On life and death this old man walked. 这个老人就在生死关口走来走去。

　　But though the ship so swiftly sped, and though from every eye, like arrows, the eager glances shot, yet the silvery jet was no more seen that night. 虽则船只如此迅疾地驶去，虽则每只眼睛都象箭般投射出了热切的眼色，然而，那天晚上，却再也看不到那银白色的喷射了。

　　Every sailor swore he saw it once, but not a second time. 每个水手都发誓他看到了一次，没有看见第二次。

　　This midnight-spout had almost grown a forgotten thing, when, some days after,  这次午夜喷射已差不多被人遗忘了，可是，几天之后，

　　lo! at the same silent hour, it was again announced: again it was descried by all; 哟！就在同一个静穆的时分，又再度听到叫声了，大家又都看到了。

　　but upon making sail to overtake it, once more it disappeared as if it had never been. 但是，扯上了帆去追它的时候，它又消失了，仿佛从来就没有这回事似的。

　　And so it served us night after night, till no one heeded it but to wonder at it. 那喷射就这样一夜过一夜地诓了我们，到后来，谁都也不再去留意它，只是一想到它，就觉得奇怪而已。

　　Mysteriously jetted into the clear moonlight, or starlight, as the case might be; 神秘的喷射有时发生在晴朗的月夜，有时发生在满天星斗的夜空，都没有一定；

　　disappearing again for one whole day, or two days, or three; 有时隔了一整天又再现了，有时却隔了两三天；

　　and somehow seeming at every distinct repetition to be advancing still further and further in our van, this solitary jet seemed for ever alluring us on. 而且不知怎地，似乎每回的重现，都跟我们越隔越远，这种孤零零的喷射似乎一直在诱着我们向前。

　　Nor with the immemorial superstition of their race, and in accordance with the preternaturalness, as it seemed, which in many things invested the Pequod, 那倒是符合于他们的古老的迷信，也是同事事都带有神秘性的“裴廓德号”相一致的，

　　were there wanting some of the seamen who swore that whenever and wherever descried; 如果说，在“裴廓德号”的水手中，有人敢于发誓说，那个随时随地被发现的，

　　at however remote times, or in however far apart latitudes and longitudes, that unnearable spout was cast by one selfsame whale; and that whale, Moby Dick. 不论时间隔得多久，地点隔得多远，始终是可望而不可即的喷射，就是同一条大鲸所喷射出来的，而那条大鲸就是莫比·迪克。