英语听书《白鲸记》第364期

 Next morning Stubb accosted¹ Flask². 隔天早晨,斯塔布走上来对弗拉斯克说:

Such a queer dream, King-Post, I never had. You know the old man's ivory leg, well I dreamed he kicked me with it;  这样一个怪梦,中柱呀,我可从来没有做过。你总知道老头儿那条牙腿,哼,我梦到他用那条腿踢了我;

and when I tried to kick back, upon my soul, my little man, I kicked my leg right off! And then, presto³! Ahab seemed a pyramid, and I like a blazing fool, kept kicking at it.  正当我想回踢一下,确确实实,我的小朋友,我就立刻把我的脚踢了出去!于是乎,完啦!亚哈象个金字塔,可我呀,活脱是个大傻瓜,不断地踢它。

But what was still more curious, Flask-you know how curious all dreams are--through all this rage that I was in,  可是,更奇怪的是,弗拉斯克...你知道,所有的梦都是多么奇怪的呀...我在这样满腔怒火中,却不知怎的,

I somehow seemed to be thinking to myself, that after all, it was not much of an insult, that kick from Ahab. 'Why,' thinks I, 'what's the row?  我似乎在暗自思量,认为亚哈踢我,毕竟还算不上是很大的侮辱。'怎么?我心里想,'这算什么?

It's not a real leg, only a false one.' And there's a mighty⁴ difference between a living thump⁵ and a dead thump.  那又不是条真腿,不过是条假腿罢了。真打跟假打,那可是大大不同的呵。

That's what makes a blow from the hand, Flask, fifty times more savage⁶ to bear than a blow from a cane⁷.  弗拉所克,这就是为什么吃一记拳头比吃一记手杖更要难挨五十倍的道理了。

The living member-that makes the living insult, my little man.  真正的肢体...就会给人以真正的侮辱,我的小朋友。

And thinks I to myself all the while, mind, while I was stubbing my silly toes against that cursed pyramid-so confoundedly contradictory⁸ was it all, all the while,  听着,我一边用我的笨脚趾踩着那可恶的金字塔,一为一直暗自思量...这一切竟是矛盾得这么厉害,

I say, I was thinking to myself, 'what's his leg now, but a cane. a whale-bone cane.  我说,我一直在暗自思量;'他那算是什么腿,不过是根手杖...一根鲸骨手杖罢了。

Yes,' thinks I, 'it was only a playful cudgelling--in fact, only a whaleboning that he gave me-not a base kick.  不错,,我心里想,'那不过是一种开玩笑的棒打...事实上,他只是用鲸骨给我一顿敲打...并不是一种恶意的踢。

Besides,' thinks I, 'look at it once; why, the end of it--the foot part-what a small sort of end it is;  再说。,我又想,'你就看一看吧;哼,那尾梢...就是脚端的那部分...那可是多么细小的尾梢呀。

whereas, if a broad footed farmer kicked me, there's a devilish broad insult.  因此,要是一个大脚农民踢了我,那才是一种该死的大侮辱呀。

1 accosted   

v.走过去跟…讲话( accost的过去式和过去分词 )；跟…搭讪；（乞丐等）上前向…乞讨；（妓女等）勾搭

参考例句：

• She was accosted in the street by a complete stranger. 在街上，一个完全陌生的人贸然走到她跟前搭讪。
• His benevolent nature prevented him from refusing any beggar who accosted him. 他乐善好施的本性使他不会拒绝走上前向他行乞的任何一个乞丐。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 flask   

n.瓶，火药筒，砂箱

参考例句：

• There is some deposit in the bottom of the flask.这只烧杯的底部有些沉淀物。
• He took out a metal flask from a canvas bag.他从帆布包里拿出一个金属瓶子。

3 presto   

adv.急速地；n.急板乐段；adj.急板的

参考例句：

• With something so important,you can't just wave a wand and presto!在这么重大的问题上，你想挥动一下指挥棒，转眼就变过来,办不到！
• I just turned the piece of wire in the lock and hey presto,the door opened.我把金属丝伸到锁孔里一拧，嘿，那门就开了。

4 mighty   

adj.强有力的；巨大的

参考例句：

• A mighty force was about to break loose.一股巨大的力量即将迸发而出。
• The mighty iceberg came into view.巨大的冰山出现在眼前。

5 thump   

v.重击，砰然地响；n.重击，重击声

参考例句：

• The thief hit him a thump on the head.贼在他的头上重击一下。
• The excitement made her heart thump.她兴奋得心怦怦地跳。

6 savage   

adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人

参考例句：

• The poor man received a savage beating from the thugs.那可怜的人遭到暴徒的痛打。
• He has a savage temper.他脾气粗暴。

7 cane   

n.手杖，细长的茎，藤条；v.以杖击，以藤编制的

参考例句：

• This sugar cane is quite a sweet and juicy.这甘蔗既甜又多汁。
• English schoolmasters used to cane the boys as a punishment.英国小学老师过去常用教鞭打男学生作为惩罚。

8 contradictory   

adj.反驳的，反对的，抗辩的；n.正反对，矛盾对立

参考例句：

• The argument is internally contradictory.论据本身自相矛盾。
• What he said was self-contradictory.他讲话前后不符。