英语听书《白鲸记》第805期

 　　Now, in calm weather, to swim in the open ocean is as easy to the practised swimmer as to ride in a spring-carriage ashore¹. 且说，在宁静无风的天气里，在辽阔的海洋上游水，对一个老游水的人说来，正跟在岸上驾着一辆弹簧马车一样容易。

　　But the awful lonesomeness is intolerable. 但是，那种可怕的凄怆景致却很教人难当。

　　The intense concentration of self in the middle of such a heartless immensity, my God! who can tell it? 孑然一身给紧缩在这样一片浩瀚无底的汪洋中心，我的天啊！谁能说出个中滋味呀？

　　Mark, how when sailors in a dead calm bathe in the open sea— mark how closely they hug their ship and only coast along her sides. 你看水手们在辽阔的海里不声不响地洗澡时是怎样的情景——你看，他们是怎样紧扳住船只，只靠着船边荡来荡去呀。

　　But had Stubb really abandoned the poor little negro to his fate? No; he did not mean to, at least. 但是，难道斯塔布真的要抛弃这个可怜的小黑人吗？不，他至少并没有这个意思。

　　Because there were two boats in his wake, and he supposed, no doubt, that they would of course come up to Pip very quickly, and pick him up; 因为当时在他后面还有两只小艇，他以为，那两只小艇总一定会很快就赶上比普，把他给捞起来；

　　though, indeed, such considerations towards oarsmen jeopardized² through their own timidity, 然而，事实上，这种在桨手们看来必须不顾他们自己的胆怯而为之的体恤行为，

　　is not always manifested by the hunters in all similar instances; and such instances not unfrequently occur; 并不是一般猎手能够常常在类似的场合上表现出来的；而且这种事例也并不是不常碰到的；

　　almost invariably in the fishery, a coward, so called, is marked with the same ruthless detestation peculiar³ to military navies and armies. 在捕鱼业说来，一个所谓懦夫差不多总是象陆海军中特有的那样，要遭到同样无情的鄙视。

　　But it so happened, that those boats, without seeing Pip, suddenly spying whales close to them on one side, turned, and gave chase; 但是，这些小艇碰巧都没有看到比普，而突然发现鲸群正紧靠在他们艇边，于是，一转身，都去追击了；

　　and Stubb's boat was now so far away, and he and all his crew so intent upon his fish, that Pip's ringed horizon began to expand around him miserably⁴. 斯塔布的小艇这时已隔开得那样远，他跟他所有的水手们又都全神贯注在那条鲸上，因此，把比普箍住了的那片水面，开始在他四周乱七八糟地扩散了。

1 ashore   

adv.在(向)岸上，上岸

参考例句：

• The children got ashore before the tide came in.涨潮前，孩子们就上岸了。
• He laid hold of the rope and pulled the boat ashore.他抓住绳子拉船靠岸。

2 jeopardized   

危及，损害( jeopardize的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The soldier jeopardized his life to save his comrade. 这个士兵冒生命的危险救他的同志。
• The occasional failed project or neglected opportunity does not jeopardized overall progress. 偶然失败的项目或失误的机会并没有影响总的进展。

3 peculiar   

adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的

参考例句：

• He walks in a peculiar fashion.他走路的样子很奇特。
• He looked at me with a very peculiar expression.他用一种很奇怪的表情看着我。

4 miserably   

adv.痛苦地；悲惨地；糟糕地；极度地

参考例句：

• The little girl was wailing miserably. 那小女孩难过得号啕大哭。
• It was drizzling, and miserably cold and damp. 外面下着毛毛细雨，天气又冷又湿，令人难受。 来自《简明英汉词典》