CHAPTER FOUR The Gold Coin VIERTE KAPITEL Die Goldmünze 第4章 金貨 4장 금화 CAPÍTULO QUATRO A moeda de ouro DÖRDÜNCÜ BÖLÜM Altın Para 第四章 金币 第四章 金幣

CHAPTER FOUR

The Gold Coin

The days and nights passed and we went about our business. Проходили дни и ночи, а мы занимались своими делами. One of my duties was to stay at the masthead and look out for whales. Uno dei miei compiti era quello di stare in testa d'albero e fare attenzione alle balene. Одной из моих обязанностей было оставаться на мачте и следить за китами. Our masthead was not closed like a nest; it was open, and in bad weather it was difficult to stay there. La nostra testa d'albero non era chiusa come un nido, ma aperta, e in caso di maltempo era difficile restarvi. One night while I was on the masthead I could see Ahab walking back and forth on the deck. He never seemed to sleep - he just walked, and that night his peg leg made an awful noise. He seemed to be nervous and angry, and I wondered why.

The next morning I found out why. I heard Starbuck call, "All hands on deck!" Ho sentito Starbuck chiamare: "Tutti gli uomini sul ponte!". and the crew rushed onto the deck wondering what had happened. e l'equipaggio si precipitò sul ponte chiedendosi cosa fosse successo.

The moment I saw the captain I knew something was wrong. The pain and anger in Ahab’s heart were slowly coming out.

He put his peg leg into the hole in the deck and when he was perfectly balanced he cried out, "Tell me, men! Infilò la gamba di legno nel buco del ponte e, quando fu perfettamente in equilibrio, gridò: "Ditemi, uomini! What do you do when you see a whale? Cosa fate quando vedete una balena? " "Shout out, sir!" "Grida, signore!" cried the crew, looking up at the captain.

"Good!" he cried. "Then what? " "We lower the boats and go after him. " Ahab looked at us with fierce satisfaction and suddenly pulled out a large gold coin. "Here is a Spanish gold coin! A sixteen- dollar piece! Do you see it? Mr. Starbuck, give me the hammer!" Signor Starbuck, mi dia il martello!". He placed the shiny gold coin on the main mast and put a nail through it. Appoggiò la moneta d'oro lucente sull'albero maestro e vi conficcò un chiodo. The big gold coin was now on the mast and shone in the sun.

"Whoever sees the white whale first will get the gold coin," cried Ahab.

"Hurrah!" cried the men.

"Now listen to me! This is not an ordinary white whale. The whale I’m looking for is a white-headed sperm whale with a wrinkled brow and a crooked jaw. La balena che sto cercando è un capodoglio dalla testa bianca, con la fronte corrugata e la mascella storta. There are three holes in its tail and a twisted harpoon in its hump - that’s my harpoon!" Ci sono tre buchi nella coda e un arpione attorcigliato nella gobba: quello è il mio arpione!". He paused and looked at our excited faces.

"Remember, it’s a white whale I want - white! I must have it! Look carefully for it. Even if you see a bubble of water, shout out! And if it is the whale I’m looking for, the gold coin is yours! " The crew cheered again and stared at the shiny gold coin. "Captain Ahab," said Tashtego, "is that white whale called Moby Dick? " "Yes!" shouted Ahab fiercely. "Do you know the white whale then, Tash? " "Yes," replied Tashtego. "He has a strange way of diving. "Ha uno strano modo di immergersi. " "I know him too," said Daggoo. "His spout is big and looks like a fountain. "Il suo beccuccio è grande e sembra una fontana. " "I saw him," said Queequeg. "He has many harpoons in his body. " A strange smile crossed Ahab’s face, a crazy, evil smile that scared me. "Yes, you’ve seen him. You’ve seen Moby Dick! " "Captain Ahab," said Starbuck looking at the captain cautiously, "Wasn’t this the whale that took off your leg? " "Who told you that?" asked Ahab, his smile disappearing. "Yes, Starbuck, it was Moby Dick who took off my leg. It was that horrid white whale!" And he let out a cry like a hurt animal.

