Reference was made to the historical story of Jonah and the whale in the preceding chapter. —
关于约拿和鲸鱼的历史故事在前一章中被提及。 —

Now some Nantucketers rather distrust this historical story of Jonah and the whale. —
现在有些南塔克特人对约拿和鲸鱼的这个历史故事有些不信任。 —

But then there were some sceptical Greeks and Romans, who, standing out from the orthodox pagans of their times, equally doubted the story of Hercules and the whale, and Arion and the dolphin; —
但是也有一些怀疑的希腊人和罗马人，他们站出来与当时的正统异教徒保持距离，同样怀疑赫拉克勒斯和鲸鱼、阿里昂和海豚的故事； —

and yet their doubting those traditions did not make those traditions one whit the less facts, for all that.
但是，即使他们怀疑那些传统，这并没有使那些传统成为事实的少许。

One old Sag-Harbor whaleman’s chief reason for questioning the Hebrew story was this: —
一位老萨格港捕鲸者对希伯来故事产生质疑的一个主要原因是： —

–He had one of those quaint old-fashioned Bibles, embellished with curious, unscientific plates; —
–他有一本那些陈旧的圣经，装饰有奇怪的、不科学的板块； —

one of which represented Jonah’s whale with two spouts in his head–a peculiarity only true with respect to a species of the Leviathan (the Right Whale, and the varieties of that order), concerning which the fishermen have this saying, “A penny roll would choke him”; —
其中一张牛，描绘了约拿的鲸鱼头上有两个喷口–这只适用于利维坦种类（须鲸，以及其各种变种）的特征，渔民有这样一句俚语：“一块面包圈会把他塞死”； —

his swallow is so very small. But, to this, Bishop Jebb’s anticipative answer is ready. —
他的食道非常小。但是，关于这一点，杰布主教的先前回答已经准备好了。 —

It is not necessary, hints the Bishop, that we consider Jonah as tombed in the whale’s belly, but as temporarily lodged in some part of his mouth. —
主教暗示说，我们不必把约拿看作是被埋在鲸鱼肚里，而是暂时寄宿在鲸鱼口中的某个部位。 —

And this seems reasonable enough in the good Bishop. —
这对于这位善良的主教来说似乎是合理的。 —

For truly, the Right Whale’s mouth would accommodate a couple of whist-tables, and comfortably seat all the players. —
因为事实上，须鲸的嘴可以容纳两张扑克桌，并舒适地容纳所有玩家。 —

Possibly, too, Jonah might have ensconced himself in a hollow tooth; —
或许，约拿也可能已藏身在一个空洞的牙齿里； —

but, on second thoughts, the Right Whale is toothless.
但是，仔细考虑后，须鲸是没有牙齿的。

Another reason which Sag-Harbor (he went by that name) urged for his want of faith in this matter of the prophet, was something obscurely in reference to his incarcerated body and the whale’s gastric juices. —
萨格港（他用这个名字）为自己对这位先知的信仰不足提出的另一个理由，是迷惑于他被囚禁的身体和鲸鱼的胃液。 —

But this objection likewise falls to the ground, because a German exegetist supposes that Jonah must have taken refuge in the floating body of a dead whale– even as the French soldiers in the Russian campaign turned their dead horses into tents, and crawled into them. —
但是这个异议也站不住脚，因为一位德国圣经学家认为，约拿一定是躲避在一只死鲸的漂浮尸体里–就像法国士兵在俄国战役中把他们的死马变成帐篷一样，然后爬进去。 —

Besides, it has been divined by other continental commentators, that when Jonah was thrown overboard from the Joppa ship, he straightway effected his escape to another vessel near by, some vessel with a whale for a figure-head; —
另外，其他大陆的评论家们还预言，当约拿从约帕的船上被扔下去时，他立刻逃到附近的另一艘船上，这艘船上有一只鲸鱼的船头； —

and, I would add, possibly called “The Whale,” as some craft are nowadays christened the “Shark,” the “Gull,” the “Eagle.” Nor have there been wanting learned exegetists who have opined that the whale mentioned in the book of Jonah merely meant a life-preserver–an inflated bag of wind–which the endangered prophet swam to, and so was saved from a watery doom. —
我要补充，可能被称为“鲸鱼”，就像现在有些船被命名为“鲨鱼”，“海鸥”，“老鹰”。也有一些博学的圣经注释家认为约拿书中提到的鲸鱼其实指的是一个救生器──一个充气的袋子──危急的先知游向那里，因此免于水下灾难。 —

