英语听书《白鲸记》第973期

 It's the old woman's tricks to be giving cobbling jobs. Lord! what an affection all old women have for tinkers. 这是老太婆要捉弄皮匠的差使。天呀，天下的老太婆多么爱看上皮匠呀。

I know an old woman of sixty-five who ran away with a bald-headed young tinker once. 我就知道，有个六十五岁的老太婆，跟一个秃顶的年轻皮匠私奔了。

And that's the reason I never would work for lonely widow old women ashore¹ when I kept my job-shop in the Vineyard; 因此，我在维因耶德开作坊的时候，就从来不愿意给陆上的孤老寡妇干活儿；

they might have taken it into their lonely old heads to run off with me. 她们那些个孤老脑袋里，说不定还想跟我私奔呢。

But heigh-ho! there are no caps at sea but snow-caps. Let me see. 可是，嗨嗬！在海上，谁来管你这一套，有理也说不清。我不妨来试试看。

Nail down the lid; caulk² the seams; pay over the same with pitch; batten them down tight, and hang it with the snap-spring over the ship's stern. 把棺材盖给钉住，缝缝隙隙给补补填填，给这东西涂上一层沥青；把它敲得紧紧密密，系上弹簧绳子，挂在船梢上就得啦。

Were ever such things done before with a coffin⁴? 用一只棺材来做成这种东西，先前可有人干过嘛？

Some superstitious⁵ old carpenters, now, would be tied up in the rigging, ere they would do the job. 哼，有些迷信的老木匠，就一定要给紧缚在索具后才愿意来干这活儿。

But I'm made of knotty⁶ Aroostook hemlock⁷; I don't budge⁸. Cruppered with a coffin! Sailing about with a grave-yard tray! 不过，我是用阿卢斯图克（美国缅因州北部的一条河名）的多瘤多节的铁杉做出来的；我并不畏畏缩缩。船屁股吊只棺材！拖着一只坟场里的盒子驶来驶去！

But never mind. We workers in woods make bridal bedsteads and card-tables, as well as coffins⁹ and hearses. 不过，管它呢。我们做木匠的，新婚的床架子和牌桌要做，棺材和棺架也同样要做。

We work by the month, or by the job, or by the profit; not for us to ask the why and wherefore of our work, 我们这些做长工的、做零活的、挣钱的人，对我们的活儿是挨不上问为什么和什么理由的，

unless it be too confounded cobbling, and then we stash¹⁰ it if we can. 除非实在真是太混蛋的补补弄弄的差使，那么，如果搪塞得了，我们还是不干的。

Hem³! I'll do the job, now, tenderly. 唔！我还是来好好地做一做吧。

 

1 ashore   

adv.在(向)岸上，上岸

参考例句：

• The children got ashore before the tide came in.涨潮前，孩子们就上岸了。
• He laid hold of the rope and pulled the boat ashore.他抓住绳子拉船靠岸。

2 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。

3 hem   

n.贴边，镶边；vt.缝贴边；(in)包围，限制

参考例句：

• The hem on her skirt needs sewing.她裙子上的褶边需要缝一缝。
• The hem of your dress needs to be let down an inch.你衣服的折边有必要放长1英寸。

4 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。

5 superstitious   

adj.迷信的

参考例句：

• They aim to deliver the people who are in bondage to superstitious belief.他们的目的在于解脱那些受迷信束缚的人。
• These superstitious practices should be abolished as soon as possible.这些迷信做法应尽早取消。

6 knotty   

adj.有结的，多节的，多瘤的，棘手的

参考例句：

• Under his leadership,many knotty problems were smoothly solved.在他的领导下，许多伤脑筋的问题都迎刃而解。
• She met with a lot of knotty problems.她碰上了许多棘手的问题。

7 hemlock   

n.毒胡萝卜，铁杉

参考例句：

• He was condemned to drink a cup of hemlock.判处他喝一杯毒汁。
• Here is a beech by the side of a hemlock,with three pines at hand.这儿有株山毛榉和一株铁杉长在一起，旁边还有三株松树。

8 budge   

v.移动一点儿；改变立场

参考例句：

• We tried to lift the rock but it wouldn't budge.我们试图把大石头抬起来，但它连动都没动一下。
• She wouldn't budge on the issue.她在这个问题上不肯让步。

9 coffins   

n.棺材( coffin的名词复数 )；使某人早亡[死，完蛋，垮台等]之物

参考例句：

• The shop was close and hot, and the atmosphere seemed tainted with the smell of coffins. 店堂里相当闷热，空气仿佛被棺木的味儿污染了。 来自辞典例句
• Donate some coffins to the temple, equal to the number of deaths. 到寺庙里，捐赠棺材盒给这些死者吧。 来自电影对白

10 stash   

v.藏或贮存于一秘密处所；n.隐藏处

参考例句：

• Stash away both what you lost and gained,for life continues on.将得失深藏心底吧，为了那未来的生活。
• That's supposed to be in our private stash.这是我的私人珍藏。