說這諾的人正是這船的船長。
IT WAS THE ship's commander who had just spoken.
尼德-蘭聽到這些話，立刻站了起來。侍者被掐得半死不活，看見他的主人一招手，便蹣跚地走出去了，一點也沒有流露他對加拿大人的憤恨，這說明了船長在船上有很高的威信。康塞爾不禁有點奇怪，我也嚇得發愣，我們默默等待這事的結局。
At these words Ned Land stood up quickly. Nearly strangled, the steward staggered out at a signal from his superior; but such was the commander's authority aboard his vessel, not one gesture gave away the resentment that this man must have felt toward the Canadian. In silence we waited for the outcome of this scene; Conseil, in spite of himself, seemed almost fascinated, I was stunned.
船長交叉着兩手，靠着桌子的一角，注意地觀察我們。他不說話，是因為有顧慮嗎？他後悔剛纔不該用法語說那些話嗎？我們不妨這樣設想。
Arms crossed, leaning against a corner of the table, the commander studied us with great care. Was he reluctant to speak further? Did he regret those words he had just pronounced in French? You would have thought so.
我們誰也不想打破沉默，過了一會兒，他才用很鎮定。很感動人的聲調說：
After a few moments of silence, which none of us would have dreamed of interrupting:
“先生們，我會說法語、英語、德語和拉丁語。我本來可以在我們初次會見的時候回答你們，不過我想先認識你們，然後再考慮。你們把事實經過複述了四遍，內容完全相同，這使我肯定了你們的身份，我現在知道，偶然的機會使得我碰見了負有出國作科學考察使命的巴黎博物館生物學教授彼埃爾-阿龍納斯先生，他的僕人康塞爾以及北美合眾國海軍部林肯號戰艦上的魚叉手、加拿大人尼德-蘭。”
"Gentlemen," he said in a calm, penetrating voice, "I speak French, English, German, and Latin with equal fluency. Hence I could have answered you as early as our initial interview, but first I wanted to make your acquaintance and then think things over. Your four versions of the same narrative, perfectly consistent by and large, established your personal identities for me. I now know that sheer chance has placed in my presence Professor Pierre Aronnax, specialist in natural history at the Paris Museum and entrusted with a scientific mission abroad, his manservant Conseil, and Ned Land, a harpooner of Canadian origin aboard the Abraham Lincoln, a frigate in the national navy of the United States of America."
我點點頭，表示同意。船長向我提的不是問題，我沒有必要回答。這人說法語一點不費力，沒有任何土音。他用的句子很正確，詞彙很恰當，說的話流暢通達。可是我總感。覺不出他是我的法國同胞。
I bowed in agreement. The commander hadn't put a question to me. So no answer was called for. This man expressed himself with perfect ease and without a trace of an accent. His phrasing was clear, his words well chosen, his facility in elocution remarkable. And yet, to me, he didn't have "the feel" of a fellow countryman.
他繼續說下去，他這樣說：
He went on with the conversation as follows:
“先生，我現在才再一次來訪問你們，你們一定認為我耽擱得大久了。所以這樣，是因為我知道了你們的身份以後，要仔細考慮一下應該怎樣對待你們，我很遲疑不決。最為難的是你們在跟一個與人類不相往來的人打交道。你們打亂了我的生活……”
"No doubt, sir, you've felt that I waited rather too long before paying you this second visit. After discovering your identities, I wanted to weigh carefully what policy to pursue toward you. I had great difficulty deciding. Some extremely inconvenient circumstances have brought you into the presence of a man who has cut himself off from humanity. Your coming has disrupted my whole existence."
“這不是故意的。”我說。
"Unintentionally," I said.
