He saw the vast, involved wrinkles of the slightly projecting
head beyond. Before it, far out on the soft Turkish-rugged waters,
went the glistening white shadow from his broad, milky forehead, a musical
rippling playfully accompanying the shade; and behind, the blue waters
interchangeably flowed over into the moving valley of his steady wake;
and on either hand bright bubbles arose and danced by his side.
But these were broken again by the light toes of hundreds of gay
fowls softly feathering the sea, alternate with their fitful flight;
and like to some flag-staff rising from the painted hull of an argosy,
the tall but shattered pole of a recent lance projected from the white
whale's back; and at intervals one of the cloud of soft-toed
fowls hovering, and to and fro skimming like a canopy over the fish,
silently perched and rocked on this pole, the long tail feathers
streaming like pennons.
A gentle joyousness--a mighty mildness of repose in swiftness,
invested the gliding whale. Not the white bull Jupiter swimming
away with ravished Europa clinging to his graceful horns;
his lovely, leering eyes sideways intent upon the maid;
with smooth bewitching fleetness, rippling straight for the nuptial
bower in Crete; not Jove, not that great majesty Supreme! did
surpass the glorified White Whale as he so divinely swam.
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