英语听书《白鲸记》第868期

 Fain am I to stagger to this enterprise under the weightiest words of the dictionary. 这个壮举，我只得借助于字典中那些最有分量的词汇，勉力以赴了。

And here be it said, that whenever it has been convenient to consult one in the course of these dissertations¹, 这里必须说明一下，每当我在做这种讲述的过程中，需要随手查查字典的时候，

I have invariably used a huge quarto edition of Johnson, expressly purchased for that purpose; 我总是用约翰生那一大四开的版本，这是特地为此而购来的；

because that famous lexicographer's uncommon² personal bulk more fitted him to compile a lexicon³ to be used by a whale author like me. 因为光是那个著名的字典学家的非凡的体躯，就使他有条件编出一本适合于象我这样一个大鲸作家使用的字典了。

One often hears of writers that rise and swell⁴ with their subject, though it may seem but an ordinary one. 我们常常听说，有许多作家，一写起文章来，就洋洋洒洒，尽管那种文章也许看来不过是普通的文章。

How, then, with me, writing of this Leviathan? 然而，我写这种大鲸的文章时，又是怎样一种情况呢？

Unconsciously my chirography expands into placard capitals.  我总是不自觉地把我的笔迹写得跟招贴用的大写体一样。

Give me a condor's quill⁵! Give me Vesuvius' crater⁶ for an inkstand! Friends, hold my arms! 请给我一只秃鹰的羽管笔！给我把维苏威的喷火口拿来作墨水缸吧！朋友们，把牢我的胳膊呀！

For in the mere⁷ act of penning my thoughts of this Leviathan, they weary me, and make me faint with their outreaching comprehensiveness of sweep, 因为，我只要一提起笔，想把这种大鲸写下来的时候，可就把我想累了，而且由于那些思想都是超出理解的范围而把我弄昏了，

as if to include the whole circle of the sciences, and all the generations of whales, and men, and mastodons, past, present, and to come, 仿佛势必涉及整个科学的各部门，涉及过去、现在、未来的历朝历代的鲸类、人类、乳齿象类，

with all the revolving⁸ panoramas⁹ of empire on earth, and throughout the whole universe, not excluding its suburbs. 以及人间的帝王的轮回转替，势必贯通整个宇宙，而且不能把人间境遇除外。

Such, and so magnifying, is the virtue¹⁰ of a large and liberal theme! 这就是这么一个包罗万象、而又广袤无垠的题材的特点！

We expand to its bulk. 我们要把它写得跟它身体一般巨大。

To produce a mighty¹¹ book, you must choose a mighty theme. 为了要写出巨著，就得选择大题材。

No great and enduring volume can ever be written on the flea¹², though many there be who have tried it. 跳蚤是永远也成不了一部又伟大又能流传久远的巨著的题材的，虽然已经有许多人尝试过了。

1 dissertations   

专题论文，学位论文( dissertation的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• We spend the final term writing our dissertations. 我们用最后一个学期的时间写论文。
• The professors are deliberating over the post graduates dissertations. 教授们正在商讨研究生的论文。

2 uncommon   

adj.罕见的，非凡的，不平常的

参考例句：

• Such attitudes were not at all uncommon thirty years ago.这些看法在30年前很常见。
• Phil has uncommon intelligence.菲尔智力超群。

3 lexicon   

n.字典，专门词汇

参考例句：

• Chocolate equals sin in most people's lexicon.巧克力在大多数人的字典里等同于罪恶。
• Silent earthquakes are only just beginning to enter the public lexicon.无声地震才刚开始要成为众所周知的语汇。

4 swell   

vi.膨胀，肿胀；增长，增强

参考例句：

• The waves had taken on a deep swell.海浪汹涌。
• His injured wrist began to swell.他那受伤的手腕开始肿了。

5 quill   

n.羽毛管；v.给（织物或衣服）作皱褶

参考例句：

• He wrote with a quill.他用羽毛笔写字。
• She dipped a quill in ink,and then began to write.她将羽毛笔在墨水里蘸了一下，随后开始书写。

6 crater   

n.火山口，弹坑

参考例句：

• With a telescope you can see the huge crater of Ve-suvius.用望远镜你能看到巨大的维苏威火山口。
• They came to the lip of a dead crater.他们来到了一个死火山口。

7 mere   

adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过

参考例句：

• That is a mere repetition of what you said before.那不过是重复了你以前讲的话。
• It's a mere waste of time waiting any longer.再等下去纯粹是浪费时间。

8 revolving   

adj.旋转的，轮转式的；循环的v.（使）旋转( revolve的现在分词 )；细想

参考例句：

• The theatre has a revolving stage. 剧院有一个旋转舞台。
• The company became a revolving-door workplace. 这家公司成了工作的中转站。

9 panoramas   

全景画( panorama的名词复数 )； 全景照片； 一连串景象或事

参考例句：

• Meeting room that free your imagination by opening to grand panoramas. 面对城市全景的会客厅任你的想象驰聘。
• The grand panoramas of NORWAY prove irresistible to adventurers. 挪威的壮丽景色有着让人无法抵制的魅力。

10 virtue   

n.德行，美德；贞操；优点；功效，效力

参考例句：

• He was considered to be a paragon of virtue.他被认为是品德尽善尽美的典范。
• You need to decorate your mind with virtue.你应该用德行美化心灵。

11 mighty   

adj.强有力的；巨大的

参考例句：

• A mighty force was about to break loose.一股巨大的力量即将迸发而出。
• The mighty iceberg came into view.巨大的冰山出现在眼前。

12 flea   

n.跳蚤

参考例句：

• I'll put a flea in his ear if he bothers me once more.如果他再来打扰的话，我就要对他不客气了。
• Hunter has an interest in prowling around a flea market.亨特对逛跳蚤市场很感兴趣。