“不是故意的嗎？”這個人把聲音提高了一點回答，“林肯號在海面上到處追逐我，難道是無意的嗎？你們上這艘戰艦，難道不是故意的嗎？你們用炮彈轟我的船，難道不是故意的嗎？尼德-蘭師傅用魚叉打我的船，難道也不是故意的嗎？”
"Unintentionally?" the stranger replied, raising his voice a little. "Was it unintentionally that the Abraham Lincoln hunted me on every sea? Was it unintentionally that you traveled aboard that frigate? Was it unintentionally that your shells bounced off my ship's hull? Was it unintentionally that Mr. Ned Land hit me with his harpoon?"
“我看得出在這些話裡面，含有一種隱忍不發的憤怒。但對於他提出的這些責問，我有個很有道理的回答，我就說：
I detected a controlled irritation in these words. But there was a perfectly natural reply to these charges, and I made it.
“先生，您一定不知道關於您的問題在美洲和歐洲所引起的爭論。您不知道由於您的潛水艇的衝撞所發生的各種意外事件，已經鬨動了兩個大陸。現在我不想告訴您，人們為瞭解釋那唯有您才知道其中奧妙的神秘現象所做的無數假設。，但您要知道，林肯號一直追逐您到太平洋北部海面。仍然認為是追打一種海怪，非把它從海洋中清除掉不可呢。”
"Sir," I said, "you're surely unaware of the discussions that have taken place in Europe and America with yourself as the subject. You don't realize that various accidents, caused by collisions with your underwater machine, have aroused public passions on those two continents. I'll spare you the innumerable hypotheses with which we've tried to explain this inexplicable phenomenon, whose secret is yours alone. But please understand that the Abraham Lincoln chased you over the Pacific high seas in the belief it was hunting some powerful marine monster, which had to be purged from the ocean at all cost."
船長的唇上浮現出微笑，然後語氣比較溫和地回答：
A half smile curled the commander's lips; then, in a calmer tone:
“阿龍納斯先生，您敢肯定你們的戰艦不是去追擊潛水艇而只是追擊海怪嗎？”
"Professor Aronnax," he replied, "do you dare claim that your frigate wouldn't have chased and cannonaded an underwater boat as readily as a monster?"
這個問題使我很難回答，因為，法拉古艦長肯定是不會遲疑的，他一定相信，消滅這類潛水艇和打擊巨大的獨角鯨，同樣是他的職責。
This question baffled me, since Commander Farragut would certainly have shown no such hesitation. He would have seen it as his sworn duty to destroy a contrivance of this kind just as promptly as a gigantic narwhale.
“先生，您要知道，”這個人又說，“我是有權利把你們當作敵人看待的。”
"So you understand, sir," the stranger went on, "that I have a right to treat you as my enemy."
我故意不回答。因為碰到蠻不講理的時候，再來討論這類題目還有什麼意義呢？
I kept quiet, with good reason. What was the use of debating such a proposition, when superior force can wipe out the best arguments?
“我猶豫了很久，”船長又說，“我沒有任何義務接待你們。如果我要撇開你們，我就不想再來看你們了。我會把際們重新放在曾經作為你們避難所的這只船的平台上，就當你們沒有存在一樣，只管潛入海中。難道我沒有這樣的權利嗎？”
"It took me a good while to decide," the commander went on. "Nothing obliged me to grant you hospitality. If I were to part company with you, I'd have no personal interest in ever seeing you again. I could put you back on the platform of this ship that has served as your refuge. I could sink under the sea, and I could forget you ever existed. Wouldn't that be my right?"
“這也許是野蠻人的權利，”我答，“而不是文明人的權利。”
"Perhaps it would be the right of a savage," I replied. "But not that of a civilized man."
“教授先生，”船長很激動地回答，“我不是你們所說的文明人，為了我個人才能感覺到的理由，我跟整個人類社會斷絶了關係。所以我不服從人類社會的法規。希望您以後不要再在我面前提這些東西了。”
"Professor," the commander replied swiftly, "I'm not what you term a civilized man! I've severed all ties with society, for reasons that I alone have the right to appreciate. Therefore I obey none of its regulations, and I insist that you never invoke them in front of me!"
