英语听书《白鲸记》第972期

 Bring it up; there's nothing else for it, said Starbuck, after a melancholy¹ pause. 把棺材拿上来吧；再没有别的办法了，斯达巴克歇了一会后，忧郁地说道。

"Rig it, carpenter; do not look at me so — the coffin², I mean. Dost thou hear me? Rig it." "把它弄起来吧，木匠；别这样看我呀——我说的是棺材。你听到吗？把它弄起来。"

And shall I nail down the lid, sir? moving his hand as with a hammer. 我要不要把棺材盖给钉牢，先生？手里拿着一把锤子在比划。

Aye. And shall I caulk³ the seams, sir? moving his hand as with a caulking-iron. 钉吧。我要不要把缝缝隙隙都补一补，先生？手里拿着一把填缝的铁器晃个不停。

Aye. And shall I then pay over the same with pitch, sir? moving his hand as with a pitch-pot. 补吧。那么，我要不要给这东西涂上一层沥青，先生？手里拿着一罐沥青晃来晃去。

Away! What possesses thee to this? Make a life-buoy of the coffin, and no more. — Mr. Stubb, Mr. Flask⁴, come forward with me." 啐！你们怎么啦？把棺材做成一只救生圈，别多噜苏，——斯塔布先生，弗拉斯克先生，跟我一起到前边去。

He goes off in a huff. The whole he can endure; at the parts he baulks. Now I don't like this. 他就这么气冲冲地走啦。他就是大事受得了，小事沉不住气。我可就不喜欢这样。

I make a leg for Captain Ahab, and he wears it like a gentleman; but I make a bandbox for Queequeg, and he won't put his head into it. 我给亚哈船长做了一条腿，他用得象个老爷那样；可是我给魁魁格做了只帽盒子（指棺材），他却不肯把头钻进去。

Are all my pains to go for nothing with that coffin? 难道说我为那只棺材所花的力气就白费啦？

And now I'm ordered to make a life-buoy of it. 现在又要我来把它改成一只救生圈。

It's like turning an old coat; going to bring the flesh on the other side now. 这真象把件老棉袄翻个身，要把里子翻做面子那样。

I don't like this cobbling sort of business — I don't like it at all; it's undignified; it's not my place. 我可不干这种补补弄弄的玩意儿——我根本就不愿意干；这是不体面的事情；这不是我份内的事儿。

Let tinkers' brats⁵ do tinkerings; we are their betters. 补补弄弄的事儿，让那些补补弄弄的臭娃娃去干吧；我们这行业可比他们强得多。

I like to take in hand none but clean, virgin⁶, fair-and-square mathematical jobs, 要不是干干净净的、纯洁的、光明正大的、正正经经的活儿，我才沾都不去沾呢，

something that regularly begins at the beginning, and is at the middle when midway, and comes to an end at the conclusion; 应该是一种开始时规规矩矩地开始，做到半中间也象个半中间，结末时又是功德圆满的活儿才行；

not a cobbler's job, that's at an end in the middle, and at the beginning at the end. 这可不是皮匠的活儿，那是没头没尾、七颠八倒的活儿。

 

1 melancholy   

n.忧郁，愁思；adj.令人感伤（沮丧）的，忧郁的

参考例句：

• All at once he fell into a state of profound melancholy.他立即陷入无尽的忧思之中。
• He felt melancholy after he failed the exam.这次考试没通过，他感到很郁闷。

2 coffin   

n.棺材，灵柩

参考例句：

• When one's coffin is covered,all discussion about him can be settled.盖棺论定。
• The coffin was placed in the grave.那口棺材已安放到坟墓里去了。

3 caulk   

v.堵缝

参考例句：

• Shipbuilders caulk wooden boats with oakum and tar.造船工匠用麻丝和沥青填塞木船缝隙。
• The sailors couldn't find anything to caulk the seam in the boat.水手们找不到任何东西来填塞船上的裂缝。

4 flask   

n.瓶，火药筒，砂箱

参考例句：

• There is some deposit in the bottom of the flask.这只烧杯的底部有些沉淀物。
• He took out a metal flask from a canvas bag.他从帆布包里拿出一个金属瓶子。

5 brats   

n.调皮捣蛋的孩子( brat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• I've been waiting to get my hands on you brats. 我等着干你们这些小毛头已经很久了。 来自电影对白
• The charming family had turned into a parcel of brats. 那个可爱的家庭一下子变成了一窝臭小子。 来自互联网

6 virgin   

n.处女，未婚女子；adj.未经使用的；未经开发的

参考例句：

• Have you ever been to a virgin forest?你去过原始森林吗？
• There are vast expanses of virgin land in the remote regions.在边远地区有大片大片未开垦的土地。