英语听书《白鲸记》第746期

 Out of the bottomless profundities¹ the gigantic tail seems spasmodically snatching at the highest heaven. 那只巨大的尾巴，从无底的深渊猛地一竖起来，好象是突然要攫取高高的上天那样。

So in dreams, have I seen majestic² Satan thrusting forth³ his tormented⁴ colossal⁵ claw from the flame Baltic of Hell. 这就象我曾经在梦中看见威风凛凛的撒旦，从地狱的大火海里猛地抽出他那痛苦难挨的巨爪。

But in gazing at such scenes, it is all in all what mood you are in; 不过，在凝望这种景致的时候，你尽可以有各式各样的心情；

if in the Dantean, the devils will occur to you; if in that of Isaiah, the archangels. 如果你是但丁式的人物，你就会想到许多恶魔；如果你是以赛亚的信徒，就会想到许多天使。

Standing⁶ at the mast-head of my ship during a sunrise that crimsoned⁷ sky and sea, 有一回，在朝暾初动，海天一抹鲜红的时候，

I once saw a large herd⁸ of whales in the east, all heading towards the sun, and for a moment vibrating in concert with peaked flukes. 我站在我这艘船的桅顶上，看到东方有一大群鲸，全都向着太阳前进，一齐竖起裂片闪动了一会儿。

As it seemed to me at the time, such a grand embodiment of adoration⁹ of the gods was never beheld¹⁰, even in Persia, the home of the fire worshippers. 当时我觉得，这样崇拜神明的庄严的场面，哪怕在拜火者的发源地——波斯，也从来没有见到过。

As Ptolemy Philopater testified of the African elephant, I then testified of the whale, pronouncing him the most devout¹¹ of all beings. 如同托雷密·非罗派德（埃及的马其顿王）为亚洲的大象作证一样，我也要为大鲸作证，宣称它是万物中最虔诚的动物。

For according to King Juba, the military elephants of antiquity¹² often hailed the morning with their trunks uplifted in the profoundest silence. 因为根据朱巴王（非洲古国的努米底亚王）的说法，古代那些战象总是在万籁俱寂中高举它们的大鼻子欢迎早晨。

The chance comparison in this chapter, between the whale and the elephant, 在这一章中，偶然把大鲸拿来跟大象比较，

so far as some aspects of the tail of the one and the trunk of the other are concerned, 不过，就大鲸的尾巴与大象的鼻子的某些形状说来，

should not tend to place those two opposite organs on an equality, much less the creatures to which they respectively belong.  的确不应该把这两种位置相反的器官一视同仁，何况这两种动物还各有所宗。

1 profundities   

n.深奥，深刻，深厚( profundity的名词复数 )；堂奥

参考例句：

• Bessie's mind was not quite in tune with the profundities of that learned journal. 蓓西的头脑理解不了这本深奥的学术性杂志。 来自互联网

2 majestic   

adj.雄伟的，壮丽的，庄严的，威严的，崇高的

参考例句：

• In the distance rose the majestic Alps.远处耸立着雄伟的阿尔卑斯山。
• He looks majestic in uniform.他穿上军装显得很威风。

3 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

4 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。

5 colossal   

adj.异常的，庞大的

参考例句：

• There has been a colossal waste of public money.一直存在巨大的公款浪费。
• Some of the tall buildings in that city are colossal.那座城市里的一些高层建筑很庞大。

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 crimsoned   

变为深红色（crimson的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• His face crimsoned when he saw her. 他一看到她就满脸通红。
• Tu Hsueh-shih took this attitude of his nephew as a downright insult and crimsoned violently. 这在杜学诗看来，简直是对于他老叔的侮辱。他满脸通红了！ 来自子夜部分

8 herd   

n.兽群，牧群；vt.使集中，把…赶在一起

参考例句：

• She drove the herd of cattle through the wilderness.她赶着牛群穿过荒野。
• He had no opinions of his own but simply follow the herd.他从无主见，只是人云亦云。

9 adoration   

n.爱慕，崇拜

参考例句：

• He gazed at her with pure adoration.他一往情深地注视着她。
• The old lady fell down in adoration before Buddhist images.那老太太在佛像面前顶礼膜拜。

10 beheld   

v.看，注视( behold的过去式和过去分词 )；瞧；看呀；（叙述中用于引出某人意外的出现）哎哟

参考例句：

• His eyes had never beheld such opulence. 他从未见过这样的财富。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The soul beheld its features in the mirror of the passing moment. 灵魂在逝去的瞬间的镜子中看到了自己的模样。 来自英汉文学 - 红字

11 devout   

adj.虔诚的，虔敬的，衷心的 (n.devoutness)

参考例句：

• His devout Catholicism appeals to ordinary people.他对天主教的虔诚信仰感染了普通民众。
• The devout man prayed daily.那位虔诚的男士每天都祈祷。

12 antiquity   

n.古老；高龄；古物，古迹

参考例句：

• The museum contains the remains of Chinese antiquity.博物馆藏有中国古代的遗物。
• There are many legends about the heroes of antiquity.有许多关于古代英雄的传说。