英语听书《白鲸记》第477期

 But this is not all. 但是，这还没有说完。

New Zealand Tom and Don Miguel, 新西兰的汤姆和唐.米格尔，

after at various times creating great havoc¹ among the boats of different vessels², 在各个不同的时间里，在各式各样的船只的小艇间闯下了大祸后，

were finally gone in quest of, systematically³ hunted out, 经过勇猛的捕鲸船长们的搜索，有系统地猎逐。

chased and killed by valiant⁴ whaling captains, 追捕而终于被杀死了。

who heaved up their anchors with that express object as much in view, 这些船长一看到那显明的目标就都拖起锚来，

as in setting out through the Narragansett Woods, 如同古代的巴特勒(巴特勒——据百周年纪念版注，作者所指的这个巴特勒是威廉。巴特勒中校，他在一七七八年远征印度。)队长从那拉甘塞特湾(那拉甘塞特湾——在美国罗得岛的一个小湾。)出发，

Captain Butler of old had it in his mind to capture that notorious murderous savage⁵ Annawon, 存心要逮住那个罪恶昭彰的杀人魔王安那温，

the headmost warrior⁶ of the Indian King Philip. 即印第安"国王"菲力浦(菲力浦"国王"——英国移民给米他柯默特(1620—1676)，美洲印第安的万潘那亚格族的酋长所起的称号。)的打前锋的武士一样。

I do not know where I can find a better place than just here, 我不知道能够在哪里找到一个比这儿更好的地方，

to make mention of one or two other things, which to me seem important, 可以让我提出我觉得很重要的另外一两桩事来，

as in printed form establishing in all respects the reasonableness of the whole story of the White Whale, 它们都是以书籍形式从各方面来证实整个有关白鲸的故事是合乎常理的，

more especially the catastrophe⁷. 尤其是提到它所造成的大灾害。

For this is one of those disheartening instances where truth requires full as much bolstering⁸ as error. 因为这是那些令人沮丧的实例之一，是非曲直都需要有充分的根据。

So ignorant are most landsmen of some of the plainest and most palpable wonders of the world,  大多数陆地人对于世界上一些最平淡而又最为显著的奇事竟是如此无知，

that without some hints touching⁹ the plain facts, historical and otherwise, of the fishery,  因此，如果不提出有关捕鱼业的历史上的或者其它方面的简单事实，

they might scout¹⁰ at Moby Dick as a monstrous¹¹ fable¹², 他们可能会把莫比－迪克讥笑为一种荒唐的神话，

or still worse and more detestable, 甚至更其糟糕也更其可恶的，

a hideous¹³ and intolerable allegory. 把它讥笑为一种恐怖难堪的寓言。

First: Though most men have some vague flitting ideas of the general perils¹⁴ of the grand fishery, 首先，虽然大多数人对这一规模宏大的捕鱼业的一般危险，

yet they have nothing like a fixed¹⁵, vivid conception of those perils, and the frequency with which they recur¹⁶. 有一些模糊缥缈的印象，然而，他们对于这些危险以及他们脑子里所常常想到的危险，却一点也没有什么固定明晰的概念。

One reason perhaps is, that not one in fifty of the actual disasters and deaths by casualties in the fishery,  理由之一也许是因为在五十件渔业界的意外事故的实际死难中，

ever finds a public record at home, 在国内从来一件都没有公开记载过，

however transient and immediately forgotten that record. 哪怕那记载是怎样昙花一现，随即就被人遗忘了的也没有。

Do you suppose that that poor fellow there, 你可会想到，这会儿也许就有一个可怜的家伙，

who this moment perhaps caught by the whale-line off the coast of New Guinea, 在新几内亚的海面上被捕鲸索缠住了，

is being carried down to the bottom of the sea by the sounding leviathan 正被一只大海兽给拖到海底里去了么

do you suppose that that poor fellow's name will appear in the newspaper obituary¹⁷ you will read to-morrow at your breakfast? 你可以为这个可怜的家伙的名字，会出现在你明天吃早餐时看到的报纸的讣告栏里么?

No: because the mails are very irregular between here and New Guinea. 不会的。因为这里跟新几内亚之间的邮递很不正常。

In fact, did you ever hear what might be called regular news direct or indirect from New Guinea? 事实上，所谓来自新几内亚的直接或间接的正常新闻，你可曾听到过么?

Yet I will tell you that upon one particular voyage which I made to the Pacific, 然而，我却要告诉你，有一回，我在去太平洋的一次航程中，

among many others we spoke¹⁸ thirty different ships, 从我们跟其他许多人的谈话中，就得知有三十艘不同的船只，

every one of which had had a death by a whale, 每艘船都有一个被大鲸弄死了的人，

some of them more than one, and three that had each lost a boat's crew. 有些还不止一人，有三艘船还各损失了整只小艇的船员呢。

For God's sake, be economical with your lamps and candles! 千万请你节省灯油和蜡烛!

