新领域的美景惊讶不已。 —

The ice took most surprising forms.
冰形成了最奇特的形态。 —

Here the grouping formed an oriental town, with innumerable mosques and minarets;
这里的冰块形成了一个东方城镇，有无数的清真寺和尖塔； —

there a fallen city thrown to the earth, as it were, by some convulsion of nature.
那里是一座被自然的某种动荡推到地面上的倒下的城市。 —

The whole aspect was constantly changed by the oblique rays of the sun, or lost in the greyish fog amidst hurricanes of snow.
整个景象在斜射的阳光或在暴风雪中的灰色雾气中不断变化。 —

Detonations and falls were heard on all sides, great overthrows of icebergs, which altered the whole landscape like a diorama.
响声和落下声无处不在，巨大的冰山倒塌改变了整个景观，就像一幅逼真的模型画。 —

Often seeing no exit, I thought we were definitely prisoners;
常常看不到出口，我以为我们绝对是囚徒； —

but, instinct guiding him at the slightest indication, Captain Nemo would discover a new pass.
但是，只要有一点迹象，直觉就引导着他，尼莫船长就能找到一条新的通路。 —

He was never mistaken when he saw the thin threads of bluish water trickling along the ice-fields;
当他看到蓝白色水流沿着冰原流淌时，他从来没有犯错； —

and I had no doubt that he had already ventured into the midst of these Antarctic seas before.
我毫不怀疑他以前已经冒险进入过这些南极海域。 —

On the 16th of March, however, the ice-fields absolutely blocked our road.
然而，到了3月16日，冰原完全堵住了我们的道路。 —

It was not the iceberg itself, as yet, but vast fields cemented by the cold.
它还不是冰山本身，而是被寒冷结成的广阔冰田。 —

But this obstacle could not stop Captain Nemo:
但这个障碍无法阻止尼莫船长： —

he hurled himself against it with frightful violence.
他以可怕的力量撞向冰块。 —

The Nautilus entered the brittle mass like a wedge, and split it with frightful crackings.
尼莫船长像楔子一样穿入了脆弱的冰块，发出可怕的裂响声。 —

It was the battering ram of the ancients hurled by infinite strength.
它是古代人用无穷力量投掷的撞击锤。 —

The ice, thrown high in the air, fell like hail around us.
冰被抛得很高，像冰雹一样落在我们周围。 —

By its own power of impulsion our apparatus made a canal for itself;
凭借自己的推动力，我们的装置为自己开辟了一条运河； —

some times carried away by its own impetus, it lodged on the ice-field, crushing it with its weight, and sometimes buried beneath it, dividing it by a simple pitching movement, producing large rents in it.
有时被自身的冲力冲走，它压到冰原上，重量把冰原压碎，有时被埋在冰下，通过简单的倾斜运动将其分开，在冰上产生大裂缝。 —

Violent gales assailed us at this time, accompanied by thick fogs, through which, from one end of the platform to the other, we could see nothing.
这个时候，我们受到了猛烈的大风袭击，伴随着浓雾，从平台的一端到另一端，我们什么都看不见。 —

The wind blew sharply from all parts of the compass, and the snow lay in such hard heaps that we had to break it with blows of a pickaxe.
风从指南针的各个方向猛刮，雪堆得如此紧密，我们只能用镐破碎它。 —

The temperature was always at 5 deg. below zero;
温度始终保持在零下5度； —

every outward part of the Nautilus was covered with ice.
鹦鹉螺的外表都被冰覆盖着。 —

A rigged vessel would have been entangled in the blocked up gorges.
帆船会被堵塞的峡湾纠缠住。 —

A vessel without sails, with electricity for its motive power, and wanting no coal, could alone brave such high latitudes.
一艘没有帆、以电力为动力、并且不需要煤炭的船只可以独自在如此高纬度的海域勇闯。 —

At length, on the 18th of March, after many useless assaults, the Nautilus was positively blocked.
最终，在3月18日，经过许多无效的攻击，鹦鹉螺号竟然被封锁住了。 —

It was no longer either streams, packs, or ice-fields, but an interminable and immovable barrier, formed by mountains soldered together.
这已经不再是溪流、浮冰或冰原了，而是由山脉构成的无尽且固定的屏障。

