英语听书《白鲸记》第420期

 Advance, ye mates! Cross your lances full before me. Well done!  来呀,你们大二三副三人!把你们的鱼枪在我面前交叉架起。架得好!

Let me touch the axis¹. So saying, with extended arm, he grasped the three level, radiating lances at their crossed centre; while so doing, suddenly and nervously² twitched³ them; meanwhile glancing intently from Starbuck to Stubb; from Stubb to Flask⁴.  让我摸一摸那叉轴(这里是亚哈要大二三副三人当面宣誓的意思。说着,他伸出一只胳膊,抓着那三支高低相等。闪闪发光的鱼枪所架起的叉轴;这么一抓的时候,他突然用劲把它们猛地一扭,同时,圆睁着眼,从斯达巴克望到斯塔布,又从斯塔布望到弗拉斯克,

It seemed as though, by some nameless, interior volition⁵, he would fain have shocked into them the same fiery⁶ emotion accumulated within the Leyden jar of his own magnetic life.  好象很想借一种说不出的发自内心的意志力,把这种集积在他自己那来顿瓶似的有吸引力的生命里的激情都传给他们。

The three mates quailed⁷ before his strong, sustained, and mystic aspect.  大二三副三人面对着他这种凶狠的。善于表演的。神秘的相貌,不禁畏缩起来。

Stubb and Flask looked sideways from him; the honest eye of Starbuck fell downright. 斯塔布和弗拉斯克掉过眼去,不看他;斯达巴克那双老实的眼睛挂了下来。

In vain! cried Ahab; but, maybe,it's well. For did ye three but once take the full-forced shock, then mine own electric thing, that had perhaps expired from out me.  白费!亚哈叫道;不过,也许还不错。因为你们三个人只要受到这种威力十足的电击,那么我自己的电力,那股电力或许就会从我身上全都泄光。

Perchance, too, it would have dropped ye dead. Perchance ye need it not. Down lances!  说不定还会教你们都暴死。说不定你们不需要这东西。放下鱼枪!

And now, ye mates, I do appoint ye three cupbearers to my three pagan kinsmen⁸ there-yon three most honorable gentlemen and noblemen, my valiant⁹ harpooneers.  现在你们三位大二三副,我要派你们做我那三位异教亲戚...那边那三位最可敬的绅士和贵族,我的刚勇的标枪手...的上酒人。

Disdain¹⁰ the task? What, when the great Pope washes the feet of beggars, using his tiara for ewer¹¹?  瞧不起这差使么?那么,罗马的大教皇可不是用他那三重冠当水罐去给叫化子洗脚么?

Oh, my sweet cardinals¹²! your own condescension¹³, that shall bend ye to it.  我的可爱的大主教们啊!你们自己的谦虚是会教你们勉为其难的。

I do not order ye; ye will it. Cut your seizings and draw the poles, ye harpooneers! 我不命令你们,你们自己会做。斩掉绳子,卸下杆子,你们几个标枪手!

1 axis   

n.轴，轴线，中心线；坐标轴，基准线

参考例句：

• The earth's axis is the line between the North and South Poles.地轴是南北极之间的线。
• The axis of a circle is its diameter.圆的轴线是其直径。

2 nervously   

adv.神情激动地，不安地

参考例句：

• He bit his lip nervously,trying not to cry.他紧张地咬着唇，努力忍着不哭出来。
• He paced nervously up and down on the platform.他在站台上情绪不安地走来走去。

3 twitched   

vt.& vi.（使）抽动，（使）颤动（twitch的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• Her lips twitched with amusement. 她忍俊不禁地颤动着嘴唇。
• The child's mouth twitched as if she were about to cry. 这小孩的嘴抽动着，像是要哭。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 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。

5 volition   

n.意志；决意

参考例句：

• We like to think that everything we do and everything we think is a product of our volition.我们常常认为我们所做和所想的一切都出自自己的意愿。
• Makin said Mr Coombes had gone to the police of his own volition.梅金说库姆斯先生是主动去投案的。

6 fiery   

adj.燃烧着的，火红的；暴躁的；激烈的

参考例句：

• She has fiery red hair.她有一头火红的头发。
• His fiery speech agitated the crowd.他热情洋溢的讲话激动了群众。

7 quailed   

害怕，发抖，畏缩( quail的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• I quailed at the danger. 我一遇到危险，心里就发毛。
• His heart quailed before the enormous pyramidal shape. 面对这金字塔般的庞然大物，他的心不由得一阵畏缩。 来自英汉文学

8 kinsmen   

n.家属，亲属( kinsman的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Kinsmen are less kind than friends. 投亲不如访友。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• One deeply grateful is better than kinsmen or firends. 受恩深处胜亲朋。 来自英汉 - 翻译样例 - 文学

9 valiant   

adj.勇敢的，英勇的；n.勇士，勇敢的人

参考例句：

• He had the fame of being very valiant.他的勇敢是出名的。
• Despite valiant efforts by the finance minister,inflation rose to 36%.尽管财政部部长采取了一系列果决措施，通货膨胀率还是涨到了36%。

10 disdain   

n.鄙视，轻视；v.轻视，鄙视，不屑

参考例句：

• Some people disdain labour.有些人轻视劳动。
• A great man should disdain flatterers.伟大的人物应鄙视献媚者。

11 ewer   

n.大口水罐

参考例句：

• The ewer is in very good condition with spout restored.喷口修复后，水罐还能用。
• She filled the ewer with fresh water.她将水罐注满了清水。

12 cardinals   

红衣主教( cardinal的名词复数 )； 红衣凤头鸟（见于北美，雄鸟为鲜红色）； 基数

参考例句：

• cardinals in scarlet robes 身披红袍的枢机主教
• A conclave of cardinals was held to elect the new Pope. 红衣主教团举行了秘密会议来选举新教皇。

13 condescension   

n.自以为高人一等，贬低(别人)

参考例句：

• His politeness smacks of condescension. 他的客气带有屈尊俯就的意味。
• Despite its condescension toward the Bennet family, the letter begins to allay Elizabeth's prejudice against Darcy. 尽管这封信对班纳特家的态度很高傲，但它开始消除伊丽莎白对达西的偏见。