Not P but Moby-Dick (2)

[Mike Jing]

Indeed, "offing" here seems to mean "The part of the visible sea at a
distance from the shore beyond anchorages or inshore navigational
dangers."(OED 1.a.), in the literal sense, not figuratively as in "in the
offing" later.

I was asking because five previous Chinese translations all got the
"reported" part wrong, but I think I have figured out what the landlord was
talking about. He must have seen reports of the ship's approach from
sightings or some other means.

Thanks for replying, Michael and Scott.


On Sat, Jul 29, 2023 at 6:46 AM Scott Badger <jscottbadger at gmail.com> wrote:

> ‘Offing’ usually refers to the distance a ship keeps between itself and
> the shore to avoid hazards. ‘In the offing’ can also mean in the future and
> here it sounds like some sort of daily harbor notice of ship departures and
> arrivals.
>
> On Friday, July 28, 2023, Mike Jing <gravitys.rainbow.cn at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> The following excerpt is from Chapter 3:
>>
>> Presently a rioting noise was heard without. Starting up, the landlord
>> cried, “That’s the Grampus’s crew. I seed her reported in the offing this
>> morning; a three years’ voyage, and a full ship. Hurrah, boys; now we’ll
>> have the latest news from the Feegees.”
>>
>> What does "I seed her reported in the offing this morning" mean? I
>> understand "seed" here is a variant of "see."
>> --
>> Pynchon-L: https://waste.org/mailman/listinfo/pynchon-l
>>
>