“An iceberg!” said the Canadian to me.
“一座冰山！”加拿大人对我说。

I knew that to Ned Land, as well as to all other navigators who had preceded us, this was an inevitable obstacle.
我知道，对于尼德·兰德以及所有之前到过这里的航海家们来说，这是一个不可避免的障碍。 —

The sun appearing for an instant at noon, Captain Nemo took an observation as near as possible, which gave our situation at 51° 30′ long.
太阳在中午短暂露面时，尼摩船长尽可能地进行了一次观测，得出了我们在南纬51° 30′和东经67° 39′的位置。我们在南极地区又前进了一度。海面上的水已经看不到了。 —

and 67° 39′ of S. lat.
—

We had advanced one degree more in this Antarctic region.
我们在南纬51° 30′和东经67° 39′的位置投下锚， —

Of the liquid surface of the sea there was no longer a glimpse.
不再见到海面上的液体表面。 —

Under the spur of the Nautilus lay stretched a vast plain, entangled with confused blocks.
在鹦鹉螺的刺激下，一片广阔的平原展现在眼前，被一堆堆杂乱不堪的巨石纠缠着。 —

Here and there sharp points and slender needles rising to a height of 200 feet;
这里和那里，伫立着高达200英尺的尖锐峰状和细长如针的物体。 —

further on a steep shore, hewn as it were with an axe and clothed with greyish tints;
再往前是被斧凿刻划出来的一座陡峭岸边，上面布满了灰蒙蒙的色调。 —

huge mirrors, reflecting a few rays of sunshine, half drowned in the fog.
巨大的镜面反射着少许阳光，在雾气中若隐若现。 —

And over this desolate face of nature a stern silence reigned, scarcely broken by the flapping of the wings of petrels and puffins.
而在这荒芜的自然面孔上，一种严肃的寂静统治着，几乎只被海燕和海鹦的翅膀拍打所打破。 —

Everything was frozen—even the noise.
一切都冻结了，连噪音都凝固了。 —

The Nautilus was then obliged to stop in its adventurous course amid these fields of ice.
鹦鹉螺被迫在这些冰原中停下冒险的航行。 —

In spite of our efforts, in spite of the powerful means employed to break up the ice, the Nautilus remained immovable.
尽管我们努力进行着，在打破冰层的过程中使用了强大的工具，鹦鹉螺仍然静止不动。 —

Generally, when we can proceed no further, we have return still open to us;
通常情况下，当我们无法继续前行时，回去的路仍然打开给我们； —

but here return was as impossible as advance, for every pass had closed behind us;
但在这里，返回与前行一样不可能，因为每个通道都在我们身后关闭了。 —

and for the few moments when we were stationary, we were likely to be entirely blocked, which did indeed happen about two o’clock in the afternoon, the fresh ice forming around its sides with astonishing rapidity.
而在我们停下来的短短几分钟内，我们很可能完全被堵住，这确实在下午两点左右发生了，新鲜的冰以惊人的速度形成在船边。 —

I was obliged to admit that Captain Nemo was more than imprudent.
在那一刻我不得不承认，尼摩船长的行为超乎鲁莽。 —

I was on the platform at that moment.
我当时就在平台上。 —

The Captain had been observing our situation for some time past, when he said to me:
船长已经观察我们的处境一段时间了，他对我说：

“Well, sir, what do you think of this?”
“那么，先生，你对此有何看法？”

“I think that we are caught, Captain.”
“我认为我们陷入了困境，船长。”

[Illustration] The Nautilus was blocked up
【插图】鹦鹉螺号被堵住了。

“So, M. Aronnax, you really think that the Nautilus cannot disengage itself?”
“那么，阿罗纳克斯先生，你真的认为鹦鹉螺号无法脱困？”

“With difficulty, Captain;
“船长，困难重重， —

for the season is already too far advanced for you to reckon on the breaking of the ice.”
因为现在季节已经太过靠后，不能指望冰层会破裂。”

“Ah! sir,” said Captain Nemo, in an ironical tone, “you will always be the same.
“啊！先生，”尼摩船长以讽刺的口气说，“你还是老样子。 —

