英语听书《白鲸记》第636期

 　　Freeze his blood, and he dies. 它的血一冻结，它也就完蛋了。

　　How wonderful is it then—except after explanation—that this great monster, to whom corporeal¹ warmth is as indispensable as it is to man; 所以，这是多么奇妙——如果不事先讲明的话——这种大怪物之需要保持体温，正跟人类完全相同；

　　how wonderful that he should be found at home, immersed to his lips for life in those Arctic waters! 可是，它竟会终生没头没脑地躲在北极的海里而过得愉愉快快，这又是多么希奇呵！

　　where, when seamen² fall overboard, they are sometimes found, months afterwards, 在那种地方，如果水手跌了下去，有时在好几个月后被人发现了，

　　perpendicularly³ frozen into the hearts of fields of ice, as a fly is found glued in amber⁴. 都是直挺挺地冻僵在大冰块里，有如一只苍蝇给胶住在琥珀里。

　　But more surprising is it to know, as has been proved by experiment, that the blood of a Polar whale is warmer than that of a Borneo negro in summer. 但是，更奇怪的事情还有着呢，根据试验证明，一只北极鲸的血，远比夏天里一个婆罗洲黑人的血还要热。

　　It does seem to me, that herein we see the rare virtue⁵ of a strong individual vitality⁶, 据我看来，从这里，我们就看出一种坚强独特的生命力的罕有的价值，

　　and the rare virtue of thick walls, and the rare virtue of interior spaciousness⁷. 看出了厚墙固壁的罕有的价值，也看出城府深广的罕有的价值了。

　　Oh, man! admire and model thyself after the whale! 人呀！你应该礼赞鲸，以鲸作为你的楷模！

　　Do thou, too, remain warm among ice. 你置身在冰封雪冻的海里，也会浑身暖热嘛？

　　Do thou, too, live in this world without being of it. 你如果不象它那样，也会在这个世界上活下去嘛？

　　Be cool at the equator; keep thy blood fluid at the Pole. 在赤道上可别热血沸腾；在北极上可别让血冻结。

　　Like the great dome⁸ of St. Peter's, and like the great whale, retain, O man! in all seasons a temperature of thine own. 人呀，要象圣彼得大教堂的大圆屋顶一样，更要象那大鲸一样，一年四季都要保持你自己的温度！

　　But how easy and how hopeless to teach these fine things! 可是，要传授这些美妙的东西，是多么容易，又多么无望呵！

　　Of erections, how few are domed⁹ like St. Peter's! of creatures, how few vast as the whale! 在建筑物中，能有圣彼得大教堂那样的大圆屋顶的毕竟是为数寥寥呀！在动物中，能象鲸那么硕大的又是多么屈指可数呀！

1 corporeal   

adj.肉体的，身体的；物质的

参考例句：

• The body is the corporeal habitation of the soul.身体为灵魂之有形寓所。
• He is very religious;corporeal world has little interest for him.他虔信宗教，对物质上的享受不感兴趣。

2 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。

3 perpendicularly   

adv. 垂直地, 笔直地, 纵向地

参考例句：

• Fray's forehead was wrinkled both perpendicularly and crosswise. 弗雷的前额上纹路纵横。
• Automatic resquaring feature insures nozzle is perpendicularly to the part being cut. 自动垂直功能，可以确保刀头回到与工件完全垂直的位置去切割。

4 amber   

n.琥珀；琥珀色；adj.琥珀制的

参考例句：

• Would you like an amber necklace for your birthday?你过生日想要一条琥珀项链吗？
• This is a piece of little amber stones.这是一块小小的琥珀化石。

5 virtue   

n.德行，美德；贞操；优点；功效，效力

参考例句：

• He was considered to be a paragon of virtue.他被认为是品德尽善尽美的典范。
• You need to decorate your mind with virtue.你应该用德行美化心灵。

6 vitality   

n.活力，生命力，效力

参考例句：

• He came back from his holiday bursting with vitality and good health.他度假归来之后，身强体壮，充满活力。
• He is an ambitious young man full of enthusiasm and vitality.他是个充满热情与活力的有远大抱负的青年。

7 spaciousness   

n.宽敞

参考例句：

• A high ceiling gives a feeling of airness and spaciousness. 天花板高给人一种通风和宽敞的感觉。
• The tremendous spaciousness of it was glowing with rich gold. 苍茫辽阔的景色染上了一片瑰丽浓艳的金黄色。

8 dome   

n.圆屋顶，拱顶

参考例句：

• The dome was supported by white marble columns.圆顶由白色大理石柱支撑着。
• They formed the dome with the tree's branches.他们用树枝搭成圆屋顶。

9 domed   

adj. 圆屋顶的, 半球形的, 拱曲的 动词dome的过去式和过去分词形式

参考例句：

• I gazed up at the domed ceiling arching overhead. 我抬头凝望着上方弧形的穹顶。
• His forehead domed out in a curve. 他的前额呈弯曲的半球形。