and a three years' voyage round Cape Horn was only a jolly joke that lasted that length of time.  而环游合恩角的三年航程,也不过是时间上比较长些的有趣的玩笑而已。

As a carpenter's nails are divided into wrought nails and cut nails; so mankind may be similarly divided.  木匠的钉子有粗钉和细钉之分;人类也同样可以这样分法。

Little Flask was one of the wrought ones; made to clinch tight and last long. They called him King-Post on board of the Pequod;  小弗拉斯克就是一种粗钉;生成可以派敲得紧,经得久的用场。他们都管他叫做"裴廓德号"上的中柱;

because, in form, he could be well likened to the short, square timber known by that name in Arctic whalers;  因为,他那副样子,可真象北极的捕鲸者所称为中柱的那种短小四方的木头;

and which by the means of many radiating side timbers inserted into it, serves to brace the ship against the icy concussions of those battering seas. 它靠着嵌在它里面的四边突出的小木头,可以用来拉紧船只,免得遭到海洋的七凸八凹的冰块的冲击。

Now these three mates--Starbuck, Stubb and Flask, were momentous men.  说到大二三副这三个人...斯达巴克,斯塔布和弗拉斯克,都是举足轻重的人物。

They it was who by universal prescription commanded three of the Pequod's boats as headsmen.  按照到处通行的旧习惯,统率"裴廓德号"三只小艇,担任指挥的就是他们这三个人。

In that grand order of battle in which Captain Ahab would probably marshal his forces to descend on the whales, these three headsmen were as captains of companies.  碰到摆开大架势的战斗,亚哈船长可能要去施展全力降伏大鲸的时候,这三个指挥者就是联合船长了。

Or, being armed with their long keen whaling spears, they were as a picked trio of lancers; even as the harpooneers were flingers of javelins. 有的时候,一经配备了长长的。锐利的鲸枪,他们就是三个精选的枪手,如同那些标枪手也是好标枪手一样。

And since in this famous fishery, each mate or headsman, like a Gothic Knight of old, is always accompanied by his boat-steerer or harpooneer,  同时,因为在这种著名的捕鱼业中,大二三副或者指挥者,都象古代的峨特武士一样,总各有他的掌舵手和标枪手随侍在侧,

who in certain conjunctures provides him with a fresh lance, when the former one has been badly twisted, or elbowed in the assault;  这些人,逢到指挥者在猎击中,鱼枪一时间给扭坏了,弄弯了,便可以及时地给他递上一支新枪;

and moreover, as there generally subsists between the two, a close intimacy and friendliness;  而且,一般说来,他们彼此间还都保持着一种亲切的友谊;

it is therefore but meet, that in this place we set down who the Pequod's harpooneers were, and to what headsman each of them belonged. 因此,在这里,必须把"裴廓德号"那些个标枪手也给记点下来,并说明一下他们是各归哪一位指挥者管辖的。

First of all was Queequeg, whom Starbuck, the chief mate, had selected for his squire. But Queequeg is already known. 首先是魁魁格,大副斯达巴克已经把他挑去做他的随从了。不过,魁魁格我们已经知道了,这里无庸多说。