這話說得十分乾脆。這人眼中閃出憤怒和輕蔑的光芒，我看得出這個人的生活中一定有過一段不平凡的經歷。他不單把自己放在人類的法律之外，而且使自己絶對的獨立、自由，不受任何約束！既然人家在海面上和他交手都被他打敗了，誰還敢到海底下去追趕他呢？什麼船能吃得消他這艘潛水艇的衝擊呢？不管鋼板多麼厚的鐵甲艦，哪一艘能吃得消它的沖角的一撞呢？沒有一個人能質問他所做的事。如果他相信上帝，如果他還有良心，那麼只有上帝。只有良心，是他可以依據的唯一公斷人了。
This was plain speaking. A flash of anger and scorn lit up the stranger's eyes, and I glimpsed a fearsome past in this man's life. Not only had he placed himself beyond human laws, he had rendered himself independent, out of all reach, free in the strictest sense of the word! For who would dare chase him to the depths of the sea when he thwarted all attacks on the surface? What ship could withstand a collision with his underwater Monitor? What armor plate, no matter how heavy, could bear the thrusts of his spur? No man among men could call him to account for his actions. God, if he believed in Him, his conscience if he had one-- these were the only judges to whom he was answerable.
以上的這些感想在我心中很快地閃過去，這個奇怪的人當時默不作聲，潛心思索，好像什麼也不理會了。我既害怕又好奇地注視着他，像俄狄浦斯注視人面獅身怪一樣。
These thoughts swiftly crossed my mind while this strange individual fell silent, like someone completely self-absorbed. I regarded him with a mixture of fear and fascination, in the same way, no doubt, that Oedipus regarded the Sphinx.
經過長久的沉默以後，船長又開口了，他說：
After a fairly long silence, the commander went on with our conversation.
“因此，我遲疑不決，但是我認為，我的利益是能夠與人類天生的那種同情心相一致的。既然命運把你們送到這裡來，你們就留在我的船上吧。你們在船上是自由的，但為了換得這種自由——畢竟是相對的自由，我要你們答應我一個條件，你們只要口頭上答應就可以了。”
"So I had difficulty deciding," he said. "But I concluded that my personal interests could be reconciled with that natural compassion to which every human being has a right. Since fate has brought you here, you'll stay aboard my vessel. You'll be free here, and in exchange for that freedom, moreover totally related to it, I'll lay on you just one condition. Your word that you'll submit to it will be sufficient."
“先生，您說吧，”我答，“我想這條件一定是一個正直的人可以接受的條件。”
"Go on, sir," I replied. "I assume this condition is one an honest man can accept?"
“是的，先生，條件是這樣。可能因為某種意外的事件，我不得不把你們關在你們住的艙房裡，關上幾小時，或是關上幾天。我決不願使用暴力，我希望你們在這種情況下，在任何其它情況下也一樣，要絶對服從。這樣做，一切都由我負責，與你們絲毫無關，因為我不要你們看見你們所不應度看的。你們能接受這條件嗎？”
"Yes, sir. Just this. It's possible that certain unforeseen events may force me to confine you to your cabins for some hours, or even for some days as the case may be. Since I prefer never to use violence, I expect from you in such a case, even more than in any other, your unquestioning obedience. By acting in this way, I shield you from complicity, I absolve you of all responsibility, since I myself make it impossible for you to see what you aren't meant to see. Do you accept this condition?"
這樣看來，船上一定有很離奇古怪的事，這事是服從社會法律的人不應該看的！那麼，在我將來可能碰到的驚奇事件當中，這一定是非同小可的一件。
So things happened on board that were quite odd to say the least, things never to be seen by people not placing themselves beyond society's laws! Among all the surprises the future had in store for me, this would not be the mildest.
