既然這種極其芬芳撲鼻而不朽的龍誕香,竟是從這樣腐朽的東西的里邊找出來(lái)的;難道這是微不足道的事情嗎?請(qǐng)你想一想《哥林多書(shū)》中圣保羅對(duì)于朽壞和不朽壞的那種說(shuō)法吧;所種的是羞辱的,復(fù)活的是榮耀的。(見(jiàn)《新約·哥林多前書(shū)》第十五章四十三節(jié)。)同樣的,也請(qǐng)想一想巴拉賽爾斯(菲·歐·巴拉賽爾斯(1493—1541)——原名蒂·波·湯·荷亨海姆,瑞士的煉金家和醫(yī)生。據(jù)說(shuō),他說(shuō)最臭的東西能做出最香的東西,糞便可以提煉出麝香來(lái)。)那句關(guān)于最好的麝香是什么東西做成的話(huà)吧。同時(shí),也請(qǐng)別忘記這一奇怪的事實(shí):一切有異味的東西,如科隆香水,在它們開(kāi)始制造的階段,是極其難聞的。
I should like to conclude the chapter with the above appeal, but cannot, owing to my anxiety to repel a charge often made against whalemen, and which, in the estimation of some already biased minds, might be considered as indirectly substantiated by what has been said of the Frenchman's two whales. Elsewhere in this volume the slanderous aspersion has been disproved, that the vocation of whaling is throughout a slatternly, untidy business. But there is another thing to rebut. They hint that all whales always smell bad. Now how did this odious stigma originate?
我本來(lái)想用上述的頗有興趣的說(shuō)法來(lái)結(jié)束本章,但是我欲罷不能,因?yàn)槲壹庇谝g倒世人經(jīng)常對(duì)捕鯨人所作的攻擊,這種攻擊,按照一種本來(lái)就是偏見(jiàn)的看法說(shuō)來(lái),應(yīng)該可以說(shuō)已經(jīng)被上述那艘法國(guó)船的兩條大鯨所間接地證實(shí)了。雖然在本書(shū)的其它章節(jié)中,已駁斥過(guò)那種把捕鯨這個(gè)職業(yè)完全看做是一種邋里邋遢、不干不凈的污蔑性的誹謗。但是,還有值得反擊的事情。人們都說(shuō),所有的鯨往往都是氣味不佳的。那么,這種可恨的污名又是打哪里來(lái)的呢?
I opine, that it is plainly traceable to the first arrival of the Greenland whaling ships in London, more than two centuries ago.
我的意見(jiàn)是,關(guān)于這,一追溯到二百多年前,第一艘到達(dá)倫敦的格陵蘭捕鯨船,就了如指掌了。