Moreover, while in most other animals that I can now think of, the eyes are so planted as imperceptibly to blend their visual power, so as to produce one picture and not two to the brain; the peculiar position of the whale's eyes, effectually divided as they are by many cubic feet of solid head, which towers between them like a great mountain separating two lakes in valleys; this, of course, must wholly separate the impressions which each independent organ imparts. The whale, therefore, must see one distinct picture on this side, and another distinct picture on that side; while all between must be profound darkness and nothingness to him. Man may, in effect, be said to look out on the world from a sentry-box with two joined sashes for his window. But with the whale, these two sashes are separately inserted, making two distinct windows, but sadly impairing the view. This peculiarity of the whale's eyes is a thing always to be borne in mind in the fishery; and to be remembered by the reader in some subsequent scenes.
而且，就我这时所能想到的其它多数动物说来，两只眼睛这么长法会不知不觉地把两只眼睛的视力给混在一起，使得脑海里产生出一个而不是两个画面；可是，鲸眼的这种特殊的位置，实际上两只眼睛好象让这只好几平方英尺的大头给隔开来，而那只头，高踞在它们中间，犹如一座大山把溪谷分成两个大湖；这自然一定会把每只眼睛所获得的印象都给完全分开了。因此，大鲸一定是在这一边看到了一幅明晰的画面，又在另一边看到了另一幅明晰的画面；至于所有处在中间的东西，在它看来一定是漆黑一团、空无所有了。实际上，人类观察世界万物，可说是从一个有两只连在一起的玻璃窗框的哨亭里望出去的。可是，就大鲸说来，这两只窗框却是各自分开装置，结果虽是两扇明亮的玻璃窗，可惜却损伤了视力。鲸眼的这种特点就是捕鱼业中必须时刻谨记在心的，也是读者在以后的若干场景中势必会回想到的一件事情。
A curious and most puzzling question might be started concerning this visual matter as touching the Leviathan. But I must be content with a hint. So long as a man's eyes are open in the light, the act of seeing is involuntary; that is, he cannot then help mechanically seeing whatever objects are before him.
关于说到大海兽这种视觉方面的事情，也许会产生一个奇特而最使人迷惑的问题。不过，我必须一说为快。只要人的眼睛是在光线里张开来的，这种观看的动作就是不知不觉的了；就是说，他势必是无意识地看到一切显现在他眼前的东西。