“我們接受，”我答，“但是，先生，我要求您允許我向您提一個問題，僅僅是一個。”
"We accept," I replied. "Only, I'll ask your permission, sir, to address a question to you, just one."
“說吧，先生。”
"Go ahead, sir."
“您剛纔說我們在船上可以自由，是不是？”
"You said we'd be free aboard your vessel?"
“完全自由。”
"Completely."
“我要問您，您所說的是怎樣的自由？”
"Then I would ask what you mean by this freedom."
“就是往來行動、耳聞目見的自由，甚至于有觀察船上、一切的自由——某些特殊情況除外——就是跟我們（我的 同伴和我）享有同樣的自由。”
"Why, the freedom to come, go, see, and even closely observe everything happening here--except under certain rare circumstances-- in short, the freedom we ourselves enjoy, my companions and I."
顯然的，我們彼此都沒有領會對方的意思。我於是又說：
It was obvious that we did not understand each other.
“請原諒，先生，這種自由不過是國徒可以在監獄中走動的自由！這種自由對於我們並不夠。”
"Pardon me, sir," I went on, "but that's merely the freedom that every prisoner has, the freedom to pace his cell! That's not enough for us."
“可是，對這種自由你們應當感到滿足了。”
"Nevertheless, it will have to do!"
“什麼！我們將永不能再見我們的祖國，我們的朋友，我們的親人嗎！？”
"What! We must give up seeing our homeland, friends, and relatives ever again?"
“是的，先生，這不過是使您不再受那世俗的束縛罷了。這種束縛，人們還以為是自由，拋棄了它，不至于像你們所想象的那麼難受吧！”
"Yes, sir. But giving up that intolerable earthly yoke that some men call freedom is perhaps less painful than you think!"
“好傢伙！“尼德-蘭喊道，“我決不能保證我以後不想法逃走！”
"By thunder!" Ned Land shouted. "I'll never promise I won't try getting out of here!"
“尼德-蘭師傅，我井沒有要您保證。”船長冷淡地回答。
"I didn't ask for such a promise, Mr. Land," the commander replied coldly.
“先生，”我說，我不由自主地生氣了，“您倚勢欺人！太蠻橫了！”
"Sir," I replied, flaring up in spite of myself, "you're taking unfair advantage of us! This is sheer cruelty!"
“不，先生，這不是蠻橫，這是仁慈！你們是我在戰鬥以後的俘虜！那時，我只要說一句話就能把你們送到海底下去，但是我留下你們！你們攻擊過我！你們盜竊了世上任何人都不應該知道的一種秘密，就是我一生的秘密！您以為我會把你們送回那再不應該看見我的陸地上去嗎？那永不能！現在我所以要把你們留在這兒，並不是為了你們，實在是為我自己！”
"No, sir, it's an act of mercy! You're my prisoners of war! I've cared for you when, with a single word, I could plunge you back into the ocean depths! You attacked me! You've just stumbled on a secret no living man must probe, the secret of my entire existence! Do you think I'll send you back to a world that must know nothing more of me? Never! By keeping you on board, it isn't you whom I care for, it's me!"
從這些話可以看出，船長是非常固執的，任何理由都改變不了他的成見。
These words indicated that the commander pursued a policy impervious to arguments.
“先生，”我又說，“這樣看來，您只是讓我們在生死之間抉擇罷了。”
"Then, sir," I went on, "you give us, quite simply, a choice between life and death?"
“正是這樣。”
"Quite simply."
“對於這樣提出的問題，我的朋友們就沒有什麼話可說了。”我說，”但我要聲明，我們現在對於這只船上的主人並不受任何諾言的約束。”
"My friends," I said, "to a question couched in these terms, our answer can be taken for granted. But no solemn promises bind us to the commander of this vessel."
“先生，您並不受任何諾言的約束。”這個神秘的人回答。
"None, sir," the stranger replied.
