Why should you read “Moby Dick”? - Sascha Morrell

Prevodilac: Milenka Okuka Lektor: Ivana Korom

A mountain separating two lakes.

Planina koja razdvaja dva jezera.

A room papered floor to ceiling with bridal satins.

Soba obmotana od poda do plafona svadbenim satenom.

The lid of an immense snuffbox.

Poklopac ogromne burmutice.

These seemingly unrelated images take us on a tour of a sperm whale’s head

Ove naoko nepovezane slike nas vode u pohod na glavu ulješure

in Herman Melville’s "Moby Dick."

u romanu „Mobi Dik” Hermana Melvila.

On the surface,

Na površini,

the book is the story of Captain Ahab’s hunt for revenge against Moby Dick,

knjiga pripoveda o osvetničkom lovu kapetana Ahaba na Mobi Dika,

the white whale who bit off his leg.

belog kita koji mu je odgrizao nogu.

But though the book features pirates, typhoons, high-speed chases,

Međutim, iako u knjizi zatičemo gusare, tajfune, munjevite jurnjave

and giant squid,

i džinovsku lignju,

you shouldn’t expect a conventional seafaring adventure.

ne očekujte konvencionalnu pomorsku avanturu.

Instead, it’s a multilayered exploration of not only the intimate details

Naprotiv, radi se o slojevitom istraživanju, ne samo intimnih detalja

of life aboard a whaling ship,

iz brodskog života kitolovaca,

but also subjects from across human and natural history,

već i širokog raspona tema iz ljudske i prirodnjačke istorije,

by turns playful and tragic, humorous, and urgent.

naizmenično razigranih i tragičnih, duhovitih i od goruće važnosti.

The narrator guiding us through these explorations

Pripovedač koji nas vodi kroz ova istraživanja

is a common sailor called Ishmael.

je obični mornar po imenu Išmael.

Ishmael starts out telling his own story

Išmael započinje pripovedanje sopstvene priče

as he prepares to escape the “damp and drizzly November in [his] soul”

dok se priprema da pobegne od „memljivog i sipljivog novembra u njegovoj duši”

by going to sea.

otiskujući se na more.

But after he befriends the Pacific Islander Queequeg

No, nakon što se sprijatelji sa pacifičkim ostrvljaninom Kvikvegom

and joins Ahab’s crew aboard the Pequod,

i pridruži Ahabovoj posadi na brodu Pikvod,

Ishmael becomes more of an omniscient guide for the reader

Išmael postaje pre sveznajući vodič za čitaoca

than a traditional character.

negoli tradicionalni književni lik.

While Ahab obsesses over revenge

Dok je Ahab opsednut osvetom,

and first mate Starbuck tries to reason with him,

a Starbak, glavni član posade, pokušava da ga urazumi,

Ishmael takes us on his own quest for meaning

Išmael nas vodi na sopstveni pohod za smislom

throughout “the whole universe, not excluding its suburbs.”

kroz „čitav univerzum, ne izuzimajući ni njegova predgrađa.”

In his telling, life’s biggest questions loom large, even in the smallest details.

On pripoveda o najvećim životnim pitanjima uvećavajući ih do najsitnijih detalja.

Like his narrator, Melville was a restless and curious spirit,

Poput svog pripovedača, Melvil je bio neumorna i znatiželjna priroda

who gained an unorthodox education working as a sailor

koja je stekla netradicionalno obrazovanje radeći kao mornar

on a series of grueling voyages around the world in his youth.

u nizu iscrpljujućih putovanja širom sveta u svojoj mladosti.

He published "Moby Dick" in 1851,

Objavio je „Mobi Dika” 1851. godine

when the United States’ whaling industry was at its height.

kada je lov na kitove u Sjedinjenim Državama bio na vrhuncu.

Nantucket, where the Pequod sets sail,

Nantaket, odakle Pikvod isplovljava,

was the epicenter of this lucrative and bloody global industry

bio je epicentar ove unosne i krvave globalne industrije

which decimated the world’s whale populations.

koja je desetkovala svetsku populaciju kitova.

Unusually for his time,

Neuobičajeno za svoje vreme,

Melville doesn’t shy away from the ugly side of this industry,

ali Melivil ne prikriva ružnu stranu ove industrije,

even taking the whale’s perspective at one point,

on čak u jednom trenutku uzima tačku gledišta kita,

when he speculates on how terrifying the huge shadows of the ships must be

kada razmatra kako zastrašujuće mora da izgledaju ogromne senke brodova

to the creature swimming below.

bićima koja plivaju ispod površine.

