英语听书《白鲸记》第819期

 　　So seemed it to me, as I stood at her helm, and for long hours silently guided the way of this fire-ship on the sea. Wrapped, for that interval¹, in darkness myself, I but the better saw the redness, the madness, the ghastliness of others. The continual sight of the fiend shapes before me, capering² half in smoke and half in fire, these at last begat kindred visions in my soul, so soon as I began to yield to that unaccountable drowsiness³ which ever would come over me at a midnight helm.

　　我在掌着舵，好几个钟头不声不响地引着这艘火轮向海上前进的时候，我就有这么个看法。我那时虽然被包裹在黑暗里，然而却能更清楚地看到其他一些人的红彤彤、疯狂而可怕的面孔。我看到的尽是不绝如缕的幢幢鬼影，在浓烟里，在烈火里半隐半现，最后弄得我的心灵里尽是这些类似的幻影，我本人在午夜掌舵时分就很容易打盹，这样一来，我马上就开始昏昏沉沉地睡着了。

　　But that night, in particular, a strange (and ever since inexplicable) thing occurred to me. Starting from a brief standing⁴ sleep, I was horribly conscious of something fatally wrong. The jaw-bone tiller smote⁵ my side, which leaned against it; in my ears was the low hum of sails, just beginning to shake in the wind; I thought my eyes were open; I was half conscious of putting my fingers to the lids and mechanically stretching them still further apart. But, spite of all this, I could see no compass before me to steer⁶ by; though it seemed but a minute since I had been watching the card, by the steady binnacle lamp illuminating⁷ it. Nothing seemed before me but a jet gloom, now and then made ghastly by flashes of redness. Uppermost was the impression, that whatever swift, rushing thing I stood on was not so much bound to any haven⁸ ahead as rushing from all havens⁹ astern. A stark¹⁰, bewildered feeling, as of death, came over me.

　　尤其是那天晚上，我竟碰到了一件古怪的事情（直到如今还很费解）。我打小睡里惊醒过来，站在那里，就满怀恐怖地觉察到有什么致命的不对头的事儿了。我腰间靠着的那支骨制舵柄竟猛击起我的腰际来；耳朵里听到篷帆开始在风里抖索，发出一阵低沉的哼哼声；我心想，我的眼睛是张开的；我半信半疑地把我的手指凑到眼皮上，硬把它撑得更大。但是，这都不顶事；我根本看不到我面前那只掌舵用的罗盘；虽然好象我在一分钟以前，还靠着那盏坚定的罗盘灯光望过那罗盘面。在我面前似乎什么都看不到，光是一股阴森森的喷水，不时地给赤热的火光照耀得鬼一般可怕。首先掠过我心里的念头是，尽管我多快多急地笔直驶去，但与其说是要奔向前边的任何避难所，不如说是要赶紧离开后边一切的避难所。我突然感到非常惶惑无措，好象死了一般。

1 interval   

n.间隔，间距；幕间休息，中场休息

参考例句：

• The interval between the two trees measures 40 feet.这两棵树的间隔是40英尺。
• There was a long interval before he anwsered the telephone.隔了好久他才回了电话。

2 capering   

v.跳跃，雀跃( caper的现在分词 )；蹦蹦跳跳

参考例句：

• The lambs were capering in the fields. 羊羔在地里欢快地跳跃。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The boy was Capering dersively, with obscene unambiguous gestures, before a party of English tourists. 这个顽童在一群英国旅游客人面前用明显下流的动作可笑地蹦蹦跳跳着。 来自辞典例句

3 drowsiness   

n.睡意；嗜睡

参考例句：

• A feeling of drowsiness crept over him. 一种昏昏欲睡的感觉逐渐袭扰着他。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• This decision reached, he finally felt a placid drowsiness steal over him. 想到这，来了一点平安的睡意。 来自汉英文学 - 骆驼祥子

4 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。

5 smote   

v.猛打，重击，打击( smite的过去式 )

参考例句：

• Figuratively, he could not kiss the hand that smote him. 打个比方说，他是不能认敌为友。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
• \"Whom Pearl smote down and uprooted, most unmercifully.\" 珠儿会毫不留情地将这些\"儿童\"踩倒，再连根拔起。 来自英汉 - 翻译样例 - 文学

6 steer   

vt.驾驶，为…操舵；引导；vi.驾驶

参考例句：

• If you push the car, I'll steer it.如果你来推车，我就来驾车。
• It's no use trying to steer the boy into a course of action that suits you.想说服这孩子按你的方式行事是徒劳的。

7 illuminating   

a.富于启发性的，有助阐明的

参考例句：

• We didn't find the examples he used particularly illuminating. 我们觉得他采用的那些例证启发性不是特别大。
• I found his talk most illuminating. 我觉得他的话很有启发性。

8 haven   

n.安全的地方，避难所，庇护所

参考例句：

• It's a real haven at the end of a busy working day.忙碌了一整天后，这真是一个安乐窝。
• The school library is a little haven of peace and quiet.学校的图书馆是一个和平且安静的小避风港。

9 havens   

n.港口，安全地方( haven的名词复数 )v.港口，安全地方( haven的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Your twenty havens would back out at the last minute anyhow. 你那二十个避难所到了最后一分钟也要不认帐。 来自辞典例句
• Using offshore havens to avoid taxes and investor protections. 使用海面的港口避免税和投资者保护。 来自互联网

10 stark   

adj.荒凉的；严酷的；完全的；adv.完全地

参考例句：

• The young man is faced with a stark choice.这位年轻人面临严峻的抉择。
• He gave a stark denial to the rumor.他对谣言加以完全的否认。