隨後，他用比較溫和的口氣說：
Then, in a gentler voice, he went on:
“現在，請允許我說完我要跟您說的話。阿龍納斯先生，我瞭解您。其實，您也許不至于和您的同伴一樣，會抱怨這個偶然把你們跟我的命運連結在一起的機會吧！在我喜歡研究的書籍中，您可以找到您發表的那本關於海底秘密的著作。我時常閲讀這本書。地上的學問可以使您達到的，在您的著作中已經達到了。但您還不是什麼都懂，還不是什麼都看見過。教授，讓我跟您說，您決不至懊悔您在我船上度過的時光。您以後將到神奇的世界中遊歷。震驚、奇怪，將是您心情中慣有的狀態。，那不斷呈現在您眼前的奇異景象會使您百看不厭。我在下一次周游海底世界的時候，（也許這是最後一次，誰知道？）又要在我跑過許多次的海底下看見我曾經研究過的一切事物，那時您將變為我這一次科學研究的同伴。從這一天起，您將進入一個新元素的世界，您將看見世界上除了我和我的同伴之外任何人都沒有看到過的東西，由於我，我們的星球將把它最後的秘密玄給您。”
"Now, allow me to finish what I have to tell you. I've heard of you, Professor Aronnax. You, if not your companions, won't perhaps complain too much about the stroke of fate that has brought us together. Among the books that make up my favorite reading, you'll find the work you've published on the great ocean depths. I've pored over it. You've taken your studies as far as terrestrial science can go. But you don't know everything because you haven't seen everything. Let me tell you, professor, you won't regret the time you spend aboard my vessel. You're going to voyage through a land of wonders. Stunned amazement will probably be your habitual state of mind. It will be a long while before you tire of the sights constantly before your eyes. I'm going to make another underwater tour of the world-- perhaps my last, who knows?--and I'll review everything I've studied in the depths of these seas that I've crossed so often, and you can be my fellow student. Starting this very day, you'll enter a new element, you'll see what no human being has ever seen before-- since my men and I no longer count--and thanks to me, you're going to learn the ultimate secrets of our planet."
我不能否認船長的這些話對我發生了很大的影響，正好說中了我的心事；我暫時忘記了觀看這些偉大的東西並不能抵償我們失去了的自由！我甚至于想擱下自由的問題，留待以後再作打算。所以我只是這樣回答他：
I can't deny it; the commander's words had a tremendous effect on me. He had caught me on my weak side, and I momentarily forgot that not even this sublime experience was worth the loss of my freedom. Besides, I counted on the future to resolve this important question. So I was content to reply:
“先生，您雖然跟人類世界不相往來，但我想您還沒有公開否認人的情感。我們是被您好心收留在您船上的受難者，我們忘不了您的好意。至於我，如果因為科學的關係可以把自由忘記的話，那我很知道，我們兩人的相遇可能給我巨大的補償。”
"Sir, even though you've cut yourself off from humanity, I can see that you haven't disowned all human feeling. We're castaways whom you've charitably taken aboard, we'll never forget that. Speaking for myself, I don't rule out that the interests of science could override even the need for freedom, which promises me that, in exchange, our encounter will provide great rewards."
我想，船長是一定要跟我握手，藉此表示我們的意見是一致的。但他並不這樣做。我真替他惋惜。
I thought the commander would offer me his hand, to seal our agreement. He did nothing of the sort. I regretted that.
“最後一個問題。”當這個神秘的人物想退出去的時候，我對他說。
"One last question," I said, just as this inexplicable being seemed ready to withdraw.
“教授先生，您說吧。”
"Ask it, professor."
“我應當怎樣稱呼您呢？”
"By what name am I to call you?"
“先生，”船長回答，“在您來說，我不過是尼摩船長，在我來說，您和您的同伴不過是諾第留斯號的乘客。”
"Sir," the commander replied, "to you, I'm simply Captain Nemo; to me, you and your companions are simply passengers on the Nautilus."