You see nothing but difficulties and obstacles.
你只看到困难和障碍。 —

I affirm that not only can the Nautilus disengage itself, but also that it can go further still.”
我断言，鹦鹉螺号不仅可以脱困，而且还可以继续前行。”

“Further to the South?” I asked, looking at the Captain.
“继续往南？”我问着船长，看着他。

“Yes, sir; it shall go to the pole.”
“是的，先生；我们将去南极。”

“To the pole!” I exclaimed, unable to repress a gesture of incredulity.
“去南极！”我惊呼道，情不自禁地做出了一个难以置信的手势。

“Yes,” replied the Captain, coldly, “to the Antarctic pole—to that unknown point from whence springs every meridian of the globe.
“是的，”船长冷冷地回答道，“去南极洲，那个未知的地点，是地球上每条经线的起点。 —

You know whether I can do as I please with the Nautilus!”
你知道我可以随心所欲地操作鹦鹉螺号吗？”

Yes, I knew that. I knew that this man was bold, even to rashness.
是的，我知道。我知道这个人是大胆的，甚至有些鲁莽。 —

But to conquer those obstacles which bristled round the South Pole, rendering it more inaccessible than the North, which had not yet been reached by the boldest navigators—was it not a mad enterprise, one which only a maniac would have conceived?
但要征服南极洲周围布满障碍物的地方，使其比北极更加难以接近，到目前为止，最勇敢的航海家都没有到达过那里，这不是一个疯狂的事业吗？只有一个疯子才会想到。 —

It then came into my head to ask Captain Nemo if he had ever discovered that pole which had never yet been trodden by a human creature?
于是我想起来问纳摩船长，他是否曾发现过那个从未被人类踏足过的地极？

“No, sir,” he replied;
“没有，先生，”他回答道， —

“but we will discover it together.
“但我们将一起发现它。 —

Where others have failed, I will not fail.
在别人失败的地方，我不会失败。” —

I have never yet led my Nautilus so far into southern seas;
我从未将“诺特洛斯号”带入南方海域; —

but, I repeat, it shall go further yet.”
但是，我重申，它将继续前行。”

“I can well believe you, Captain,” said I, in a slightly ironical tone. “I believe you!
“我完全相信你，船长，”我以稍微讽刺的口气说道，“我相信你！让我们继续前进吧！ —

Let us go ahead! There are no obstacles for us!
对我们来说没有任何障碍！ —

Let us smash this iceberg! Let us blow it up; and, if it resists, let us give the Nautilus wings to fly over it!”
让我们把这座冰山撞碎！让我们把它炸毁；如果它抵抗，让我们给“诺特洛斯号”装上翅膀，飞过它！”

“Over it, sir!” said Captain Nemo, quietly;
“飞过它，先生！”纳摩船长平静地说道，“不， —

“no, not over it, but under it!”
不是飞过它，而是穿过它！”

“Under it!” I exclaimed, a sudden idea of the Captain’s projects flashing upon my mind.
“穿过它！”我惊呼道，船长计划的一闪而过我的脑海。我明白了；“诺特洛斯号”的神奇特性将为我们完成这个超人类的事业提供帮助。 —

I understood;
—

the wonderful qualities of the Nautilus were going to serve us in this superhuman enterprise.
“我看到我们开始互相理解了，先生，”船长半笑着说。

“I see we are beginning to understand one another, sir,” said the Captain, half smiling.
“你开始看到这次尝试的可能性——我应该说是成功。” —

“You begin to see the possibility—I should say the success—of this attempt.
“对于一艘普通船只来说不可能的事，对于“诺特洛斯号”来说很容易。” —

That which is impossible for an ordinary vessel is easy to the Nautilus.
“如果北极之前有一块大陆，它必须停在大陆的前面； —

If a continent lies before the pole, it must stop before the continent;
无论通过什么方式。” —

but if, on the contrary, the pole is washed by open sea, it will go even to the pole.”
但是相反，如果北极被开放的海洋冲刷，它将甚至延伸至北极。

“Certainly,” said I, carried away by the Captain’s reasoning;
“当然，”我说，被船长的推理所吸引； —