not a gallon you burn, 你当然点不了一加仑油，

but at least one drop of man's blood was spilled for it. 不过至少那里面总洒有一滴人血。

Secondly¹⁹: People ashore²⁰ have indeed some indefinite idea that a whale is an enormous creature of enormous power; 其次，岸上人也的确有一种不明确的想法，认为大鲸就是力大无边的大生物。

but I have ever found that when narrating²¹ to them some specific example of this two-fold enormousness, 但我又始终发现，每当我把这种体大力大的生物的典型事例说给他们听的时候，

they have significantly complimented me upon my facetiousness²³; 他们却又很有意思地夸奖起我的戏谑来，

when, I declare upon my soul, 于是，我只得凭良心对他们说，

I had no more idea of being facetious²² than Moses, when he wrote the history of the plagues of Egypt. 我是跟那个写埃及的灾史(指《旧约。出埃及记》。)的摩西一样，一点也没有要戏谑的念头。

1 havoc   

n.大破坏，浩劫，大混乱，大杂乱

参考例句：

• The earthquake wreaked havoc on the city.地震对这个城市造成了大破坏。
• This concentration of airborne firepower wrought havoc with the enemy forces.这次机载火力的集中攻击给敌军造成很大破坏。

2 vessels   

n.血管( vessel的名词复数 )；船；容器；（具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的）人

参考例句：

• The river is navigable by vessels of up to 90 tons. 90 吨以下的船只可以从这条河通过。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• All modern vessels of any size are fitted with radar installations. 所有现代化船只都有雷达装置。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

3 systematically   

adv.有系统地

参考例句：

• This government has systematically run down public services since it took office.这一屆政府自上台以来系统地削减了公共服务。
• The rainforest is being systematically destroyed.雨林正被系统地毀灭。

4 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%。

5 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。

6 warrior   

n.勇士，武士，斗士

参考例句：

• The young man is a bold warrior.这个年轻人是个很英勇的武士。
• A true warrior values glory and honor above life.一个真正的勇士珍视荣誉胜过生命。

7 catastrophe   

n.大灾难，大祸

参考例句：

• I owe it to you that I survived the catastrophe.亏得你我才大难不死。
• This is a catastrophe beyond human control.这是一场人类无法控制的灾难。

8 bolstering   

v.支持( bolster的现在分词 )；支撑；给予必要的支持；援助

参考例句：

• Why should Donahue's people concern themselves with bolstering your image? 唐纳休的人为什么要费心维护你的形象？ 来自辞典例句
• He needed bolstering and support. 他需要别人助他一臂之力。 来自辞典例句

9 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。

10 scout   

n.童子军，侦察员；v.侦察，搜索

参考例句：

• He was mistaken for an enemy scout and badly wounded.他被误认为是敌人的侦察兵，受了重伤。
• The scout made a stealthy approach to the enemy position.侦察兵偷偷地靠近敌军阵地。

11 monstrous   

adj.巨大的；恐怖的；可耻的，丢脸的

参考例句：

• The smoke began to whirl and grew into a monstrous column.浓烟开始盘旋上升，形成了一个巨大的烟柱。
• Your behaviour in class is monstrous!你在课堂上的行为真是丢人！

12 fable   

n.寓言；童话；神话

参考例句：

• The fable is given on the next page. 这篇寓言登在下一页上。
• He had some motive in telling this fable. 他讲这寓言故事是有用意的。

13 hideous   

adj.丑陋的，可憎的，可怕的，恐怖的

参考例句：

• The whole experience had been like some hideous nightmare.整个经历就像一场可怕的噩梦。
• They're not like dogs,they're hideous brutes.它们不像狗，是丑陋的畜牲。

14 perils   

极大危险( peril的名词复数 )； 危险的事（或环境）

参考例句：

• The commander bade his men be undaunted in the face of perils. 指挥员命令他的战士要临危不惧。
• With how many more perils and disasters would he load himself? 他还要再冒多少风险和遭受多少灾难？

15 fixed   

adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的

参考例句：

• Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗？
• Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定，我们就不应该随意改变。

16 recur   

vi.复发，重现，再发生

参考例句：

• Economic crises recur periodically.经济危机周期性地发生。
• Of course,many problems recur at various periods.当然，有许多问题会在不同的时期反复提出。

17 obituary   

n.讣告，死亡公告；adj.死亡的

参考例句：

• The obituary records the whole life of the deceased.讣文记述了这位死者的生平。
• Five days after the letter came,he found Andersen s obituary in the morning paper.收到那封信五天后，他在早报上发现了安德森的讣告。

18 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

19 secondly   

adv.第二，其次

参考例句：

• Secondly,use your own head and present your point of view.第二，动脑筋提出自己的见解。
• Secondly it is necessary to define the applied load.其次，需要确定所作用的载荷。

20 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。

21 narrating   

v.故事( narrate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• She entertained them by narrating her adventures in Africa. 她讲述她在非洲的历险来使他们开心。
• [Mike Narrating] Worm and I fall into our old rhythm like Clyde Frazier and Pearl Monroe. [迈克叙述] 虫子和我配合得象以前一样默契我们两好象是克莱德。弗瑞泽和佩尔。门罗。 来自电影对白

22 facetious   

adj.轻浮的，好开玩笑的

参考例句：

• He was so facetious that he turned everything into a joke.他好开玩笑，把一切都变成了戏谑。
• I became angry with the little boy at his facetious remarks.我对这个小男孩过分的玩笑变得发火了。

23 facetiousness   

n.滑稽

参考例句：

• Jastrow said, with tremulous facetiousness. 杰斯特罗说着，显出抖抖嗦嗦的滑稽样子。 来自辞典例句