whale 🔊

"Call me Ishmael. Some years ago—never mind how long precisely—having little or no money in my purse, and nothing particular to interest me on shore, I thought I would sail about a little and see the watery part of the world. It is a way I have of driving off the spleen and regulating the circulation. Whenever I find myself growing grim about the mouth; whenever it is a damp, drizzly November in my soul; whenever I find myself involuntarily pausing before coffin warehouses, and bringing up the rear of every funeral I meet; and especially whenever my hypos get such an upper hand of me, that it requires a strong moral principle to prevent me from deliberately stepping into the street, and methodically knocking people’s hats off—then, I account it high time to get to sea as soon as I can. This is my substitute for pistol and ball. With a philosophical flourish Cato throws himself upon his sword; I quietly take to the ship. There is nothing surprising in this. If they but knew it, almost all men in their degree, some time or other, cherish very nearly the same feelings towards the ocean with me."

(叫我以实玛利。几年前——具体多久无关紧要——我身无分文，陆地上也没有什么特别的兴趣，于是我决定出海走走，看看世界上的水域。这是我驱赶忧愁、调节心情的方式。每当我感到嘴角变得严肃；每当天气阴沉潮湿、心情低落时；每当我无意识地停在棺材铺前，看着身后队伍缓缓送葬时；尤其每当我的情绪占上风，需要强大的道德力量才能控制自己不去做傻事时——这时，我觉得必须尽快出海。这是我对抗厄运的方式。哲学家加图自刎，而我只是安静地登船。没有什么奇怪的。如果他们能明白，几乎每个人，都曾对大海怀有与我类似的感情。)

- 《白鲸记》(Moby-Dick, 1956)