英语听书《白鲸记》第888期

 　　He was like one of those unreasoning but still highly useful, multum in parvo, Sheffield contrivances, 他就象是一种不合情理、然而用起来却颇著成效的、小型而内容丰富的、舍非尔德式的机巧工具，

　　assuming the exterior— though a little swelled—of a common pocket knife; 外表——虽然稍微大些——象是一柄普通的小刀子；

　　but containing, not only blades of various sizes, but also screw-drivers, cork-screws, tweezers¹, awls, pens, rulers, nail-filers, countersinkers. 可是，那里面不但有大小不同的刀刃，而且还有螺旋钻，拔瓶塞用的螺丝锥，镊子，锥子，笔，尺，指甲锉子，山头锥。

　　So, if his superiors wanted to use the carpenter for a screw-driver, all they had to do was to open that part of him, and the screw was fast: 因此，如果他那些上司想把木匠当螺旋钻用，他们只消打开他身上的那一个部分，就可以旋紧螺丝，

　　or if for tweezers, take him up by the legs, and there they were. 或者如果要把他当镊子用，那只消提起他那两条腿，就是一把镊子。

　　Yet, as previously² hinted, this omnitooled, open-and-shut carpenter, was, after all, no mere³ machine of an automaton⁴. 然而，如上所述，这个万能式的、可开可闭的木匠毕竟不完全是一架自动式的机器。

　　If he did not have a common soul in him, he had a subtle something that somehow anomalously⁵ did its duty. 如果说他身上并没有普通的灵魂，那他可还有一种总在不规则地起着作用的微妙的东西。

　　What that was, whether essence of quicksilver, or a few drops of hartshorn, there is no telling. 然而，那东西究竟是什么，是不是水银精，还是几滴鹿茸精，那可说不上来了。

　　But there it was; and there it had abided for now some sixty years or more. 可是，一定有些什么东西，而且一定已经在他身上居留达六十多年了。

　　And this it was, this same unaccountable, cunning life-principle in him; this it was, that kept him a great part of the time soliloquizing; 就是这种东西，他身上这种难解而机灵的生命要素；就是这种东西，这才使他大部分时间都在自言自语；

　　but only like an unreasoning wheel, which also hummingly soliloquizes; 不过，只象是一只不合规律的轮盘，还在独自不停地嗡嗡叫；

　　or rather, his body was a sentry-box and this soliloquizer on guard there, and talking all the time to keep himself awake. 或者，更正确点说，他的身体就是个岗亭，而这个自言自语者就在那里值班，老在自言自语，使他自己醒着不睡。

1 tweezers   

n.镊子

参考例句：

• We simply removed from the cracked endocarp with sterile tweezers.我们简单地用消过毒的镊子从裂开的内果皮中取出种子。
• Bee stings should be removed with tweezers.蜜蜂的螫刺应该用小镊子拔出来。

2 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

3 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。

4 automaton   

n.自动机器，机器人

参考例句：

• This is a fully functional automaton.这是一个有全自动功能的机器人。
• I get sick of being thought of as a political automaton.我讨厌被看作政治机器。

5 anomalously   

参考例句：

• In this case an anomalously high oxidation rate is observed with respect to the model. 在这种情况下发现有比这模型要高得多的氧化速率。 来自辞典例句
• This man behaves anomalously. 这个人行事不正常。 来自互联网