英语听书《白鲸记》第858期

 　　For being at Tranque, years ago, when attached to the trading-ship Dey of Algiers, 因为多年以前，由于我参加了阿尔及尔的商船"德号"，曾经到了托朗魁，

　　I was invited to spend part of the Arsacidean holidays with the lord of Tranque, at his retired¹ palm villa² at Pupella; 而且被邀到托朗魁王在蒲贝拉的退隐的棕榈别墅里，同托朗魁王一起度过几天阿萨西提的假日。

　　a sea-side glen not very far distant from what our sailors called Bamboo-Town, his capital. 这是一个海边的幽谷，跟那个我们做水手的管它叫竹城，就是他的京城的地方，相距并不很远。

　　Among many other fine qualities, my royal friend Tranquo, being gifted with a devout³ love for all matters of barbaric vertu, 我这位王族朋友托朗郭，除了具有其它许多高尚的品质以外，天生还酷爱各式各样的具有蛮风的骨董，

　　had brought together in Pupella whatever rare things the more ingenious of his people could invent; 因此，只要是他治下的人民所能发明的各种奇珍异物，他都收藏到蒲贝拉来；

　　chiefly carved woods of wonderful devices, chiselled⁴ shells, inlaid spears, costly⁵ paddles, aromatic⁶ canoes; 那些东西大多是一些木雕的希奇古怪的东西，镌刻的贝壳，镶嵌的枪矛，奢华的划桨，芳香的独木舟；

　　and all these distributed among whatever natural wonders, the wonder-freighted, tribute-rendering waves had cast upon his shores. 除了这些东西以外，还有许多天然的奇珍异物，即那些由来奇珍，送来贡礼的海浪冲到他岸边来的东西。

　　Chief among these latter was a great Sperm⁷ Whale, which, after an unusually long raging gale⁸, had been found dead and stranded⁹, 由海浪送来的这些贡品中，大多是大抹香鲸。在一阵非常猛烈而刮了好久的大风后，人们就会发现抹香鲸搁了浅，死了，

　　with his head against a cocoa-nut tree, whose plumage-like, tufted droopings seemed his verdant¹⁰ jet. 它头抵着一株椰木树，嘴上挂着一簇羽毛似的东西，象是它的葱翠的喷水。

　　When the vast body had at last been stripped of its fathomdeep enfoldings, and the bones become dust dry in the sun, 等到人们最后把它那庞大的身躯那层有六英尺厚的皮肉给剥光后，骨胳经太阳一晒干，

　　then the skeleton was carefully transported up the Pupella glen, where a grand temple of lordly palms now sheltered it. 人们就把那个骷髅仔细地搬到蒲贝拉幽谷里来，在那里，便由一株雄伟的庙宇似的参天大棕榈树遮蔽着。

　　The ribs were hung with trophies; the vertebrae were carved with Arsacidean annals, in strange hieroglyphics; 那些肋骨被当作战利品挂了起来；脊椎骨则都以一些奇形怪状的象形字刻上阿萨西提的年表；

　　in the skull, the priests kept up an unextinguished aromatic flame, so that the mystic head again sent forth its vapory spout; 僧人们在它的头骷髅里燃起一盏终年不息、气味芬芳的灯火，因此，那只神秘的脑袋又散发出它那迷蒙蒙的喷水；

1 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

2 villa   

n.别墅，城郊小屋

参考例句：

• We rented a villa in France for the summer holidays.我们在法国租了一幢别墅消夏。
• We are quartered in a beautiful villa.我们住在一栋漂亮的别墅里。

3 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。

4 chiselled   

adj.凿过的，凿光的； （文章等）精心雕琢的v.凿，雕，镌( chisel的过去式 )

参考例句：

• A name was chiselled into the stone. 石头上刻着一个人名。
• He chiselled a hole in the door to fit a new lock. 他在门上凿了一个孔，以便装一把新锁。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

6 aromatic   

adj.芳香的，有香味的

参考例句：

• It has an agreeable aromatic smell.它有一种好闻的香味。
• It is light,fruity aromatic and a perfect choice for ending a meal.它是口感轻淡，圆润，芳香的，用于结束一顿饭完美的选择。

7 sperm   

n.精子，精液

参考例句：

• Only one sperm fertilises an egg.只有一个精子使卵子受精。
• In human reproduction,one female egg is usually fertilized by one sperm.在人体生殖过程中，一个精子使一个卵子受精。

8 gale   

n.大风，强风，一阵闹声（尤指笑声等）

参考例句：

• We got our roof blown off in the gale last night.昨夜的大风把我们的房顶给掀掉了。
• According to the weather forecast,there will be a gale tomorrow.据气象台预报，明天有大风。

9 stranded   

a.搁浅的，进退两难的

参考例句：

• He was stranded in a strange city without money. 他流落在一个陌生的城市里， 身无分文，一筹莫展。
• I was stranded in the strange town without money or friends. 我困在那陌生的城市，既没有钱，又没有朋友。

10 verdant   

adj.翠绿的，青翠的，生疏的，不老练的

参考例句：

• Children are playing on the verdant lawn.孩子们在绿茵茵的草坪上嬉戏玩耍。
• The verdant mountain forest turns red gradually in the autumn wind.苍翠的山林在秋风中渐渐变红了。