Моби Дик/Moby Dick (Герман Мелвилл). Страница 212 из 297

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But

one

morning

,

turning

to

pass

the

doubloon

,

he

seemed

to

be

newly

attracted

by

the

strange

figures

and

inscriptions

stamped

on

it

,

as

though

now

for

the

first

time

beginning

to

interpret

for

himself

in

some

monomaniac

way

whatever

significance

might

lurk

in

them

.

And

some

certain

significance

lurks

in

all

things

,

else

all

things

are

little

worth

,

and

the

round

world

itself

but

an

empty

cipher

,

except

to

sell

by

the

cartload

,

as

they

do

hills

about

Boston

,

to

fill

up

some

morass

in

the

Milky

Way

.

Now

this

doubloon

was

of

purest

,

virgin

gold

,

raked

somewhere

out

of

the

heart

of

gorgeous

hills

,

whence

,

east

and

west

,

over

golden

sands

,

the

head-waters

of

many

a

Pactolus

flows

.

And

though

now

nailed

amidst

all

the

rustiness

of

iron

bolts

and

the

verdigris

of

copper

spikes

,

yet

,

untouchable

and

immaculate

to

any

foulness

,

it

still

preserved

its

Quito

glow

.

Nor

,

though

placed

amongst

a

ruthless

crew

and

every

hour

passed

by

ruthless

hands

,

and

through

the

livelong

nights

shrouded

with

thick

darkness

which

might

cover

any

pilfering

approach

,

nevertheless

every

sunrise

found

the

doubloon

where

the

sunset

last

left

it

.

For

it

was

set

apart

and

sanctified

to

one

awe-striking

end

;

and

however

wanton

in

their

sailor

ways

,

one

and

all

,

the

mariners

revered

it

as

the

white

whale

's

talisman

.

Sometimes

they

talked

it

over

in

the

weary

watch

by

night

,

wondering

whose

it

was

to

be

at

last

,

and

whether

he

would

ever

live

to

spend

it

.

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Now

those

noble

golden

coins

of

South

America

are

as

medals

of

the

sun

and

tropic

token-pieces

.

Here

palms

,

alpacas

,

and

volcanoes

;

sun

's

disks

and

stars

,

ecliptics

,

horns-of-plenty

,

and

rich

banners

waving

,

are

in

luxuriant

profusion

stamped

;

so

that

the

precious

gold

seems

almost

to

derive

an

added

preciousness

and

enhancing

glories

,

by

passing

through

those

fancy

mints

,

so

Spanishly

poetic

.

It

so

chanced

that

the

doubloon

of

the

Pequod

was

a

most

wealthy

example

of

these

things

.

On

its

round

border

it

bore

the

letters

,

REPUBLICA

DEL

ECUADOR

:

QUITO

.

So

this

bright

coin

came

from

a

country

planted

in

the

middle

of

the

world

,

and

beneath

the

great

equator

,

and

named

after

it

;

and

it

had

been

cast

midway

up

the

Andes

,

in

the

unwaning

clime

that

knows

no

autumn

.

Zoned

by

those

letters

you

saw

the

likeness

of

three

Andes

'

summits

;

from

one

a

flame

;

a

tower

on

another

;

on

the

third

a

crowing

cock

;

while

arching

over

all

was

a

segment

of

the

partitioned

zodiac

,

the

signs

all

marked

with

their

usual

cabalistics

,

and

the

keystone

sun

entering

the

equinoctial

point

at

Libra

.

Before

this

equatorial

coin

,

Ahab

,

not

unobserved

by

others

,

was

now

pausing

.

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"

There

's

something

ever

egotistical

in

mountain-tops

and

towers

,

and

all

other

grand

and

lofty

things

;

look

here

--

three

peaks

as

proud

as

Lucifer

.

The

firm

tower

,

that

is

Ahab

;

the

volcano

,

that

is

Ahab

;

the

courageous

,

the

undaunted

,

and

victorious

fowl

,

that

,

too

,

is

Ahab

;

all

are

Ahab

;

and

this

round

gold

is

but

the

image

of

the

rounder

globe

,

which

,

like

a

magician

's

glass

,

to

each

and

every

man

in

turn

but

mirrors

back

his

own

mysterious

self

.

Great

pains

,

small

gains

for

those

who

ask

the

world

to

solve

them

;

it

can

not

solve

itself

.

Methinks

now

this

coined

sun

wears

a

ruddy

face

;

but

see

!

aye

,

he

enters

the

sign

of

storms

,

the

equinox

!

and

but

six

months

before

he

wheeled

out

of

a

former

equinox

at

Aries

!

From

storm

to

storm

!

So

be

it

,

then

.

Born

in

throes

,

'

t

is

fit

that

man

should

live

in

pains

and

die

in

pangs

!

So

be

it

,

then

!

Here

's

stout

stuff

for

woe

to

work

on

.

So

be

it

,

then

.

"

"

No

fairy

fingers

can

have

pressed

the

gold

,

but

devil

's

claws

have

left

their

mouldings

there

since

yesterday

,

"

murmured

Starbuck

to

himself

,

leaning

against

the

bulwarks

.

"

The

old

man

seems

to

read

Belshazzar

's

awful

writing

.

I

have

never

marked

the

coin

inspectingly

.

He

goes

below

;

let

me

read

.

A

dark

valley

between

three

mighty

,

heaven-abiding

peaks

,

that

almost

seem

the

Trinity

,

in

some

faint

earthly

symbol

.

So

in

this

vale

of

Death

,

God

girds

us

round

;

and

over

all

our

gloom

,

the

sun

of

Righteousness

still

shines

a

beacon

and

a

hope

.

If

we

bend

down

our

eyes

,

the

dark

vale

shows

her

mouldy

soil

;

but

if

we

lift

them

,

the

bright

sun

meets

our

glance

half

way

,

to

cheer

.

Yet

,

oh

,

the

great

sun

is

no

fixture

;

and

if

,

at

midnight

,

we

would

fain

snatch

some

sweet

solace

from

him

,

we

gaze

for

him

in

vain

!

This

coin

speaks

wisely

,

mildly

,

truly

,

but

still

sadly

to

me

.

I

will

quit

it

,

lest

Truth

shake

me

falsely

.

"

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