英语听书《白鲸记》第354期

 But it was especially the aspect of the three chief officers of the ship, the mates, which was most forcibly calculated to allay¹ these colorless misgivings², and induce confidence and cheerfulness in every presentment of the voyage.  尤其是这艘船上三个主要头目,那大二三副的态度,都表现得足以教人消除这些无谓的忧虑,足以教人对航程的各种情况引起信心和愉快。

Three better, more likely sea-officers and men, each in his own different way, could not readily be found, and they were every one of them Americans;  这三个比较好又比较象船上头目和水手的人,虽然各有一套,却并不是容易找得到的,他们每个人都是美洲人;

a Nantucketer, a Vineyarder, a Cape³ man.  一个是南塔开特人,一个是维因耶德人,一个是科德角人。

Now, it being Christmas when the ship shot from out her harbor, for a space we had biting Polar weather, though all the time running away from it to the southward; 且说这只船离开港埠的时候,正是圣诞节期间,虽然暂时我们还在过着冷彻肌肤的北极气候,但航程却时刻都在离开那种气候,向南奔驶;

and by every degree and minute of latitude⁴ which we sailed, gradually leaving that merciless winter, and all its intolerable weather behind us.  而且我们向前驶去的每分每秒,也正在慢慢地把那种无情的冬季,和冬季种种难耐的气候撂在我们后边。

It was one of those less lowering, but still grey and gloomy enough mornings of the transition,  有一天早晨,正是天色不那么阴霾,将明未亮,但还是灰的时分,

when with a fair wind the ship was rushing through the water with a vindictive⁵ sort of leaping and melancholy⁶ rapidity,  船只随着一阵顺风,以报复似的急跳和伤感的速度向前急冲,

that as I mounted to the deck at the call of the forenoon watch, so soon as I levelled my glance towards the taffrail, foreboding shivers ran over me.  那会儿,我正登上甲板去值上午班,把眼睛向船尾栏杆一瞄,我顿时浑身掠过一阵预兆性的寒颤。

Reality outran apprehension⁷;  现实超过恐惧;

Captain Ahab stood upon his quarter-deck. 亚哈船长站在他的后甲板上了。

There seemed no sign of common bodily illness about him, nor of the recovery from any.  他的身体似乎看不出有什么普通的症状,也看不出他已经好了多少。

He looked like a man cut away from the stake, when the fire has overrunningly wasted all the limbs without consuming them,  他那样子就象一个刚从火刑柱上解下来的人,虽然火焰烤干了四肢,却没有把四肢烧掉,

or taking away one particle from their compacted aged⁸ robustness⁹.  也分毫没有损及他那久经风霜的结实躯体。

1 allay   

v.消除，减轻(恐惧、怀疑等)

参考例句：

• The police tried to allay her fears but failed.警察力图减轻她的恐惧，但是没有收到什么效果。
• They are trying to allay public fears about the spread of the disease.他们正竭力减轻公众对这种疾病传播的恐惧。

2 misgivings   

n.疑虑，担忧，害怕；疑虑，担心，恐惧( misgiving的名词复数 )；疑惧

参考例句：

• I had grave misgivings about making the trip. 对于这次旅行我有过极大的顾虑。
• Don't be overtaken by misgivings and fear. Just go full stream ahead! 不要瞻前顾后， 畏首畏尾。甩开膀子干吧！ 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

3 cape   

n.海角，岬；披肩，短披风

参考例句：

• I long for a trip to the Cape of Good Hope.我渴望到好望角去旅行。
• She was wearing a cape over her dress.她在外套上披着一件披肩。

4 latitude   

n.纬度，行动或言论的自由(范围)，(pl.)地区

参考例句：

• The latitude of the island is 20 degrees south.该岛的纬度是南纬20度。
• The two cities are at approximately the same latitude.这两个城市差不多位于同一纬度上。

5 vindictive   

adj.有报仇心的，怀恨的，惩罚的

参考例句：

• I have no vindictive feelings about it.我对此没有恶意。
• The vindictive little girl tore up her sister's papers.那个充满报复心的小女孩撕破了她姐姐的作业。

6 melancholy   

n.忧郁，愁思；adj.令人感伤（沮丧）的，忧郁的

参考例句：

• All at once he fell into a state of profound melancholy.他立即陷入无尽的忧思之中。
• He felt melancholy after he failed the exam.这次考试没通过，他感到很郁闷。

7 apprehension   

n.理解，领悟；逮捕，拘捕；忧虑

参考例句：

• There were still areas of doubt and her apprehension grew.有些地方仍然存疑，于是她越来越担心。
• She is a girl of weak apprehension.她是一个理解力很差的女孩。

8 aged   

adj.年老的，陈年的

参考例句：

• He had put on weight and aged a little.他胖了，也老点了。
• He is aged,but his memory is still good.他已年老，然而记忆力还好。

9 robustness   

坚固性，健壮性；鲁棒性

参考例句：

• There were other reasons for concern about the robustness of an economic recovery. 人们还有其他一些原因对经济恢复的健全程度表示关心。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件
• Robustness analysis attracts more and more attention in these years. 鲁棒性分析是近几年学术界较为关注的问题。 来自互联网