Lostalley in his following up post quoted a fragment of line from Herman Melville‘s novelette.  It was challenging to me so I found the complete paragraph and spent some time to figure out the meaning of it.  Here is what I got.  It was a good translation practice.  I share my translation here and I welcome discussions.

“The stranger had given a blithesome promise, and anchored it with oaths, but oaths and anchors equally will drag; naught else abides on fickle earth but unkept promises of joy. Contrary winds from out unstable skies, or contrary moods of his more varying mind, or shipwreck and sudden death in solitary waves — whatever was the cause, the blithe stranger never was seen again. ”

“那陌生人留下了讓人充滿希望的諾言， 並一再發誓要承諾它， 但誓言和承諾是一樣靠不住的； 在這個多變的世界沒有什麽不變， 如有， 隻是那些無法兌現， 讓人空歡喜的諾言, 無法預測的天空中刮來的逆風， 或他原本多變的心中出現的另一種心情， 抑或不幸翻船， 死於突然出現的孤立波 - 無論是什麽原因， 那樂觀的陌生人再也沒有出現。”