CHAPTER116TheDyingWhale

notseldominthislife,when,ontherightside,fortune'sfavouritessailclosebyus,we,thoughalladroopbefore,catchsomewhatoftherushingbreeze,andjoyfullyfeelouringsailsfillout.soseemeditwiththepequod.fornextdayafterencounteringthegaybachelor,whaleswereseenandfourwereslain;andoneofthembyahab.

itwasfardowntheafternoon;andwhenallthespearingsofthecrimsonfightweredone:andfloatininthelovelysunsetseaandsky,sunandwhalebothstillydiedtogether;then,suchasweetnessandsuchplaintiveness,suchinwreathingorisonscurledupinthatrosyair,thatitalmostseemedasiffaroverfromthedeepgreenconventvalleysofthemanillaisles,thespanishland-breeze,wantonlyturnedsailor,hadgonetosea,freightedwiththesevesperhymns.

soothedagain,butonlysoothedtodeepergloom,ahab,whohadsternedofffromthewhale,satintentlywatchinghisfinalwaningsfromthenowtranquilboat.forthatstrangespectacleobservableinallspermwhalesdying—theturningsunwardsofthehead,andsoexpiring—thatstrangespectacle,beheldofsuchaplacidevening,somehowtoahabconveyedawondrousnessunknownbefore.

"heturnsandturnshimtoit,—howslowly,buthowsteadfastly,hishomage-renderingandinvokingbrow,withhislastdyingmotions.hetooworshipsfire;mostfaithful,broad,baronialvassalofthesun!ohthatthesetoo-favouringeyesshouldseethesetoofavouringsights.look!here,farwater-locked;beyondallhumofhumanwealorwoe;inthesemostcandidandimpartialseas;wheretotraditionsnorocksfurnishtablets;whereforlongchineseages,thebillowshavestillrolledonspeechlessandunspokento,asstarsthatshineupontheniger'sunknownsource;here,too,lifediessunwardsfulloffaith;butsee!nosoonerdead,thandeathwhirlsroundthecorpse,anditheadssomeotherway.

"oh,thoudarkhindoohalfofnature,whoofdrownedboneshastbuildedthyseparatethronesomewhereintheheartoftheseunverduredseas;thouartaninfidel,thouqueen,andtootrulyspeakesttomeinthewideslaughteringtyphoon,andthehushedburialofitsaftercalm.norhasthisthywhalesunwardsturnedhisdyinghead,andthengoneroundagain,withoutalessontome.

"oh,treblyhoopedandweldedhipofpower!oh,highaspiring,rainbowedjet!—thatonestrivest,thisonejettestallinvain!invain,ohwhale,dostthouseekintercedingswithyonall-quickeningsun,thatonlycallsforthlife,butgivesitnotagain.yetdostthou,darkerhalf,rockmewithaprouder,ifadarkerfaith.allthyunnamableimminglingsfloatbeneathmehere;iambuoyedbybreathsofoncelivingthings,exhaledasair,butwaternow.

"thenhail,foreverhail,osea,inwhoseeternaltossingsthewildfowlfindshisonlyrest.bornofearth,yetsuckledbythesea;thoughhillandvalleymotheredme,yebillowsaremyfoster-brothers!"