英语听书《白鲸记》第487期

 The straight warp¹ of necessity, not to be swerved² from its ultimate course-- 定数的笔直的经线，绝不能越出它根本的常轨——

its every alternating vibration³, indeed, only tending to that; 不错，它每回的往复摆动，只能循着常轨走；

free will still free to ply⁴ her shuttle between given threads; 自由意志却还有在特定的线间投梭的自由；

and chance, though restrained in its play within the right lines of necessity, 至于机会，虽则它的活动范围局限在那根定数的直线里，

and sideways in its motions directed by free will, 而且它打斜的动作受了自由意志的指挥，

though thus prescribed to by both, chance by turns rules either, 尽管机会是这样受到这两种东西的指挥，可是，它却能够反过来控制这两种东西，

and has the last featuring blow at events. 而且，无论如何，最后能够一举而显出特点来。

Thus we were weaving and weaving away when I started at a sound so strange, long drawn,and musically wild and unearthly, 我们正在这样织呀织的时候，一阵那么奇特，曳长，富有音乐狂律和可怕的声音把我吓了一跳，

that the ball of free will dropped from my hand, 那只自由意志的线团也从我手里掉下去了。

and I stood gazing up at the clouds whence that voice dropped like a wing.  我站起来，仰望着天际，因为当时那声音象是长了翅膀从那上面落了下来。

High aloft in the cross-trees was that mad Gay-Header, Tashtego. 原来高高地站在桅顶横木上的，正是那个发狂的该黑特佬塔斯蒂哥。

His body was reaching eagerly forward, his hand stretched out like a wand, 他的身体急切地向前冲着，一只手象指挥棍似的直伸出来，

and at brief sudden intervals⁵ he continued his cries. 隔了一会儿，他又蓦地继续高声大叫起来。

To be sure the same sound was that very moment perhaps being heard all over the seas,  老实说，整个海洋都听得到，

from hundreds of whalemen's look-outs perched as high in the air; 这声音在当时也许是从几百个高栖在空中的捕鲸船的瞭望者同时发出来的；

but from few of those lungs could that accustomed old cry have derived⁶ such a marvellous cadence⁷ as from Tashtego the Indian's. 不过，具有象这个印第安人塔斯蒂哥这样宏亮的声音，能够喊出这么令人惊异的顿挫抑扬的调子的老呼号者，实在为数寥寥。

As he stood hovering⁸ over you half suspended in air, so wildly and eagerly peering towards the horizon, 当他这样高挂在半空里，翱翔在你头顶，眼色非常狂野而急切地望着前面的时候，

you would have thought him some prophet or seer beholding⁹ the shadows of Fate, 你准会当他是个看到了命运之神的影子的先知或者一个预言家，

and by those wild cries announcing their coming. 正在用这种狂叫，宣告命运之神降临了。

There she blows! there! there! there! she blows! she blows! “它在喷水啦！瞧呀！瞧呀！瞧呀！它在喷水了！它在喷水了！”

Where-away? “哪个方向呀？”

On the lee-beam, about two miles off! a school of them! “直向下风的地方，大约在两英里外的地方！有一大群哪！”

Instantly all was commotion¹⁰. 大家立刻都骚动起来了。

The Sperm¹¹ Whale blows as a clock ticks, with the same undeviating and reliable uniformity. 抹香鲸的喷水喷得象只时钟那样嘀嗒嘀嗒响，那样准确，那样均匀可靠。

And thereby¹² whalemen distinguish this fish from other tribes of his genus. 这就是捕鲸者能从它们的同族中分别出抹香鲸来的根据。

1 warp   

vt.弄歪，使翘曲，使不正常，歪曲，使有偏见

参考例句：

• The damp wood began to warp.这块潮湿的木材有些翘曲了。
• A steel girder may warp in a fire.钢梁遇火会变弯。

2 swerved   

v.（使）改变方向，改变目的( swerve的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She swerved sharply to avoid a cyclist. 她猛地急转弯，以躲开一个骑自行车的人。
• The driver has swerved on a sudden to avoid a file of geese. 为了躲避一队鹅，司机突然来个急转弯。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 vibration   

n.颤动，振动；摆动

参考例句：

• There is so much vibration on a ship that one cannot write.船上的震动大得使人无法书写。
• The vibration of the window woke me up.窗子的震动把我惊醒了。

4 ply   

v.(搬运工等)等候顾客，弯曲

参考例句：

• Taxis licensed to ply for hire at the railway station.许可计程车在火车站候客。
• Ferryboats ply across the English Channel.渡船定期往返于英吉利海峡。

5 intervals   

n.[军事]间隔( interval的名词复数 )；间隔时间；[数学]区间；（戏剧、电影或音乐会的）幕间休息

参考例句：

• The forecast said there would be sunny intervals and showers. 预报间晴，有阵雨。
• Meetings take place at fortnightly intervals. 每两周开一次会。

6 derived   

vi.起源；由来；衍生；导出v.得到( derive的过去式和过去分词 )；（从…中）得到获得；源于；（从…中）提取

参考例句：

• Many English words are derived from Latin and Greek. 英语很多词源出于拉丁文和希腊文。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He derived his enthusiasm for literature from his father. 他对文学的爱好是受他父亲的影响。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 cadence   

n.（说话声调的）抑扬顿挫

参考例句：

• He delivered his words in slow,measured cadences.他讲话缓慢而抑扬顿挫、把握有度。
• He liked the relaxed cadence of his retired life.他喜欢退休生活的悠闲的节奏。

8 hovering   

鸟( hover的现在分词 )； 靠近（某事物）； （人）徘徊； 犹豫

参考例句：

• The helicopter was hovering about 100 metres above the pad. 直升机在离发射台一百米的上空盘旋。
• I'm hovering between the concert and the play tonight. 我犹豫不决今晚是听音乐会还是看戏。

9 beholding   

v.看，注视( behold的现在分词 )；瞧；看呀；（叙述中用于引出某人意外的出现）哎哟

参考例句：

• Beholding, besides love, the end of love,/Hearing oblivion beyond memory! 我看见了爱，还看到了爱的结局，／听到了记忆外层的哪一片寂寥！ 来自英汉 - 翻译样例 - 文学
• Hence people who began by beholding him ended by perusing him. 所以人们从随便看一看他开始的，都要以仔细捉摸他而终结。 来自辞典例句

10 commotion   

n.骚动，动乱

参考例句：

• They made a commotion by yelling at each other in the theatre.他们在剧院里相互争吵，引起了一阵骚乱。
• Suddenly the whole street was in commotion.突然间，整条街道变得一片混乱。

11 sperm   

n.精子，精液

参考例句：

• Only one sperm fertilises an egg.只有一个精子使卵子受精。
• In human reproduction,one female egg is usually fertilized by one sperm.在人体生殖过程中，一个精子使一个卵子受精。

12 thereby   

adv.因此，从而

参考例句：

• I have never been to that city,,ereby I don't know much about it.我从未去过那座城市，因此对它不怎么熟悉。
• He became a British citizen,thereby gaining the right to vote.他成了英国公民，因而得到了投票权。