英语听书《白鲸记》第518期

 　　There seemed but little in the words, but the tone conveyed more of deep helpless sadness than the insane old man had ever before evinced. 话语看来不多，那声气，却表露出这个神经失常的老人有一种前所未有的。

　　But turning to the steersman, who thus far had been holding the ship in the wind to diminish her headway, 无可奈何的深切的伤感。他突然转过身来，对着那个舵手(这舵手一直就在使这艘前进的船减低速度)，

　　he cried out in his old lion voice, "Up helm! Keep her off round the world!" 以他那老狮子般的嗓门大声叫嚷起来，“转舵向风！环球去！”

　　Round the world! There is much in that sound to inspire proud feelings; but whereto does all that circumnavigation conduct? 环球去！那声音可真激起人们的自豪感；可是，要环球去干什么呀？

　　Only through numberless perils¹ to the very point whence we started, where those that we left behind secure, were all the time before us. 只不过是经历过无数的险难后，又回到我们起程的那个地方，在那里，那些我们还未得到的东西，却始终摆在我们前面。

　　Were this world an endless plain, and by sailing eastward² we could for ever reach new distances,  如果这个世界是一片无垠无际的平原，一直往东驶去，我们就能永远到达新的远方，

　　and discover sights more sweet and strange than any Cyclades or Islands of King Solomon, then there were promise in the voyage. 发现比昔加拉第岛(昔加拉第——在爱琴海上的一个希腊的群岛。)或者所罗门王岛(所罗门群岛——在新几内亚东面，作者在这儿故意加上“王”。因所罗门是以色列王故也。)更有趣而希奇的景色，那么，这种航行倒是前途无量的。

　　But in pursuit of those far mysteries we dream of, or in tormented³ chase of that demon⁴ phantom⁵ that, some time or other, swims before all human hearts, 可是，为了追逐我们梦想的这许多神秘缥缈的东西，或者为了苦痛地追击那种迟早要泛上一切人类心头的魔影，

　　while chasing such over this round globe, they either lead us on in barren mazes⁶ or midway leave us whelmed. 这样环球地追击下去，那它们不是把我们引向徒劳的迷宫，就是教我们中途覆没。

　　Chapter 53 The Gam 第五十三章 联欢会

　　The ostensible⁷ reason why Ahab did not go on board of the whaler we had spoken was this: the wind and sea betokened⁸ storms. 亚哈所以不上我们上边提到的那艘捕鲸船，表面上的理由是这样的：风势和海浪都有起大风暴的征兆。

　　But even had this not been the case, he would not after all, perhaps, have boarded her--judging by his subsequent conduct on similar occasions-- 不过，即使没有这种情况的话，他毕竟也许还是不会上去的——这是根据他以后在类似场合上的行动判断的——

　　if so it had been that, by the process of hailing, he had obtained a negative answer to the question he put. 如果确是这样，那就是因为，经过一阵招呼后，他所提出的问题，并没有得到肯定的答复的缘故。

1 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？

2 eastward   

adv.向东；adj.向东的；n.东方，东部

参考例句：

• The river here tends eastward.这条河从这里向东流。
• The crowd is heading eastward,believing that they can find gold there.人群正在向东移去，他们认为在那里可以找到黄金。

3 tormented   

饱受折磨的

参考例句：

• The knowledge of his guilt tormented him. 知道了自己的罪责使他非常痛苦。
• He had lain awake all night, tormented by jealousy. 他彻夜未眠，深受嫉妒的折磨。

4 demon   

n.魔鬼，恶魔

参考例句：

• The demon of greed ruined the miser's happiness.贪得无厌的恶习毁掉了那个守财奴的幸福。
• He has been possessed by the demon of disease for years.他多年来病魔缠身。

5 phantom   

n.幻影，虚位，幽灵；adj.错觉的，幻影的，幽灵的

参考例句：

• I found myself staring at her as if she were a phantom.我发现自己瞪大眼睛看着她，好像她是一个幽灵。
• He is only a phantom of a king.他只是有名无实的国王。

6 mazes   

迷宫( maze的名词复数 )； 纷繁复杂的规则； 复杂难懂的细节； 迷宫图

参考例句：

• The mazes of the dance were ecstatic. 跳舞那种错综曲折，叫人快乐得如登九天。
• For two hours did this singlehearted and simpleminded girl toil through the mazes of the forest. 这位心地单纯的傻姑娘在林间曲径中艰难地走了两个来小时。

7 ostensible   

adj.(指理由)表面的，假装的

参考例句：

• The ostensible reason wasn't the real reason.表面上的理由并不是真正的理由。
• He resigned secretaryship on the ostensible ground of health.他借口身体不好，辞去书记的职务。

8 betokened   

v.预示，表示( betoken的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Nothing betokened that the man know anything of what had occurred. 显然那个人还不知道已经发生了什么事。 来自互联网
• He addressed a few angry words to her that betokened hostility. 他对她说了几句预示敌意的愤怒的话。 来自互联网