"In our way thither," he says, "about four o'clock in the morning, when we were about one hundred and fifty leagues from the Main of America, “在我们驶到那地方去的途中，”他说，“大约是早晨四点钟的时候，当时，我们已经离开美国本土约四百五十英里，

our ship felt a terrible shock, which put our men in such consternation that they could hardly tell where they were or what to think; 突然我们的船受了猛烈的一撞，把船上的人吓得魂不附体，不知所措；

but every one began to prepare for death. 大家都准备等死。

And, indeed, the shock was so sudden and violent, that we took it for granted the ship had struck against a rock; 老实说，那一撞可真来得又突然又猛烈，我们还当是船触了礁；

but when the amazement was a little over, we cast the lead, and sounded, but found no ground... 但是惊魂甫定，我们放下测锤，探一探水的深浅，却弄不出个结果来......

The suddenness of the shock made the guns leap in their carriages, and several of the men were shaken out of their hammocks. 这阵突然的震动，弄得枪枝都在枪架上跳动了起来，还有几个人被甩出了吊铺。

Captain Davis, who lay with his head on a gun, was thrown out of his cabin!"  头枕着枪躺在那里的戴维斯船长，也给摔出了船长室!”

Lionel then goes on to impute the shock to an earthquake, 莱昂内尔接着却把这震动归之于地震，

and seems to substantiate the imputation by stating that a great earthquake, somewhere about that time, did actually do great mischief along the Spanish land. 而且象是为了要证实这种张冠李戴的事情，还声称大概当时什么地方确曾有过一次大地震，在西班牙地方酿下了大祸。

But I should not much wonder if, in the darkness of that early hour of the morning,  可是，我却毫不怀疑地认为，可能就在那漆黑的破晓时分，

the shock was after all caused by an unseen whale vertically bumping the hull from beneath. 有一只大家都没看到的大鲸，从船身底下直冲上来，这才有这么一震。

I might proceed with several more examples, one way or another known to me, of the great power and malice at times of the sperm whale.  多少再提出几个例证来。我倒想就我所知的，关于抹香鲸常常显出的威力和作恶情况，

In more than one instance, he has been known, 据说，有过许多次实例，

not only to chase the assailing boats back to their ships, but to pursue the ship itself, and long withstand all the lances hurled at him from its decks. 它不但把攻击它的小艇赶回大船上去，还要追赶大船，跟甲板上投下来的一切枪矛做长期抵抗。

The English ship Pusie Hall can tell a story on that head; 那艘叫做“普西·霍尔”的英国船，在这方面就可以讲得颇为有声有色；

and, as for his strength, let me say, 至于说到它的力气，我不妨举出这样的譬喻：

that there have been examples where the lines attached to a running sperm whale have, in a calm, been transferred to the ship,and secured there! 如果在风平浪静的海里，把绳索缚在一只疾游的抹香鲸身上，然后再系牢在船身上，那么，

the whale towing her great hull through the water, as a horse walks off with a cart. 那条鲸在拖曳大船冲过水面的时候，就跟骏马拖着车子疾奔而去一样。

Again, it is very often observed that, 还有，人们常常这样说：

if the sperm whale, once struck, is allowed time to rally, he then acts, not so often with blind rage, as with wilful, deliberate designs of destruction to his pursuers; 如果抹香鲸一经打中，而有时间让它恢复精力的话，那么，它往往并不是那么瞎冒火，而是做得好象存心要盘算谋划，摧毁它的追捕者；

nor is it without conveying some eloquent indication of his character, 同时，这也不无带点儿夸张它的性格的说法，

that upon being attacked he will frequently open his mouth, and retain it in that dread expansion for several consecutive minutes. 那就是，每当它被打中的时候，它总要大张着口，而且那种可怕的张开状态还要持续好几分钟。

But I must be content with only one more and a concluding illustration; 不过，我一定要再举出一个结论性的说明，这才称心满意：

a remarkable and most significant one, by which you will not fail to see, 从这个值得注意和最具有意义的例证中，你就一定可以看出来，

that not only is the most marvellous event in this book corroborated by plain facts of the present day, 本书所载的这些由明晰的事实所证实的惊奇事件，并不是现代才有的，

but that these marvels (like all marvels) are mere repetitions of the ages; 这些奇迹(一如所有的奇迹一样)，都不过是年代久远的旧事重提而已；

so that for the millionth time we say amen with Solomon-- verily there is nothing new under the sun. 所以，我们才千千万万次对所罗门说阿门——的确，日光之下并无新事(见《旧约.传道书》第一章九节。)。