英语听书《白鲸记》第812期

 　　The whaling-pike is similar to a frigate's boarding-weapon of the same name. The gaff is something like a boat-hook. With his gaff, the gaffman hooks on to a sheet of blubber, and strives to hold it from slipping, as the ship pitches and lurches about. Meanwhile, the spade-man stands on the sheet itself, perpendicularly¹ chopping it into the portable horse-pieces. This spade is sharp as hone can make it; the spademan's feet are shoeless; the thing he stands on will sometimes irresistibly² slide away from him, like a sledge³. If he cuts off one of his own toes, or one of his assistants', would you be very much astonished? Toes are scarce among veteran blubber-room men.

　　捕鲸枪有点象是古代巡洋舰用以劫船的武器。钩子呢，有点象小艇上用的钩子。那个钩手拿着钩子，一钩就钩着一片鲸脂，于是用劲抓住它，免得它滑掉，因为这时船只正在东倾西歪地摇来晃去。那个站在那片鲸油上的铲手，就把它垂直地砍成一片片。这只铲子磨得再锐利也没有了；铲手都赤了脚；他站在那上面的那片东西，有时会控制不住而滑开去，象只雪橇。如果他把自己的。或者是他的助手的一只脚趾头砍下来，你总会觉得非常惊奇吧？可是，在鲸脂间里操作的老手们，脚趾头本来就不很多。

　　Chapter 95 The Cassock

　　第九十五章 法衣

　　Had you stepped on board the Pequod at a certain juncture⁴ of this post-mortemizing of the whale; and had you strolled forward nigh the windlass, pretty sure am I that you would have scanned with no small curiosity a very strange, enigmatical object, which you would have seen there, lying along lengthwise in the lee scuppers. Not the wondrous⁵ cistern⁶ in the whale's huge head; not the prodigy⁷ of his unhinged lower jaw⁸; not the miracle of his symmetrical tail; none of these would so surprise you, as half a glimpse of that unaccountable cone,—longer than a Kentuckian is tall, nigh a foot in diameter at the base, and jet-black as Yojo, the ebony idol⁹ of Queequeg.

　　如果你在解剖鲸尸的某一时分跨上"裴廓德号"；再如果你信步走近绞车的话，那么，我肯定，你一定会惊讶不置地看到一件非常奇特而难解的东西，看到那些直放在后甲板的排水管里的东西。不管是看到鲸的大头上那个奇妙的水槽，还是看到它那只非常奇异的卸了铰链的下巴，更或者是看到它的奇迹也似的均匀的尾巴，其使人惊惶的程度，总不及你隐约瞥到那个莫名其妙的圆锥物，它远比高大的肯塔基人还长，底端的直径约近一英尺，黑得象魁魁格那个黑檀木的偶像约约一样。

1 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。

2 irresistibly   

adv.无法抵抗地，不能自持地；极为诱惑人地

参考例句：

• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside. 她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He was irresistibly attracted by her charm. 他不能自已地被她的魅力所吸引。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 sledge   

n.雪橇，大锤；v.用雪橇搬运，坐雪橇往

参考例句：

• The sledge gained momentum as it ran down the hill.雪橇从山上下冲时的动力越来越大。
• The sledge slid across the snow as lightly as a boat on the water.雪橇在雪原上轻巧地滑行，就象船在水上行驶一样。

4 juncture   

n.时刻，关键时刻，紧要关头

参考例句：

• The project is situated at the juncture of the new and old urban districts.该项目位于新老城区交界处。
• It is very difficult at this juncture to predict the company's future.此时很难预料公司的前景。

5 wondrous   

adj.令人惊奇的，奇妙的；adv.惊人地；异乎寻常地；令人惊叹地

参考例句：

• The internal structure of the Department is wondrous to behold.看一下国务院的内部结构是很有意思的。
• We were driven across this wondrous vast land of lakes and forests.我们乘车穿越这片有着湖泊及森林的广袤而神奇的土地。

6 cistern   

n.贮水池

参考例句：

• The cistern is empty but soon fills again.蓄水池里现在没水，但不久就会储满水的。
• The lavatory cistern overflowed.厕所水箱的水溢出来了

7 prodigy   

n.惊人的事物，奇迹，神童，天才，预兆

参考例句：

• She was a child prodigy on the violin.她是神童小提琴手。
• He was always a Negro prodigy who played barbarously and wonderfully.他始终是一个黑人的奇才，这种奇才弹奏起来粗野而惊人。

8 jaw   

n.颚，颌，说教，流言蜚语；v.喋喋不休，教训

参考例句：

• He delivered a right hook to his opponent's jaw.他给了对方下巴一记右钩拳。
• A strong square jaw is a sign of firm character.强健的方下巴是刚毅性格的标志。

9 idol   

n.偶像，红人，宠儿

参考例句：

• As an only child he was the idol of his parents.作为独子，他是父母的宠儿。
• Blind worship of this idol must be ended.对这个偶像的盲目崇拜应该结束了。