He lifted his long arms, looked up at the sky and cried, 'I’ll chase him around the Cape of Good Hope to Cape Horn - I’ll follow him all over the seas of the world, until he spouts black blood!" Sollevò le lunghe braccia, guardò il cielo e gridò: "Lo inseguirò dal Capo di Buona Speranza a Capo Horn - lo seguirò per tutti i mari del mondo, finché non sputerà sangue nero!". Fire burned in his eyes and he stared at each one of us.

"This is why you men are here - to chase Moby Dick all over the world and hunt him until he dies. Are you brave enough to do this? Are you with me? " "Yes, we are!" shouted the harpooners and the sailors, who were excited and ready to hunt the terrible beast. "We’ll keep a sharp eye and a sharp harpoon as well!" "Terremo gli occhi aperti e anche un arpione affilato!". said one of the harpooners.

"God bless you, men!" said Ahab, his voice shaking.

The men cheered but Starbuck did not - his face was grim. Gli uomini esultarono, ma Starbuck non lo fece: il suo volto era cupo.

"Why such a sad face, Mr Starbuck? Aren’t you brave enough to chase the white whale?" asked Ahab suspiciously.

"Oh," replied Starbuck, "I’m brave enough to face his crooked jaw and the jaws of death, too. "Oh", rispose Starbuck, "sono abbastanza coraggioso da affrontare la sua mascella storta e anche le fauci della morte. "О, - ответил Старбак, - я достаточно храбр, чтобы встретить его кривую челюсть и челюсти смерти тоже". But I came on board this ship to hunt all whales, not just one whale. I didn’t come here to satisfy my captain’s revenge. I came here to hunt whales for their oil. That’s my business - whale oil. And I’m here to make money on it. How many barrels of whale oil can we make on only one white whale? " "Money? Is that what’s worrying you - money? Oh, my revenge will make me richer here," cried Ahab hitting his chest.

"That whale attacked you because it was his animal instinct, but you want him out of cruelty and revenge. "Quella balena ti ha attaccato perché era il suo istinto animale, ma tu la vuoi per crudeltà e vendetta. That is madness!" È una follia!". cried Starbuck.

"Madness!" roared Ahab. "Listen to me, man! Moby Dick looks like a stupid animal, but he’s not, he’s evil - and that is what I hate. " "God help us!" murmured Starbuck.

"Moby Dick is in my mind every moment of the day. He’s in my dreams - his existence insults me. Он в моих снах - его существование оскорбляет меня. I’d strike the sun if it insulted me! Colpirei il sole se mi insultasse! White is the color of evil. Ghosts, skeletons, masks - they’re all white. Moby Dick’s white and he’s evil! I’m like a man in prison and he’s the wall - the wall that I have to destroy to be free! Sono come un uomo in prigione e lui è il muro, il muro che devo distruggere per essere libero! " The two men stood face to face, and Ahab knew he was stronger. "I due uomini si trovarono faccia a faccia e Achab sapeva di essere più forte. He stepped back slowly and said, "God help us all. " The men of the Pequod were excited and enthusiastic, and felt that Ahab’s mission was now their mission. "Mates!" Ahab cried out. "Bring your harpoons to me and cross them. "Portate i vostri arpioni da me e incrociateli. " Starbuck, Stubb and Flask brought their harpoons to cross them in front of Ahab. "Now swear this: Death to Moby Dick! "Ora giura questo: morte a Moby Dick! God hunt us all if we don’t kill Moby Dick! " Ahab then turned to the harpooners and said, "Now, harpooners, use the heads of your harpoons as cups and drink to the death of Moby Dick. Achab si rivolse allora agli arpionatori e disse: "Ora, arpionatori, usate le teste dei vostri arpioni come coppe e bevete alla morte di Moby Dick". " Before going to his cabin Ahab turned back and said to all of us, "Remember that you have all made a promise. " I trembled at the thought of what had happened. " Tremavo al pensiero di ciò che era accaduto. Captain Ahab was madness itself. Il Capitano Achab era la follia in persona. And we had sworn to his madness. E noi avevamo giurato sulla sua follia.

I, Ishmael, was one of that crew and my shouts had gone up with the rest. Io, Ishmael, facevo parte di quell'equipaggio e le mie grida si erano levate insieme alle altre. Я, Измаил, был одним из этой команды, и мои крики раздались вместе с остальными. I had sworn too.