“if the surface of the sea is solidified by the ice, the lower depths are free by the Providential law which has placed the maximum of density of the waters of the ocean one degree higher than freezing-point;
“如果海洋的表面被冰冻，由于上帝的法则，海洋的深度低于冰点之上的最大密度； —

and, if I am not mistaken, the portion of this iceberg which is above the water is as one to four to that which is below.”
“如果我没有记错的话，冰山上方露出水面的部分与水下的部分的比例是1比4。”

“Very nearly, sir; for one foot of iceberg above the sea there are three below it.
“差不多是这样，先生；在水面以上的冰山有1英尺，水面以下有3英尺。 —

If these ice mountains are not more than 300 feet above the surface, they are not more than 900 beneath.
如果这些冰山不超过300英尺高，那么它们在水下也不会超过900英尺。 —

And what are 900 feet to the Nautilus?”
那对于鹦鹉螺来说，900英尺算什么呢？”

“Nothing, sir.”
“对，先生。”

“It could even seek at greater depths that uniform temperature of sea-water, and there brave with impunity the thirty or forty degrees of surface cold.”
“它甚至可以在更深的海洋中寻找那种恒定的海水温度，并且能无畏地面对30至40度的表面寒冷。”

“Just so, sir—just so,” I replied, getting animated.
“没错，先生，没错”，我回答道，变得兴奋起来。

“The only difficulty,” continued Captain Nemo, “is that of remaining several days without renewing our provision of air.”
“唯一的困难，”纳摩船长继续说，“就是要在几天内不断续我们的空气供应。”

“Is that all? The Nautilus has vast reservoirs;
“那就是全部了吗？鹦鹉螺有着巨大的储藏槽； —

we can fill them, and they will supply us with all the oxygen we want.”
我们可以用水填满它们，这样它们就会为我们提供所需的全部氧气。”

“Well thought of, M. Aronnax, ” replied the Captain, smiling.
“想得不错，阿罗纳克斯先生，”船长回答道，微笑着。 —

“But, not wishing you to accuse me of rashness, I will first give you all my objections.”
“但是，为了不让你们指责我鲁莽，我首先会提出我所有的异议。”

“Have you any more to make?”
“你还有别的吗？”

“Only one. It is possible, if the sea exists at the South Pole, that it may be covered;
“只有一个。如果南极有海存在，那么它可能被覆盖了； —

and, consequently, we shall be unable to come to the surface.”
因此，我们将无法浮出水面。”

“Good, sir! but do you forget that the Nautilus is armed with a powerful spur, and could we not send it diagonally against these fields of ice, which would open at the shocks.”
“很好，先生！但您是否忘记了鹦鹉螺装备有一支强大的刺，我们是否不可以将其对着这些冰原斜冲，冰原将在冲击中裂开。”

“Ah! sir, you are full of ideas to-day.”
“啊！先生，您今天想法真多。”

“Besides, Captain,” I added, enthusiastically, “why should we not find the sea open at the South Pole as well as at the North?
“此外，船长，”我热情地补充道，“为什么我们在南极不可能找到与北极一样的开放海洋呢？” —

The frozen poles of the earth do not coincide, either in the southern or in the northern regions;
地球的南北极冰封的地方并不重合； —

and, until it is proved to the contrary, we may suppose either a continent or an ocean free from ice at these two points of the globe.”
而且，在这两个地球的点上，我们可以假设有一个大陆或者一个没有冰的海洋，除非证明相反。

“I think so too, M. Aronnax, ” replied Captain Nemo. “I only wish you to observe that, after having made so many objections to my project, you are now crushing me with arguments in its favour!”
“我也这么认为，阿罗纳克斯先生，”船长尼摩回答道。“我只希望你能注意到，在反对我的计划之后，你现在又用支持它的论据压垮了我！”

The preparations for this audacious attempt now began.
现在开始了这项大胆尝试的准备工作。 —

The powerful pumps of the Nautilus were working air into the reservoirs and storing it at high pressure.
海底船“鹦鹉螺号”的强大泵正在将空气注入储气罐并以高压存储。 —

About four o’clock, Captain Nemo announced the closing of the panels on the platform.
大约四点钟，尼摩船长宣布关闭平台上的舱盖。 —

