英语听书《白鲸记》第141期

 The dignity of our calling the very heavens attest¹. Cetus is a constellation² in the South! No more!  鲸座是天上的一个星座，捕鲸者是何等的威风也便可想而知了。

Drive down your hat in presence of the Czar, and take it off to Queequeg! No more!  如果你对沙皇脱帽的话，那么我相信你也会对魁魁格脱帽的！

I know a man that, in his lifetime, has taken three hundred and fifty whales.  噢，天知道，人们除了捕鲸还有什么可以称为威风的事呢？ 

I account that man more honourable³ than that great captain of antiquity⁴ who boasted of taking as many walled towns.  一个一生中捕到过三百五十条鲸鱼的捕鲸者，远比占领过同样多的城池的将军威风！

And, as for me, if, by any possibility, there be any as yet undiscovered prime thing in me;  我个人就更不用说了。如果我的生命中还有什么闪光之处的话；

if I shall ever deserve any real repute in that small but high hushed world which I might not be unreasonably⁵ ambitious of;  如果我在这个纷纷攘攘的世界上还配有一点我并不追求的名望的话；

if hereafter I shall do anything that, upon the whole, a man might rather have done than to have left undone⁶;  如果我还为人类做了一点有益的事情的话；

if, at my death, my executors, or more properly my creditors⁷, find any precious MSS.  或者说我的继承人—也许叫债权人更合适

in my desk, then here I prospectively⁸ ascribe all the honour and the glory to whaling; for a whale-ship was my Yale College and my Harvard.  在我的抽屉里还能找到一部什么手稿的话，那么所有的这一切都应归功于捕鲸业！ 捕鲸船就是我的哈佛大学！ 捕鲸船就是我的耶鲁大学！

1 attest   

vt.证明，证实；表明

参考例句：

• I can attest to the absolute truth of his statement. 我可以证实他的话是千真万确的。
• These ruins sufficiently attest the former grandeur of the place. 这些遗迹充分证明此处昔日的宏伟。

2 constellation   

n.星座n.灿烂的一群

参考例句：

• A constellation is a pattern of stars as seen from the earth. 一个星座只是从地球上看到的某些恒星的一种样子。
• The Big Dipper is not by itself a constellation. 北斗七星本身不是一个星座。

3 honourable   

adj.可敬的；荣誉的，光荣的

参考例句：

• I don't think I am worthy of such an honourable title.这样的光荣称号，我可担当不起。
• I hope to find an honourable way of settling difficulties.我希望设法找到一个体面的办法以摆脱困境。

4 antiquity   

n.古老；高龄；古物，古迹

参考例句：

• The museum contains the remains of Chinese antiquity.博物馆藏有中国古代的遗物。
• There are many legends about the heroes of antiquity.有许多关于古代英雄的传说。

5 unreasonably   

adv. 不合理地

参考例句：

• He was also petty, unreasonably querulous, and mean. 他还是个气量狭窄，无事生非，平庸刻薄的人。
• Food in that restaurant is unreasonably priced. 那家饭店价格不公道。

6 undone   

a.未做完的，未完成的

参考例句：

• He left nothing undone that needed attention.所有需要注意的事他都注意到了。

7 creditors   

n.债权人，债主( creditor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They agreed to repay their creditors over a period of three years. 他们同意3年内向债主还清欠款。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Creditors could obtain a writ for the arrest of their debtors. 债权人可以获得逮捕债务人的令状。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 prospectively   

adv.预期； 前瞻性； 潜在； 可能

参考例句：

• Methods: Twenty-four cases with JAS were prospectively analyzed and followed up. 方法对24例JAS进行前瞻性分析及随访研究。 来自互联网
• Our study appears to be the only one a prospectively randomized investigation of 2 different surgeries. 我们的研究似乎是仅有的一个对2种术式前瞻性随机性研究。 来自互联网