英语听书《白鲸记》第634期

 　　In life, the visible surface of the Sperm¹ Whale is not the least among the many marvels² he presents. 一条活的抹香鲸的外表，就有不少的奇观。

　　Almost invariably it is all over obliquely³ crossed and re-crossed with numberless straight marks in thick array, 它的身上，简直全都密布有无数叉来叉去的直线条，

　　something like those in the finest Italian line engravings. 有点象似最精美的意大利线雕画的线条。

　　But these marks do not seem to be impressed upon the isinglass substance above mentioned, 不过，这些线条好象并不是印在上述的那种云母片上，

　　but seem to be seen through it, as if they were engraved⁵ upon the body itself. 却似乎是透过云母片现出来的，仿佛这些线条都是本来就镂刻在它的身体上。

　　Nor is this all. In some instances, to the quick, observant eye, 不只如此，有时，在眼力迅捷机警的人看来，

　　those linear marks, as in a veritable engraving⁴, but afford the ground for far other delineations. 这些线条，不但象是真的雕刻，而且那底子看来还有更多的图样。

　　These are hieroglyphical⁷; that is, if you call those mysterious cyphers on the walls of pyramids hieroglyphics⁸, 这些都是一些象形文字，也就是说，如果你管金字塔的四壁上那些神秘的图记都叫做象形文字的话，

　　then that is the proper word to use in the present connexion. 那么，这个字眼用在这里正是最适切不过的了。

　　By my retentive⁹ memory of the hieroglyphics upon one Sperm Whale in particular, 我由于想到抹香鲸身上的象形文字，

　　I was much struck with a plate representing the old Indian characters chiselled¹⁰ on the famous hieroglyphic⁶ palisades on the banks of the Upper Mississippi. 而特别教我想到上密西西比河堤那个著名的象形文字的断崖上，那块刻有古印第安字体的石碑，它给我的印象真是深刻。

　　Like those mystic rocks, too, the mystic-marked whale remains¹¹ undecipherable. 这种有神秘线条的大鲸，也正如那些神秘的岩石一样，至今仍是教人无法辨认。

　　This allusion¹² to the Indian rocks reminds me of another thing. 从这种印第安的岩石，又教我想到了另外一件事情。

　　Besides all the other phenomena¹³ which the exterior¹⁴ of the Sperm Whale presents, 抹香鲸除了显露出它外表的其它各种现象以外，

　　he not seldom displays the back, and more especially his flanks, 它倒也常常露出它的背脊，尤其更常常露出它的侧腹来，

　　effaced¹⁵ in great part of the regular linear appearance, by reason of numerous rude scratches, altogether of an irregular, random¹⁶ aspect.  可是，由于它有许多粗陋的搔痕，加上五官不端正，反而大大地损害了它那线条整齐的外表。

1 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。

2 marvels   

n.奇迹( marvel的名词复数 )；令人惊奇的事物（或事例）；不平凡的成果；成就v.惊奇，对…感到惊奇( marvel的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The doctor's treatment has worked marvels : the patient has recovered completely. 该医生妙手回春，病人已完全康复。 来自辞典例句
• Nevertheless he revels in a catalogue of marvels. 可他还是兴致勃勃地罗列了一堆怪诞不经的事物。 来自辞典例句

3 obliquely   

adv.斜； 倾斜； 间接； 不光明正大

参考例句：

• From the gateway two paths led obliquely across the court. 从门口那儿，有两条小路斜越过院子。 来自辞典例句
• He was receding obliquely with a curious hurrying gait. 他歪着身子，古怪而急促地迈着步子，往后退去。 来自辞典例句

4 engraving   

n.版画；雕刻（作品）；雕刻艺术；镌版术v.在（硬物）上雕刻（字，画等）( engrave的现在分词 )；将某事物深深印在（记忆或头脑中）

参考例句：

• He collected an old engraving of London Bridge. 他收藏了一张古老的伦敦桥版画。 来自辞典例句
• Some writing has the precision of a steel engraving. 有的字体严谨如同钢刻。 来自辞典例句

5 engraved   

v.在（硬物）上雕刻（字，画等）( engrave的过去式和过去分词 )；将某事物深深印在（记忆或头脑中）

参考例句：

• The silver cup was engraved with his name. 银杯上刻有他的名字。
• It was prettily engraved with flowers on the back. 此件雕刻精美，背面有花饰图案。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 hieroglyphic   

n.象形文字

参考例句：

• For centuries hieroglyphic word pictures painted on Egyptian ruins were a mystery.几世纪以来，刻划在埃及废墟中的象形文字一直是个谜。
• Dongba is an ancient hieroglyphic language.东巴文是中国一种古老的象形文字。

7 hieroglyphical   

n.象形文字，象形文字的文章

参考例句：

8 hieroglyphics   

n.pl.象形文字

参考例句：

• Hieroglyphics are carved into the walls of the temple. 寺庙的墙壁上刻着象形文字。
• His writing is so bad it just looks like hieroglyphics to me. 他写的糟透了，对我来说就像天书一样。

9 retentive   

v.保留的，有记忆的；adv.有记性地，记性强地；n.保持力

参考例句：

• Luke had an amazingly retentive memory.卢克记忆力惊人。
• He is a scholar who has wide learning and a retentive memory.他是一位博闻强记的学者。

10 chiselled   

adj.凿过的，凿光的； （文章等）精心雕琢的v.凿，雕，镌( chisel的过去式 )

参考例句：

• A name was chiselled into the stone. 石头上刻着一个人名。
• He chiselled a hole in the door to fit a new lock. 他在门上凿了一个孔，以便装一把新锁。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

12 allusion   

n.暗示，间接提示

参考例句：

• He made an allusion to a secret plan in his speech.在讲话中他暗示有一项秘密计划。
• She made no allusion to the incident.她没有提及那个事件。

13 phenomena   

n.现象

参考例句：

• Ade couldn't relate the phenomena with any theory he knew.艾德无法用他所知道的任何理论来解释这种现象。
• The object of these experiments was to find the connection,if any,between the two phenomena.这些实验的目的就是探索这两种现象之间的联系，如果存在着任何联系的话。

14 exterior   

adj.外部的，外在的；表面的

参考例句：

• The seed has a hard exterior covering.这种子外壳很硬。
• We are painting the exterior wall of the house.我们正在给房子的外墙涂漆。

15 effaced   

v.擦掉( efface的过去式和过去分词 )；抹去；超越；使黯然失色

参考例句：

• Someone has effaced part of the address on his letter. 有人把他信上的一部分地址擦掉了。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• The name of the ship had been effaced from the menus. 那艘船的名字已经从菜单中删除了。 来自辞典例句

16 random   

adj.随机的；任意的；n.偶然的(或随便的)行动

参考例句：

• The list is arranged in a random order.名单排列不分先后。
• On random inspection the meat was found to be bad.经抽查，发现肉变质了。