I threw one last look at the massive iceberg which we were going to cross.
我最后一次朝我们即将穿过的巨大冰山投去一瞥。 —

The weather was clear, the atmosphere pure enough, the cold very great, being 12° below zero;
天气晴朗，大气清晰，寒冷异常，温度达零下12度； —

but, the wind having gone down, this temperature was not so unbearable.
但是，因为风平息了，这个温度倒也不那么难以忍受。 —

About ten men mounted the sides of the Nautilus, armed with pickaxes to break the ice around the vessel, which was soon free.
大约有十个人骑在《鹦鹉螺号》的边上，手持镐斧破冰，很快就使船身周围的冰解开了。 —

The operation was quickly performed, for the fresh ice was still very thin. We all went below.
这个操作很快完成，因为新鲜的冰还很薄。我们全部下到船舱里。 —

The usual reservoirs were filled with the newly-liberated water, and the Nautilus soon descended.
常规的储水池都已装满了这些新解放的水，不久《鹦鹉螺号》就开始下潜。 —

I had taken my place with Conseil in the saloon;
我和康塞尔在船厅里找了个位置； —

through the open window we could see the lower beds of the Southern Ocean. The thermometer went up, the needle of the compass deviated on the dial.
透过开着的窗户，我们可以看到南大洋的下层地床。温度上升了，指南针上的指针偏离了刻度盘上的位置。 —

At about 900 feet, as Captain Nemo had foreseen, we were floating beneath the undulating bottom of the iceberg.
大约在900英尺深处，正如尼摩船长所预见的那样，我们漂浮在冰山起伏的底部。 —

But the Nautilus went lower still—it went to the depth of four hundred fathoms.
但是《鹦鹉螺号》还下潜得更深了——深达400个巴深。 —

The temperature of the water at the surface showed twelve degrees, it was now only ten; we had gained two.
表面水温显示12度，现在只剩下10度；我们已经提高了2度。 —

I need not say the temperature of the Nautilus was raised by its heating apparatus to a much higher degree;
我不需要说《鹦鹉螺号》的温度经过加热设备升高了许多； —

every manœuvre was accomplished with wonderful precision.
每一个演习都进行得非常精确。

“We shall pass it, if you please, sir,” said Conseil.
“如果您愿意，我们将通过它，先生”，康赛尔说道。

“I believe we shall,” I said, in a tone of firm conviction.
“我相信我们会的”，我坚定地说道。

In this open sea, the Nautilus had taken its course direct to the pole, without leaving the fifty-second meridian.
在这片开阔的海域，鹦鹉螺号一直沿着52度经线直奔北极。从67°30′到90°， —

From 67° 30′ to 90 deg.
—

, twenty-two degrees and a half of latitude remained to travel;
还有22度半的纬度需要行进， —

that is, about five hundred leagues.
也就是大约500海里。 —

The Nautilus kept up a mean speed of twenty-six miles an hour—the speed of an express train.
鹦鹉螺号以每小时26英里的均速前进，就像一列快车。 —

If that was kept up, in forty hours we should reach the pole.
如果保持这个速度，我们将在40小时内到达北极。

For a part of the night the novelty of the situation kept us at the window.
在一部分夜晚里，新奇的环境使我们一直呆在窗户旁边。 —

The sea was lit with the electric lantern;
海洋被电灯照亮， —

but it was deserted;
但是空无一人； —

fishes did not sojourn in these imprisoned waters;
鱼类不会在这片被囚禁的水域逗留， —

they only found there a passage to take them from the Antarctic Ocean to the open polar sea.
它们仅仅从南极洋到达北极洋时会经过这里。 —

Our pace was rapid; we could feel it by the quivering of the long steel body.
我们的速度很快，可以从长长的钢体的颤动中感觉到。 —

About two in the morning I took some hours’ repose, and Conseil did the same.
大约凌晨两点，我稍作休息，康塞尔也是如此。在过廊时， —

In crossing the waist I did not meet Captain Nemo:
我没有遇到尼摩船长，我想他应该在驾驶舱里。 —

I supposed him to be in the pilot’s cage.
第二天早上， —

The next morning, the 19th of March, I took my post once more in the saloon.
3月19日，我再次回到了客厅。 —

