英语听书《白鲸记》第862期

 In both cases, the stranded¹ whales to which these two skeletons belonged, were originally claimed by their proprietors² upon similar grounds. 这两只搁浅了的鲸骷髅，本来就是出自同一个理由而成它们的物主的所有物的。

King Tranquo seizing his because he wanted it; and Sir Clifford, because he was lord of the seignories of those parts. 托朗魁王是因为他要这东西才把它占为己有；而克利福德爵士则是因为他是当地的领主。

Sir Clifford's whale has been articulated throughout; 克利福德爵士那条鲸，它的关节完全可以由人们给接拢来；

so that, like a great chest of drawers, you can open and shut him—in all his bony cavities, 因此，活象一只大橱的抽屉，既可以关，又可以开——在它所有的骨洞里，

spread out his ribs³ like a gigantic fan— and swing all day upon his lower jaw⁴. 一天到晚都在下颚上面晃来晃去。

Locks are to be put upon some of his trap-doors and shutters⁵; 有些活门和百叶窗还加上锁；

and a footman will show round future visitors with a bunch of keys at his side. 一个手里拿着一串钥匙的仆役，经常站在它身边，随时把它打开，让参观者看个周遍。

Sir Clifford thinks of charging twopence for a peep at the whispering gallery in the spinal⁶ column; 克利福德爵士还想收取费用：在这个骨柱的低语高响廊里瞧一瞧的，收费两个便士；

threepence to hear the echo in the hollow of his cerebellum; and sixpence for the unrivalled view from his forehead. 听一听它那小脑洞里的回声的，收费三个便士；对它的额头作一次绝无仅有的观察的，收费六个便士。

The skeleton dimensions I shall now proceed to set down are copied verbatim from my right arm, where I had them tattooed⁷; 且说我现在所要记下来的这个骷髅的大小，是从我的右臂上一笔一划地仔细抄下来的，我把所见的都文在这只右臂上；

as in my wild wanderings at that period, there was no other secure way of preserving such valuable statistics. 因为在我当时的浪荡日子里，实在没有更妥当的方法来保存这么贵重的统计材料。

But as I was crowded for space, and wished the other parts of my body to remain a blank page for a poem I was then composing, 而且，由于我身上的地位不多，同时还想留下一些空白地方，来写我当时所构思的一首诗，

at least, what untattooed parts might remain—I did not trouble myself with the odd inches; 至少还得留着一块未曾文身的地方——因此，我就不去计较那些零头的尺寸了；

nor, indeed, should inches at all enter into a congenial admeasurement of the whale. 而且，老实说，根本也用不着尺码分明地把它弄得象一般鲸的尺寸那样。

1 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。

2 proprietors   

n.所有人，业主( proprietor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• These little proprietors of businesses are lords indeed on their own ground. 这些小业主们，在他们自己的行当中，就是真正的至高无上的统治者。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
• Many proprietors try to furnish their hotels with antiques. 许多经营者都想用古董装饰他们的酒店。 来自辞典例句

3 ribs   

n.肋骨( rib的名词复数 )；（船或屋顶等的）肋拱；肋骨状的东西；（织物的）凸条花纹

参考例句：

• He suffered cracked ribs and bruising. 他断了肋骨还有挫伤。
• Make a small incision below the ribs. 在肋骨下方切开一个小口。

4 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。

5 shutters   

百叶窗( shutter的名词复数 )； （照相机的）快门

参考例句：

• The shop-front is fitted with rolling shutters. 那商店的店门装有卷门。
• The shutters thumped the wall in the wind. 在风中百叶窗砰砰地碰在墙上。

6 spinal   

adj.针的，尖刺的，尖刺状突起的；adj.脊骨的，脊髓的

参考例句：

• After three days in Japan,the spinal column becomes extraordinarily flexible.在日本三天，就已经使脊椎骨变得富有弹性了。
• Your spinal column is made up of 24 movable vertebrae.你的脊柱由24个活动的脊椎骨构成。

7 tattooed   

v.刺青，文身( tattoo的过去式和过去分词 )；连续有节奏地敲击；作连续有节奏的敲击

参考例句：

• He had tattooed his wife's name on his upper arm. 他把妻子的名字刺在上臂上。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The sailor had a heart tattooed on his arm. 那水兵在手臂上刺上一颗心。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》