英语听书《白鲸记》第678期

 As every one knows, these same "hogs¹' bristles," "fins," "whiskers," "blinds," or whatever you please, 如所周知，这种叫做"猪鬃"，"鳍状物"，"胡须"，"细长帘子"或者随你高兴怎样称呼的东西，

furnish to the ladies their busks and other stiffening² contrivances. 就正是供太太们做勒腰带和其它硬衬的小玩儿的材料。

But in this particular, the demand has long been on the decline. 不过，在这方面说来，需求早已日趋消退。

It was in Queen Anne's time that the bone was in its glory, the farthingale being then all the fashion. 这种须骨的黄金时代，还是在安恩女王的时代，当时盛行着用鲸骨箍来张大女人的裙子。

And as those ancient dames³ moved about gaily⁴, though in the jaws⁵ of the whale, as you may say; 虽然当那些古代美人在快活自如地走来走去的时候，也许你会说，好象是在鲸嘴里走动那样，

even so, in a shower, with the like thoughtlessness, do we nowadays fly under the same jaws for protection; 正如我们在今天，遇上一场阵头雨，会同样毫不思索地飞快跑到那嘴里去躲躲雨一样，

the umbrella being a tent spread over the same bone. 雨伞本来就是蒙在这种须骨上的一个帐幕。

But now forget all about blinds and whiskers for a moment, and, standing⁶ in the Right Whale's mouth, look around you afresh. 现在我们暂且把有关细长帘子和胡须这些东西搁在一边，站到露脊鲸的嘴里去，重新来看一看四周的景致吧。

Seeing all these colonnades⁷ of bone so methodically ranged about, 看到所有这些非常有条不紊地排列着的廊柱似的须骨头，

would you not think you were inside of the great Haarlem organ, and gazing upon its thousand pipes? 难道你不会以为置身在那种哈尔雷姆的大风琴里面，正在瞅着它那无数的声管么？

For a carpet to the organ we have a rug of the softest Turkey—the tongue, which is glued, as it were, to the floor of the mouth. 说到要有一条通向风琴的地毯，我们就有一条最柔软的土耳其地毯——舌头，它仿佛是粘着在嘴巴的地板上。

It is very fat and tender, and apt to tear in pieces in hoisting⁸ it on deck. 这条舌头，又肥又嫩，如果把它拉上甲板，很容易把它撕成片片。

This particular tongue now before us; at a passing glance I should say it was a six-barreler; 现在摆在我们面前的这条舌头，我眼睛一掠，就会说它是只六大桶的东西；

that is, it will yield you about that amount of oil. 就是说，它大约可以为你出产如此数量的油来。

1 hogs   

n.（尤指喂肥供食用的）猪( hog的名词复数 )；（供食用的）阉公猪；彻底地做某事；自私的或贪婪的人

参考例句：

• 'sounds like -- like hogs grunting. “像——像是猪发出的声音。 来自英汉文学 - 汤姆历险
• I hate the way he hogs down his food. 我讨厌他那副狼吞虎咽的吃相。 来自辞典例句

2 stiffening   

n. (使衣服等)变硬的材料, 硬化 动词stiffen的现在分词形式

参考例句：

• Her mouth stiffening, she could not elaborate. 她嘴巴僵直，无法细说下去。
• No genius, not a bad guy, but the attacks are hurting and stiffening him. 不是天才，人也不坏，但是四面八方的攻击伤了他的感情，使他横下了心。

3 dames   

n.（在英国）夫人（一种封号），夫人（爵士妻子的称号）( dame的名词复数 )；女人

参考例句：

• Dames would not comment any further. Dames将不再更多的评论。 来自互联网
• Flowers, candy, jewelry, seemed the principal things in which the elegant dames were interested. 鲜花、糖果和珠宝看来是那些贵妇人的主要兴趣所在。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹

4 gaily   

adv.欢乐地，高兴地

参考例句：

• The children sing gaily.孩子们欢唱着。
• She waved goodbye very gaily.她欢快地挥手告别。

5 jaws   

n.口部；嘴

参考例句：

• The antelope could not escape the crocodile's gaping jaws. 那只羚羊无法从鱷鱼张开的大口中逃脱。
• The scored jaws of a vise help it bite the work. 台钳上有刻痕的虎钳牙帮助它紧咬住工件。

6 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

7 colonnades   

n.石柱廊( colonnade的名词复数 )

参考例句：

8 hoisting   

起重，提升

参考例句：

• The hoisting capacity of that gin pole (girder pole, guy derrick) is sixty tons. 那个起重抱杆（格状抱杆、转盘抱杆）的起重能力为60吨。 来自口语例句
• We must use mechanical hoisting to load the goods. 我们必须用起重机来装载货物。