The electric log told me that the speed of the Nautilus had been slackened.
电子日志告诉我，鹦鹉螺号的速度已经减慢。 —

It was then going towards the surface;
它正在朝水面上升。 —

but prudently emptying its reservoirs very slowly.
但是它谨慎地很慢地排空蓄水罐。 —

My heart beat fast. Were we going to emerge and regain the open polar atmosphere? No!
我的心急剧跳动。我们要浮出水面，重新回到极地的开放大气中吗？不！ —

A shock told me that the Nautilus had struck the bottom of the iceberg, still very thick, judging from the deadened sound.
一阵震动告诉我，鹦鹉螺号撞到了冰山的底部，冰山仍然很厚，根据阻尼的声音推断出来。 —

We had in deed “struck,” to use a sea expression, but in an inverse sense, and at a thousand feet deep.
事实上，我们确实“撞到了”，用海上的说法，但深度达到了一千英尺。 —

This would give three thousand feet of ice above us;
这将使我们头上的冰高达三千英尺， —

one thousand being above the water-mark.
其中一千英尺是在水面上方的。 —

The iceberg was then higher than at its borders—not a very reassuring fact.
冰山比边缘处还要高出一些，这并不是一个令人放心的事实。 —

Several times that day the Nautilus tried again, and every time it struck the wall which lay like a ceiling above it.
那一天，鹦鹉螺号试了几次，每次都撞到了那像天花板一样的墙壁上。 —

Sometimes it met with but 900 yards, only 200 of which rose above the surface.
有时它只碰到了900码，其中只有200码高出水面。 —

It was twice the height it was when the Nautilus had gone under the waves.
当鹦鹉螺号下潜时，链条比之前高出两倍。 —

I carefully noted the different depths, and thus obtained a submarine profile of the chain as it was developed under the water.
我仔细记录了不同的深度，从而得到了链条在水下的剖面图。 —

That night no change had taken place in our situation.
那天晚上我们的情况没有发生变化。 —

Still ice between four and five hundred yards in depth!
冰层仍然有四到五百码的深度！ —

It was evidently diminishing, but, still, what a thickness between us and the surface of the ocean!
它显然在减小，但是我们和海洋表面之间的厚度仍然如此之大！那时候已经是八个单位。 —

It was then eight.
—

According to the daily custom on board the Nautilus, its air should have been renewed four hours ago;
根据鹦鹉螺号上的每天习惯，它的空气应该在四个小时前就已经更新了； —

but I did not suffer much, although Captain Nemo had not yet made any demand upon his reserve of oxygen.
但是我并不感到太难受，虽然尼莫船长还没有动用他的氧气储备。 —

My sleep was painful that night;
那晚我睡得很不舒服。 —

hope and fear besieged me by turns: I rose several times.
希望和恐惧交替困扰着我，我几次起身。 —

The groping of the Nautilus continued.
鹦鹉螺号的摸索仍在继续。 —

About three in the morning, I noticed that the lower surface of the iceberg was only about fifty feet deep.
凌晨三点左右，我注意到冰山的下表面只有约五十英尺深。 —

One hundred and fifty feet now separated us from the surface of the waters.
现在，我们与水面之间有一百五十英尺的距离。 —

The iceberg was by degrees becoming an ice-field, the mountain a plain.
冰山逐渐变成了一个冰原，那座山变成了一片平原。 —

My eyes never left the manometer.
我的眼睛始终未离开气压计。 —

We were still rising diagonally to the surface, which sparkled under the electric rays.
我们仍在斜向上升，电光下闪烁着水面。 —

The iceberg was stretching both above and beneath into lengthening slopes;
冰山在上下两侧延伸， —

mile after mile it was getting thinner.
一英里又一英里地变薄。 —

At length, at six in the morning of that memorable day, the 19th of March, the door of the saloon opened, and Captain Nemo appeared.
最后，在那个令人难忘的日子，3月19日的早上六点，舱室的门打开了，尼莫船长出现了。

“The sea is open!!” was all he said.
“海洋已经开放了！！”他只说了这句话。