Poor Sag-Harbor, therefore, seems worsted all round. —
因此，可怜的萨格港似乎在各方面都处于劣势。 —

But he had still another reason for his want of faith. It was this, if I remember right: —
但他还有另一个对于不信仰的理由。如果我没记错的话，就是这个： —

Jonah was swallowed by the whale in the Mediterranean Sea, and after three days’ he was vomited up somewhere within three days’ journey of Nineveh, a city on the Tigris, very much more than three days’ journey across from the nearest point of the Mediterranean coast. How is that?
约拿被鲸鱼吞下是在地中海，经过三天他就在尼尼微的附近被吐出来，尼尼微是座建立在底格里斯河岸边的城市，距离地中海最近的海岸以外的距离非常远超过三天的旅程。这怎么解释？

But was there no other way for the whale to land the prophet within that short distance of Nineveh? —
但是鲸鱼没有别的方法可以把先知送到离尼尼微那么近的地方吗？ —

Yes. He might have carried him round by the way of the Cape of Good Hope. But not to speak of the passage through the whole length of the Mediterranean, and another passage up the Persian Gulf and Red Sea, such a supposition would involve the complete circumnavigation of all Africa in three days, not to speak of the Tigris waters, near the site of Nineveh, being too shallow for any whale to swim in. —
有的。它可以带他绕过好望角的路。但更不用说穿过整个地中海，再经波斯湾和红海的另一段航程，这种假设将意味着在三天内完成整个非洲的环航，更别提底格里斯河附近的水太浅，没有任何鲸鱼能在其中游泳。 —

Besides, this idea of Jonah’s weathering the Cape of Good Hope at so early a day would wrest the honor of the discovery of that great headland from Bartholomew Diaz, its reputed discoverer, and so make modern history a liar.
而且，认为约拿在那个早期就经过好望角，将好望角的发现荣誉从其传说中的发现者巴托洛缪·迪亚士那里抢走，这样会使现代历史成为一个谎言。

But all these foolish arguments of old Sag-Harbor only evinced his foolish pride of reason–a thing still more reprehensible in him, seeing that he had but little learning except what he had picked up from the sun and the sea. —
所有这些愚蠢的大港老斯仅仅显示出他愚蠢的理性自负–这个在他身上更为可叹的事物，还有，他并没有多少学问，只是从太阳和海洋中获得了一些知识。 —

I say it only shows his foolish, impious pride, and abominable, devilish rebellion against the reverend clergy. —
我只能说这表明了他愚蠢、邪恶的自负和逆天叛逆的骄傲，这在他身上更为可恶，因为他除了从太阳和海洋中学到的，别无长处。 —

For by a Portuguese Catholic priest, this very idea of Jonah’s going to Nineveh via the Cape of Good Hope was advanced as a signal magnification of the general miracle. —
因为葡萄牙的天主教神父，正是通过这个约拿经过好望角去尼尼微的想法作为整个奇迹的昭示。 —

And so it was. Besides, to this day, the highly enlightened Turks devoutly believe in the historical story of Jonah. And some three centuries ago, an English traveller in old Harris’s Voyages, speaks of a Turkish Mosque built in honor of Jonah, in which Mosque was a miraculous lamp that burnt without any oil.
所以是的。此外，直到今天，高度开明的土耳其人虔诚地相信约拿的历史故事。大约三个世纪前，一位英国旅行家在古老的哈里斯航海中提到，有一座土耳其清真寺是为了纪念约拿而建造的，清真寺中有一盏神奇的灯，不用任何油就能燃烧。