The author’s first-hand familiarity with whaling is evident

Piščevo neposredno iskustvo sa kitolovom je očigledno

over and over again in Ishmael’s vivid descriptions.

iznova i iznova u Išmaelovim živopisnim slikama.

In one chapter, the skin of a whale’s penis

U jednom poglavlju koža kitovog penisa

becomes protective clothing for a crewman.

postaje zaštitna odeća za članove posade.

Chapters with titles as unpromising as “Cistern and Buckets”

Poglavlja neobećavajućeg naslova poput „Bunar i kablovi”

become some of the novel’s most rewarding

postaju jedna od najizdašnijih poglavlja romana

as Ishmael compares bailing out a sperm-whale’s head to midwifery,

dok Išmael poredi beg iz glave ulješure sa akušerstvom,

which leads to reflections on Plato.

što dovodi do osvrta na Platonovo učenje.

Tangling whale-lines provoke witty reflections

Zamršeni tragovi kitova izazivaju pronicljiva zapažanja

on the “ever-present perils” entangling all mortals.

o „trajnim opasnostima” u koje su zapetljani svi smrtnici.

He draws on diverse branches of knowledge, like zoology, gastronomy, law, economics,

On se oslanja na razne ogranke znanja poput zoologije, gastronomije, prava,

ekonomije, mitologije i učenja koja sežu od religijskih do kulturnih tradicija.

mythology, and teachings from a range of religious and cultural traditions.

The book experiments with writing style as much as subject matter.

Knjiga, pored tema, eksperimentiše i sa raznim stilovima pisanja.

In one monologue, Ahab challenges Moby Dick in Shakespearean style:

U jednom monologu, Ahab izaziva Mobi Dika u šekspirovskom stilu:

“Towards thee I roll, thou all-destroying but unconquering whale;

„U susret ti hrlim, svezatorni stvore, koji sve uništavaš, ali ne pobeđuješ;

to the last I grapple with thee; from hell’s heart I stab at thee;

do poslednjeg daha ukoštac s tobom se hvatam; iz srca pakla udaram na te;

for hate’s sake I spit my last breath at thee.”

u svesilnoj mržnji svoj poslednji dah hučem u tebe.”

One chapter is written as a playscript,

Jedno poglavlje je napisano kao dramski tekst,

where members of the Pequod’s multi-ethnic crew chime in individually and in chorus.

gde članovi Pikvodove multietničke posade doprinose pojedinačno i horski.

African and Spanish sailors trade insults while a Tahitian seaman longs for home,

Afrički i španski mornari razmenjuju uvrede

dok tahićanski moreplovac čezne za domom;

Chinese and Portuguese crewmembers call for a dance,

kineski i portuglaski članovi posade pozivaju na ples,

and one young boy prophesies disaster.

a jedan mladić predviđa katastrofu.

In another chapter,

U jednom poglavlju,

Ishmael sings the process of decanting whale oil in epic style,

Išmael u epskom stilu peva o ceđenju kitovog ulja,

as the ship pitches and rolls in the midnight sea

dok se brod klati i plovi na ponoćnom moru,

and the casks rumble like landslides.

a burad tutnje poput odrona stena.

A book so wide-ranging has something for everyone.

U ovako opsežnoj knjizi, ima za svakog po nešto.

Readers have found religious and political allegory,

Čitaoci su otkrili religijske i političke alegorije,

existential enquiry, social satire, economic analysis,

egzistencijalna propitivanja, društvenu satiru, ekonomsku analizu

and representations of American imperialism,

kao i prikaz američkog imperijalizma,

industrial relations and racial conflict.

industrijske odnose i rasne konflikte.

As Ishmael chases meaning and Ahab chases the white whale,

Dok Išmael juri za smislom, a Ahab juri za belim kitom,

the book explores the opposing forces of optimism and uncertainty,

knjiga istražuje suprotstavljene sile optimizma i neizvesnosti,

curiosity and fear that characterize human existence

znatiželje i straha koji karakterišu ljudsko postojanje

no matter what it is we’re chasing.

bez obzira na to za čim jurili.

Through "Moby Dick’s" many pages,

Kroz brojne stranice „Mobi Dika”

Melville invites his readers to leap into the unknown,

Melvil poziva svoje čitaoce da se vinu u nepoznato

to join him on the hunt for the “ungraspable phantom of life.”

i da mu se pridruže u lovu na „nedokučivu sablazan života”.