Моби Дик

Of the Monstrous Pictures of Whales

           Asforthesign-painters’whalesseeninthestreetshangingovertheshopsofoil-dealers,whatshallbesaidofthem?TheyaregenerallyRichardIII.whales,withdromedaryhumps,andverysavage;breakfastingonthreeorfoursailortarts,thatiswhaleboatsfullofmariners:theirdeformitiesflounderinginseasofbloodandbluepaint.

           Butthesemanifoldmistakesindepictingthewhalearenotsoverysurprisingafterall.Consider!Mostofthescientificdrawingshavebeentakenfromthestrandedfish;andtheseareaboutascorrectasadrawingofawreckedship,withbrokenback,wouldcorrectlyrepresentthenobleanimalitselfinallitsundashedprideofhullandspars.Thoughelephantshavestoodfortheirfull-lengths,thelivingLeviathanhasneveryetfairlyfloatedhimselfforhisportrait.Thelivingwhale,inhisfullmajestyandsignificance,isonlytobeseenatseainunfathomablewaters;andafloatthevastbulkofhimisoutofsight,likealaunchedline-of-battleship;andoutofthatelementitisathingeternallyimpossibleformortalmantohoisthimbodilyintotheair,soastopreserveallhismightyswellsandundulations.And,nottospeakofthehighlypresumabledifferenceofcontourbetweenayoungsucklingwhaleandafull-grownPlatonianLeviathan;yet,eveninthecaseofoneofthoseyoungsuckingwhaleshoistedtoaship’sdeck,suchisthentheoutlandish,eel-like,limbered,varyingshapeofhim,thathispreciseexpressionthedevilhimselfcouldnotcatch.

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