Yea, foolish mortals, Noah's flood is not yet subsided; two thirds of the fair world it yet covers. 是呀，愚蠢的人类，挪亚的洪水（挪亚的洪水——《旧约·创世记》上称在挪亚整六百岁时，正值洪水泛滥。）可还没有消退；这个美好的世界还有三分之二是它的领域呢。

　　Where in differ the sea and the land, that a miracle upon one is not a miracle upon the other?  难道说因为海跟陆有所不同，所以前者的奇迹就未必也是后者的奇迹吗？

　　Preternatural terrors rested upon the Hebrews, when under the feet of Korah and his company the live ground opened and swallowed them up for ever; 当不可思议的恐怖降临在希伯来人的身上时，可拉和他的属下们脚下的地面就开了口，把他们全都永远吞掉了（指可拉和其属下要攻击摩西而受罚，事见《旧约·民数记》第十六章。）；

　　yet not a modern sun ever sets, but in precisely the same manner the live sea swallows up ships and crews. 现代的太阳虽然从来没有沉落过，可是海洋恰恰是以同样的方法把船只和水手都吞掉了。

　　But not only is the sea such a foe to man who is an alien to it, but it is also a fiend to its own off-spring;  但是，海洋不仅是那跟它敌对的人类的仇人，而且也是它自己的子孙的死对头；

　　worse than the Persian host who murdered his own guests; sparing not the creatures which itself hath spawned. 它比之那个谋害了他的贵宾的波斯主人还要坏（据百周年纪念版注：作者可能指古波斯吕底亚的统治者奥里奥底斯，他在公元前五一五年，诱骗萨摩斯的暴君波利克拉底斯来到宫中，然后把他处以磔刑。），对它自己所生的生物也不肯饶命。

　　Like a savage tigress that tossing in the jungle overlays her own cubs, so the sea dashes even the mightiest whales against the rocks,  它象一只野性勃发的雌老虎，在丛林里翻翻腾腾地把它自己的小老虎压死了一样，海洋也是这样汹涌奔腾，连最有威力的大鲸也给冲得撞上礁石，

　　and leaves them there side by side with the split wrecks of ships. 跟四分五裂的破船并排撇在那里。

　　No mercy, no power but its own controls it. 除了它才能控制自己以外，谁都支配不了它，控制不了它。

　　Panting and snorting like a mad battle steed that has lost its rider, the masterless ocean overruns the globe. 它象一匹发疯的战马，呼呼喘喘地使它的骑手丧命，这个无主的海洋蹂躏了地球。