尼摩船長喊人，一個侍者進來。船長用我聽不懂的那種語言吩咐了幾句。然後他轉身對加拿大人和康塞爾說：
Captain Nemo called out. A steward appeared. The captain gave him his orders in that strange language I couldn't even identify. Then, turning to the Canadian and Conseil:
“在你們的艙房裡，正等着你們進餐呢，請你們跟着這個人去。”
"A meal is waiting for you in your cabin," he told them. "Kindly follow this man."
“這個，我不拒絶！”魚叉手回答。
"That's an offer I can't refuse!" the harpooner replied.
於是康塞爾和他走出關了他們三十多小時的這間小房子。
After being confined for over thirty hours, he and Conseil were finally out of this cell.
“阿龍納斯先生，現在我們的午餐已經準備好了，讓我給您引路。”
"And now, Professor Aronnax, our own breakfast is ready. Allow me to lead the way."
“船長，我當然聽您的吩咐。”
"Yours to command, captain."
我跟在船長後面走，一出房門，便走上一條有電光照耀。的走廊，像是船上的過道。約走了十多米以後，第二道門在我們面前打開。
I followed Captain Nemo, and as soon as I passed through the doorway, I went down a kind of electrically lit passageway that resembled a gangway on a ship. After a stretch of some ten meters, a second door opened before me.
我於是走進了餐廳，餐廳內的擺設和傢具都十分講究小餐廳的兩端擺着鑲嵌烏木花飾的高大橡木餐櫥，在架子的隔板上，有價值不可估量的閃閃發光的陶器、瓷器、玻璃製品。金銀製的餐具在由天花板傾瀉的光線下顯得輝煌奪目，天花板上繪有精美的圖畫，使光線更加柔和而悅目。
I then entered a dining room, decorated and furnished in austere good taste. Inlaid with ebony trim, tall oaken sideboards stood at both ends of this room, and sparkling on their shelves were staggered rows of earthenware, porcelain, and glass of incalculable value. There silver-plated dinnerware gleamed under rays pouring from light fixtures in the ceiling, whose glare was softened and tempered by delicately painted designs.
餐廳的中間擺着一桌豐盛的菜。尼摩船長指給我坐的位於。他對我說：
In the center of this room stood a table, richly spread. Captain Nemo indicated the place I was to occupy.
“請坐，請吃，您已經好久不吃東西了，請不要客氣。”
"Be seated," he told me, "and eat like the famished man you must be."
午餐有好幾道菜，全是海裡的東西，其中有些葷菜，我簡直不知道它們的性質和出處。我承認這些食品都很好，雖然有一種特殊味道，但我也吃得慣。這些式樣不同的菜看來都富於磷質，所以我想這一定全是海中的產物。
Our breakfast consisted of several dishes whose contents were all supplied by the sea, and some foods whose nature and derivation were unknown to me. They were good, I admit, but with a peculiar flavor to which I would soon grow accustomed. These various food items seemed to be rich in phosphorous, and I thought that they, too, must have been of marine origin.
尼摩船長看著我。我並沒有問他，但他猜到了我的心事，他就主動地答覆我急於要向他提出的問題。他說：
Captain Nemo stared at me. I had asked him nothing, but he read my thoughts, and on his own he answered the questions I was itching to address him.
“這些菜大部分您以前都沒見過。但您可以放心大膽地吃，不必害怕。這些菜很衛生，而且富有營養。很久以夾，我就不吃陸地上的食物了，我的身體也並不見得差。我砌船員——個個都身強力壯——他們和我一樣都吃這種食品。
"Most of these dishes are new to you," he told me. "But you can consume them without fear. They're healthy and nourishing. I renounced terrestrial foods long ago, and I'm none the worse for it. My crew are strong and full of energy, and they eat what I eat."
“那麼，”我說，“所有的食品都是海產嗎？”
"So," I said, "all these foods are products of the sea?"
