英语听书《白鲸记》第959期

 But suddenly reined¹ back by some counter thought, he hurried towards the helm, huskily demanding how the ship was heading. 可是，他突然象是起了什么相反的念头，在脑子里勒马收缰了。他匆匆奔到舵边，嘎声嘎气地问船是朝哪里驶的。

East-sou-east, sir, said the frightened steersman. 东南东，先生，那个吃了一惊的舵手说。

Thou liest! smiting² him with his clenched³ fist. 你在说谎！他用紧握着的拳头打了他。

"Heading East at this hour in the morning, and the sun astern?" "大清老早这个时辰，往东驶，可太阳却在后边？"

Upon this every soul was confounded; 大家听到这番话，都惊慌失措；

for the phenomenon just then observed by Ahab had unaccountably escaped every one else; 因为亚哈这时所觉察到的这种现象，谁都没有注意到；

but its very blinding palpableness must have been the cause. 毛病一定出在那股弄得人们眼花缭乱的阳光上。

Thrusting his head half-way into the binnacle, Ahab caught one glimpse of the compasses; his uplifted arm slowly fell; 亚哈半路里把头探进罗盘针里，看一看那罗盘针后，他那只高举的胳膊慢慢地落下来；

for a moment he almost seemed to stagger. 一时间他简直是立不稳了。

Standing⁴ behind him Starbuck looked, and lo! the two compasses pointed⁵ East, and the Pequod was as infallibly going West. 站在他后边的斯达巴克一看，哎哟！两只罗盘针都指着东方，而事实上，"裴廓德号"却在朝西驶去。

But ere the first wild alarm could get out abroad among the crew, the old man with a rigid⁶ laugh exclaimed, 但在这一刚发现的离奇的秘密让水手们知道之前，这老头子却一声生硬的大笑，高叫了起来，

"I have it! It has happened before. Mr. Starbuck, last night's thunder turned our compasses — that's all. "我明白啦！这事情从前也碰到过。斯达巴克先生，昨儿晚上的雷电把我们这只罗盘针给转了向啦——就是这么回事。

Thou hast before now heard of such a thing, I take it." 我相信，你从前也听到过这种事情。"

Aye; but never before has it happened to me, sir, said the pale mate, gloomily. 唔，我自己可从来没有碰到过，先生。面色灰白的大副阴郁郁地说。

Here, it must needs be said, that accidents like this have in more than one case occurred to ships in violent storms. 这里，必须说明一下，象这样的事故，在强暴风雨里，船只是不止一次发生过的。

 

1 reined   

勒缰绳使（马）停步( rein的过去式和过去分词 )； 驾驭； 严格控制； 加强管理

参考例句：

• Then, all of a sudden, he reined up his tired horse. 这时，他突然把疲倦的马勒住了。
• The officer reined in his horse at a crossroads. 军官在十字路口勒住了马。

2 smiting   

v.猛打，重击，打击( smite的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• He set to smiting and overthrowing. 他马上就动手殴打和破坏。 来自辞典例句

3 clenched   

v.紧握，抓紧，咬紧( clench的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He clenched his fists in anger. 他愤怒地攥紧了拳头。
• She clenched her hands in her lap to hide their trembling. 她攥紧双手放在腿上，以掩饰其颤抖。 来自《简明英汉词典》

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 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

6 rigid   

adj.严格的，死板的；刚硬的，僵硬的

参考例句：

• She became as rigid as adamant.她变得如顽石般的固执。
• The examination was so rigid that nearly all aspirants were ruled out.考试很严，几乎所有的考生都被淘汰了。