英语听书《白鲸记》第466期

 Chapter 43 Hark! 第四十三章  听!

HIST! Did you hear that noise, Cabaco? 嘘!你可听到那声音,卡巴科?

It was the middle-watch: a fair moonlight; the seamen¹ were standing² in a cordon³, extending from one of the fresh-water butts⁴ in the waist, to the scuttle-butt near the taffrail.  这是夜班分:月色皎洁;水手们站成一条线,从中甲板的一只淡水桶伸展到船尾栏杆附近的大饮水桶。他们就这样传递水桶,加满那只大饮水桶。

In this manner, they passed the buckets to fill the scuttle-butt. Standing, for the most part, on the hallowed precincts of the quarter-deck, 他们大都站在后甲板那块禁区上,大家都很小心谨慎,嘴不说话,脚不沙沙作响。

they were careful not to speak or rustle⁵ their feet. From hand to hand, the buckets went in the deepest silence, only broken by the occasional flap of a sail, and the steady hum of the unceasingly advancing keel. 水桶就在这种阒无声动的气氛中传来递去,只有桅帆不时的拍击声,和不断向前的船骨的不变的哼哧声打破沉寂。

It was in the midst of this repose⁶, that Archy, one of the cordon, whose post was near the after-hatches, whispered to his neighbor, a Cholo, the words above. 就在这种宁静的气氛中,那个站在靠近后舱口,名字叫做阿基的水手,对他旁边那个绰罗人悄悄地说了上述那句话。

Hist! did you hear that noise, Cabaco? 嘘!你可听到那声音,卡巴科?

Take the bucket, will ye, Archy? what noise d'ye mean? 把那只桶接住好吗,阿基?你说的是什么声音?

There it is again-under the hatches-don't you hear it-a cough- it sounded like a cough. 喏,又响啦...在舱口下面...你没听到...一声咳嗽...真像是一声咳嗽。

Cough be damned! Pass along that return bucket. 咳个鬼!把那只空桶传过来吧。

There again-there it is!-it sounds like two or three sleepers⁷ turning over, now! 喏,又响啦。就在那地方!好象有两三个人在睡梦里翻身,你听!

Caramba! have done, shipmate, will ye?  胡说八道!随它去,好不好,伙计?

It's the three soaked biscuits ye eat for supper turning over inside of ye-nothing else. Look to the bucket! 那是你晚饭吃下去的三块泡湿的面包在你肚皮里翻身的缘故旁的没有什么。当心水桶!

Say what ye will, shipmate; I've sharp ears. 随你怎么说吧,伙计;我的耳朵可真灵。

1 seamen   

n.海员

参考例句：

• Experienced seamen will advise you about sailing in this weather. 有经验的海员会告诉你在这种天气下的航行情况。
• In the storm, many seamen wished they were on shore. 在暴风雨中，许多海员想，要是他们在陆地上就好了。

2 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

3 cordon   

n.警戒线，哨兵线

参考例句：

• Police officers threw a cordon around his car to protect him.警察在他汽车周围设置了防卫圈以保护他。
• There is a tight security cordon around the area.这一地区周围设有严密的安全警戒圈。

4 butts   

笑柄( butt的名词复数 )； （武器或工具的）粗大的一端； 屁股； 烟蒂

参考例句：

• The Nazis worked them over with gun butts. 纳粹分子用枪托毒打他们。
• The house butts to a cemetery. 这所房子和墓地相连。

5 rustle   

v.沙沙作响；偷盗(牛、马等)；n.沙沙声声

参考例句：

• She heard a rustle in the bushes.她听到灌木丛中一阵沙沙声。
• He heard a rustle of leaves in the breeze.他听到树叶在微风中发出的沙沙声。

6 repose   

v.(使)休息；n.安息

参考例句：

• Don't disturb her repose.不要打扰她休息。
• Her mouth seemed always to be smiling,even in repose.她的嘴角似乎总是挂着微笑，即使在睡眠时也是这样。

7 sleepers   

n.卧铺（通常以复数形式出现）；卧车( sleeper的名词复数 )；轨枕；睡觉（呈某种状态）的人；小耳环

参考例句：

• He trod quietly so as not to disturb the sleepers. 他轻移脚步，以免吵醒睡着的人。 来自辞典例句
• The nurse was out, and we two sleepers were alone. 保姆出去了，只剩下我们两个瞌睡虫。 来自辞典例句