“是的，教授，大海供應我一切必需品。有時我拋下拖網，等網滿得都要斷了就把它拉上來。有時我到那看來人沒法去的大海中間打獵，我追逐那些居住在我的海底森林中的野味。我的牛羊家畜，像尼普頓的老牧人的一樣，無憂無慮地在那廣闊的海底牧場上吃草。我在海底有一筆巨大的產業，這產業是由造物主親手播種的。”
"Yes, professor, the sea supplies all my needs. Sometimes I cast my nets in our wake, and I pull them up ready to burst. Sometimes I go hunting right in the midst of this element that has long seemed so far out of man's reach, and I corner the game that dwells in my underwater forests. Like the flocks of old Proteus, King Neptune's shepherd, my herds graze without fear on the ocean's immense prairies. There I own vast properties that I harvest myself, and which are forever sown by the hand of the Creator of All Things."
我有點驚異，看著尼摩船長，我這樣回答他：
I stared at Captain Nemo in definite astonishment, and I answered him:
“先生，我完全相信您的魚網能供應這桌上的許多魚類，我也瞭解您如何在您的海底森林中打獵，但是我一點不明白在您的菜單上，如何能有肉類——儘管很少？”
"Sir, I understand perfectly how your nets can furnish excellent fish for your table; I understand less how you can chase aquatic game in your underwater forests; but how a piece of red meat, no matter how small, can figure in your menu, that I don't understand at all."
“先生，”尼摩船長回答，“我從來也不吃陸上動物的肉。”
"Nor I, sir," Captain Nemo answered me. "I never touch the flesh of land animals."
“不過，這是什麼呢？”我手指着一個盤子裡還剩下的幾塊肉說。
"Nevertheless, this . . . ," I went on, pointing to a dish where some slices of loin were still left.
“教授，您以為這是牛肉嗎？其實它不過是海鱉的裡婰。這盤是海豚的肝，您或者要以為是燉豬肉。我的廚師是一位很精幹的炊事員，他善於保藏海中各種不同的產物。猜嘗一嘗這些菜。這是一盤罐頭海參，馬來亞人說這是世界上美味無比的食物。這是奶油糕，所用的奶是從鯨魚類的奶頭上擠出來的，糖是從北極海中的一種大海藻裡提煉：出來的。最後我請您嘗這秋牡丹的果子醬，它的味道並不亞於最蜜甜的果子醬。”
"What you believe to be red meat, professor, is nothing other than loin of sea turtle. Similarly, here are some dolphin livers you might mistake for stewed pork. My chef is a skillful food processor who excels at pickling and preserving these various exhibits from the ocean. Feel free to sample all of these foods. Here are some preserves of sea cucumber that a Malaysian would declare to be unrivaled in the entire world, here's cream from milk furnished by the udders of cetaceans, and sugar from the huge fucus plants in the North Sea; and finally, allow me to offer you some marmalade of sea anemone, equal to that from the tastiest fruits."
我一一嘗過了，與其說是由於貪食，不如說是由於好奇；同時尼摩船長講他那不可思議的、似真似假的故事，使我聽得心醉神迷。他說：
So I sampled away, more as a curiosity seeker than an epicure, while Captain Nemo delighted me with his incredible anecdotes.
“阿龍納斯先生，這海，這奇妙的、取之不盡的生命泉源，不僅僅給我吃的，並且還給我穿的。現在您身上穿的衣料是由一種貝殼類的足絲織成的，染上古人喜歡的絆紅色。又調配上我從地中海海兔類中取出的紫色。您在艙房中梳洗台上看到的香料，是從海產植物提煉出來的。您睡的床是侮中最軟和的大葉海藻做的。您使的筆是鯨魚的觸鬚，墨水是墨魚或烏賊分泌的汁。現在海給我一切，正像將來一切都要歸還它一樣！”
"But this sea, Professor Aronnax," he told me, "this prodigious, inexhaustible wet nurse of a sea not only feeds me, she dresses me as well. That fabric covering you was woven from the masses of filaments that anchor certain seashells; as the ancients were wont to do, it was dyed with purple ink from the murex snail and shaded with violet tints that I extract from a marine slug, the Mediterranean sea hare. The perfumes you'll find on the washstand in your cabin were produced from the oozings of marine plants. Your mattress was made from the ocean's softest eelgrass. Your quill pen will be whalebone, your ink a juice secreted by cuttlefish or squid. Everything comes to me from the sea, just as someday everything will return to it!"
