Moby Dick; Or, The Whale — Page 12
"A mariner sat in the shrouds one night, The wind was piping free;
"Um marinheiro sentou-se nas enxárcias uma noite, O vento soprava livre;
Now bright, now dimmed, was the moonlight pale, And the phospher gleamed in the wake of the whale, As it floundered in the sea."
Ora brilhante, ora apagado, era o luar pálido, E o fósforo relumbravam no rastro da baleia, Enquanto ela se debatia no mar."
—_Elizabeth Oakes Smith_.
—_Elizabeth Oakes Smith_.
"The quantity of line withdrawn from the boats engaged in the capture of this one whale, amounted altogether to 10,440 yards or nearly six English miles....
"A quantidade de linha retirada dos barcos envolvidos na captura desta única baleia totalizou 10.440 jardas ou quase seis milhas inglesas....
"Sometimes the whale shakes its tremendous tail in the air, which, cracking like a whip, resounds to the distance of three or four miles."
"Às vezes a baleia agita sua tremenda cauda no ar, que, estalando como um chicote, ressoa à distância de três ou quatro milhas."
—_Scoresby_.
—_Scoresby_.
"Mad with the agonies he endures from these fresh attacks, the infuriated Sperm Whale rolls over and over; he rears his enormous head, and with wide expanded jaws snaps at everything around him; he rushes at the boats with his head; they are propelled before him with vast swiftness, and sometimes utterly destroyed....
"Enlouquecido pelas agonias que suporta com esses novos ataques, o enfurecido Cachalote rola repetidamente; ele ergue sua enorme cabeça e, com as mandíbulas amplamente abertas, morde tudo ao seu redor; ele se lança contra os barcos com a cabeça; eles são impelidos à sua frente com enorme velocidade e, às vezes, completamente destruídos....
It is a matter of great astonishment that the consideration of the habits of so interesting, and, in a commercial point of view, so important an animal (as the Sperm Whale) should have been so entirely neglected, or should have excited so little curiosity among the numerous, and many of them competent observers, that of late years, must have possessed the most abundant and the most convenient opportunities of witnessing their habitudes."
É uma questão de grande assombro que a consideração dos hábitos de um animal tão interessante e, de um ponto de vista comercial, tão importante (como o Cachalote) tenha sido tão inteiramente negligenciada, ou tenha despertado tão pouca curiosidade entre os numerosos, e muitos deles competentes observadores, que nos últimos anos devem ter possuído as oportunidades mais abundantes e mais convenientes de testemunhar seus hábitos."
—_Thomas Beale's History of the Sperm Whale_, 1839.
—_História do Cachalote de Thomas Beale_, 1839.
Vocabulary
- Um
- Indefinite article meaning 'a' or 'one'
- marinheiro
- A sailor or seaman working on a ship
- sentou-se
- Sat down; reflexive past tense of sentar
- nas
- Contraction of 'em' and 'as', meaning 'in the'
- uma
- Feminine indefinite article meaning 'a' or 'one'
- noite
- Night; the period of darkness after sunset
- vento
- Wind; moving air outdoors
- soprava
- Was blowing; imperfect tense of soprar
- livre
- Free; unrestrained or unrestricted
- brilhante
- Bright, shining, or brilliant in appearance
- apagado
- Dim, extinguished, or turned off
- luar
- Moonlight; light given off by the moon
- pálido
- Pale; lacking color or intensity
- fósforo
- Phosphorus; glowing chemical element or match
- rastro
- Trail, wake, or track left behind
- baleia
- Whale; large marine mammal
- debatia
- Was struggling or thrashing about violently
- mar
- Sea; large body of salt water
- quantidade
- Quantity or amount of something
- linha
- Line, rope, or cord used on ships
- retirada
- Withdrawn, removed, or pulled out
- barcos
- Boats or small vessels on water
- envolvidos
- Involved or engaged in an activity
- captura
- Capture; act of catching or seizing
- única
- Single, unique, or one of a kind
- totalizou
- Totaled; amounted to a sum
- milhas
- Miles; units of distance measurement
- inglesas
- English; relating to England, feminine plural
- agita
- Agitates or shakes vigorously
- tremenda
- Tremendous; enormous or awe-inspiring in size
- cauda
- Tail; rear appendage of an animal
- estalando
- Cracking or snapping with a sharp sound
- chicote
- Whip; a flexible instrument for striking
- ressoa
- Resonates or echoes through a space
- distância
- Distance; the space between two points
- Enlouquecido
- Maddened or driven crazy by something
- agonias
- Agonies; intense physical or mental suffering
- suporta
- Endures or tolerates something difficult
- ataques
- Attacks; aggressive actions against someone
- enfurecido
- Enraged or made furious
- Cachalote
- Sperm whale; large toothed whale species
- rola
- Rolls or turns over repeatedly
- repetidamente
- Repeatedly; occurring again and again
- ergue
- Raises or lifts something upward
- enorme
- Enormous; very large in size
- cabeça
- Head; the uppermost part of the body
- mandíbulas
- Jaws or mandibles of an animal
- amplamente
- Widely or broadly open
- abertas
- Open; not closed, feminine plural form
- morde
- Bites; uses teeth to grip something
- redor
- Surroundings; area around something
- lança
- Launches or hurls something forcefully
- frente
- Forward; ahead in direction or position
- velocidade
- Speed or velocity of movement
- completamente
- Completely; entirely or thoroughly
- destruídos
- Destroyed; completely ruined or wrecked
- questão
- Question or matter of concern
- assombro
- Astonishment or amazement at something
- consideração
- Consideration; thoughtful attention to something
- hábitos
- Habits or behavioral patterns of animals
- animal
- Animal; a living creature or beast
- interessante
- Interesting; engaging or worthy of attention
- comercial
- Commercial; relating to trade or business
- importante
- Important; of great significance or value
- tenha
- Subjunctive form of ter, meaning 'has'
- inteiramente
- Entirely or completely without exception
- negligenciada
- Neglected; disregarded or not given attention
- despertado
- Awakened or aroused interest or attention
- curiosidade
- Curiosity; desire to learn or know more
- numerosos
- Numerous; many in number
- competentes
- Competent; having adequate skill or knowledge
- observadores
- Observers; people who watch and study carefully
- últimos
- Last or most recent in a series
- anos
- Years; units of time measurement
- possuído
- Possessed or had something available
- oportunidades
- Opportunities; favorable circumstances for action
- abundantes
- Abundant; plentiful or more than enough
- convenientes
- Convenient; suitable or favorable for a purpose
- testemunhar
- To witness or observe something firsthand
- História
- History; record of past events
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