英语听书《白鲸记》第273期

 It was quite late in the evening when the little Moss¹ came snugly² to anchor, and Queequeg and I went ashore³;  小摩斯号从容抛锚泊岸后,我和魁魁格上岸的时候,已是暮色深沉了;

so we could attend to no business that day, at least none but a supper and a bed.  这样,我们当天是办不成什么事了,充其量不过是去找个吃饭和睡觉的地方。

The landlord of the Spouter-Inn had recommended us to his cousin Hosea Hussey of the Try Pots,  大鲸客店的老板推荐我们住到他那个开炼锅客店的荷西亚。

whom he asserted to be the proprietor⁴ of one of the best kept hotels in all Nantucket,  胡赛表弟那里去,他说,他表弟所开的客店是全南塔开特设备最好的客店之一,

and moreover he had assured us that Cousin Hosea, as he called him, was famous for his chowders.  而且,他还对我们保证说,荷西亚老表是以做杂烩出名的。

In short, he plainly hinted that we could not possibly do better than try pot-luck at the Try Pots.  总之,他清清楚楚地暗示,除了到炼锅去尝一尝那家常的杂烩以外,我们是再也找不到更好的东西了。

But the directions he had given us about keeping a yellow warehouse⁵ on our starboard hand till we opened a white church to the larboard,  但是,他告诉我们的路径却是要循着一条右边有一间黄色仓库的路一直走去,

and then keeping that on the larboard hand till we made a corner three points to the starboard, and that done, then ask the first man we met where the place was;  直走到左边有一座白色的教堂的地方,然后继续沿着左边走,直到我们在隔开先前那右边有三个方位的地方拐了弯,拐过弯后,就可以向首先碰到的人打听一下炼锅的地方;

these crooked⁶ directions of his very much puzzled us at first, especially as, at the outset,  他说的这种弯弯曲曲的路径本来就很教我们糊涂,

Queequeg insisted that the yellow warehouse-our first point of departure-must be left on the larboard hand,  尤其是一开始魁魁格却坚称那座黄色仓库就是我们出发的第一个方位的地方...一定是在左边,

whereas I had understood Peter Coffin⁷ to say it was on the starboard.  然而,我却清清楚楚地记得彼得。

However, by dint⁸ of beating about a little in the dark, and now and then knocking up a peaceable inhabitant to inquire the way,  科芬说是在右边的。不过,经过我们在漆黑里旋来旋去地瞎摸一阵,又不时敲起老百姓的门来问路后,

we at last came to something which there was no mistaking. 我们终于到了好象是没错的地方了。

Two enormous wooden pots painted black, and suspended by asses⁹' ears, swung from the cross-trees of an old top-mast, planted in front of an old doorway¹⁰.  一幢古老房屋的大门口,竖有一根旧中桅,在它那横木上,摇曳着两只吊住锅耳的。

The horns of the cross-trees were sawed off on the other side, so that this old top-mast looked not a little like a gallows¹¹.  漆成黑色的大木锅,那横木的两只角都锯掉了一边,因此,这根旧中桅的样子,就很象一只绞架。

staring at me in the whalemen's chapel¹², and here a gallows! and a pair of prodigious¹³ black pots too! Are these last throwing out oblique¹⁴ hints touching¹⁵ Tophet? 我当时这种想法也许是过于敏感些,可是,我仍不禁心神微感不安地瞪眼望着这只绞架。

1 moss   

n.苔，藓，地衣

参考例句：

• Moss grows on a rock.苔藓生在石头上。
• He was found asleep on a pillow of leaves and moss.有人看见他枕着树叶和苔藓睡着了。

2 snugly   

adv.紧贴地；贴身地；暖和舒适地；安适地

参考例句：

• Jamie was snugly wrapped in a white woolen scarf. 杰米围着一条白色羊毛围巾舒适而暖和。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The farmyard was snugly sheltered with buildings on three sides. 这个农家院三面都有楼房，遮得很严实。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 ashore   

adv.在(向)岸上，上岸

参考例句：

• The children got ashore before the tide came in.涨潮前，孩子们就上岸了。
• He laid hold of the rope and pulled the boat ashore.他抓住绳子拉船靠岸。

4 proprietor   

n.所有人；业主；经营者

参考例句：

• The proprietor was an old acquaintance of his.业主是他的一位旧相识。
• The proprietor of the corner grocery was a strange thing in my life.拐角杂货店店主是我生活中的一个怪物。

5 warehouse   

n.仓库；vt.存入仓库

参考例句：

• We freighted the goods to the warehouse by truck.我们用卡车把货物运到仓库。
• The manager wants to clear off the old stocks in the warehouse.经理想把仓库里积压的存货处理掉。

6 crooked   

adj.弯曲的；不诚实的，狡猾的，不正当的

参考例句：

• He crooked a finger to tell us to go over to him.他弯了弯手指，示意我们到他那儿去。
• You have to drive slowly on these crooked country roads.在这些弯弯曲曲的乡间小路上你得慢慢开车。

7 coffin   

n.棺材，灵柩

参考例句：

• When one's coffin is covered,all discussion about him can be settled.盖棺论定。
• The coffin was placed in the grave.那口棺材已安放到坟墓里去了。

8 dint   

n.由于，靠；凹坑

参考例句：

• He succeeded by dint of hard work.他靠苦干获得成功。
• He reached the top by dint of great effort.他费了很大的劲终于爬到了顶。

9 asses   

n. 驴，愚蠢的人，臀部 adv. (常用作后置)用于贬损或骂人

参考例句：

• Sometimes I got to kick asses to make this place run right. 有时我为了把这个地方搞得像个样子，也不得不踢踢别人的屁股。 来自教父部分
• Those were wild asses maybe, or zebras flying around in herds. 那些也许是野驴或斑马在成群地奔跑。

10 doorway   

n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径

参考例句：

• They huddled in the shop doorway to shelter from the rain.他们挤在商店门口躲雨。
• Mary suddenly appeared in the doorway.玛丽突然出现在门口。

11 gallows   

n.绞刑架，绞台

参考例句：

• The murderer was sent to the gallows for his crimes.谋杀犯由于罪大恶极被处以绞刑。
• Now I was to expiate all my offences at the gallows.现在我将在绞刑架上赎我一切的罪过。

12 chapel   

n.小教堂，殡仪馆

参考例句：

• The nimble hero,skipped into a chapel that stood near.敏捷的英雄跳进近旁的一座小教堂里。
• She was on the peak that Sunday afternoon when she played in chapel.那个星期天的下午，她在小教堂的演出，可以说是登峰造极。

13 prodigious   

adj.惊人的，奇妙的；异常的；巨大的；庞大的

参考例句：

• This business generates cash in prodigious amounts.这种业务收益丰厚。
• He impressed all who met him with his prodigious memory.他惊人的记忆力让所有见过他的人都印象深刻。

14 oblique   

adj.斜的，倾斜的，无诚意的，不坦率的

参考例句：

• He made oblique references to her lack of experience.他拐弯抹角地说她缺乏经验。
• She gave an oblique look to one side.她向旁边斜看了一眼。

15 touching   

adj.动人的，使人感伤的

参考例句：

• It was a touching sight.这是一幅动人的景象。
• His letter was touching.他的信很感人。