“船長，您愛海吧？”
"You love the sea, captain."
“是的，我愛海！海是包羅萬象的！海占地球面積的十分之七。海的氣息純潔而衛生。在這汪洋浩瀚的大海中，人們不是孤獨的，園為他們感到在自己周圍處處都有生命在顫動；海之為物是超越的、神妙的生存之乘輿；海是動，海是愛，正像你們法國一位大詩人所說的，它是長存的生命。的確，教授，自然界在海中也同樣有動物、植物、礦物三類。動物在海中可以大量地繁殖，主要的有腔腸動物四類，節肢動物三類，軟體動物五類，脊椎動物三類，即哺侞類，爬蟲類和成群無數的魚類。魚類是動物中無窮無盡的一目……共有一萬三千多種，其中只有十分之一是在淡水中。海是大自然的倉庫。可以說，地球是從海開始的，誰知道將來地球不是歸給于海呢！海中有無比和平的環境。海不屬於壓迫者。在海面上，他們還可以使用他們的暴力，在那裡互相攻打，在那裡互相吞噬，把陸地上的各種恐怖手段都搬到那裡。但在海平面三十英呎以下，他們的權力便達不到了，他們的氣焰便熄滅了，他們的成勢便消失了！啊！先生，您要生活，就生活在海中吧！只是在海中才有獨立！在海中敵不承認有什麼主子：在海中我是完全自由的！”
"Yes, I love it! The sea is the be all and end all! It covers seven-tenths of the planet earth. Its breath is clean and healthy. It's an immense wilderness where a man is never lonely, because he feels life astir on every side. The sea is simply the vehicle for a prodigious, unearthly mode of existence; it's simply movement and love; it's living infinity, as one of your poets put it. And in essence, professor, nature is here made manifest by all three of her kingdoms, mineral, vegetable, and animal. The last of these is amply represented by the four zoophyte groups, three classes of articulates, five classes of mollusks, and three vertebrate classes: mammals, reptiles, and those countless legions of fish, an infinite order of animals totaling more than 13,000 species, of which only one-tenth belong to fresh water. The sea is a vast pool of nature. Our globe began with the sea, so to speak, and who can say we won't end with it! Here lies supreme tranquility. The sea doesn't belong to tyrants. On its surface they can still exercise their iniquitous claims, battle each other, devour each other, haul every earthly horror. But thirty feet below sea level, their dominion ceases, their influence fades, their power vanishes! Ah, sir, live! Live in the heart of the seas! Here alone lies independence! Here I recognize no superiors! Here I'm free!"
尼摩船長正說得興高采烈的時候，他忽然停住不作聲了。他是超出了他慣常的沉默，還是說得過多了呢？霎時間，他踱來踱去，情緒很激動。過了一會兒，他的神經安靜下來，他的面容又現出慣常的冷淡神氣，他轉身對我說：
Captain Nemo suddenly fell silent in the midst of this enthusiastic outpouring. Had he let himself get carried away, past the bounds of his habitual reserve? Had he said too much? For a few moments he strolled up and down, all aquiver. Then his nerves grew calmer, his facial features recovered their usual icy composure, and turning to me:
“現在，教授，如果您願意參觀我們的諾第留斯號，我願意為您效勞，我領您看去。”
"Now, professor," he said, "if you'd like to inspect the Nautilus, I'm yours to command."