英语听书《白鲸记》第787期(在线收听) |
The Pequod had now swept so nigh to the stranger, that Stubb vowed he recognized his cutting spade-pole entangled in the lines that were knotted round the tail of one of these whales. 裴廓德号现在已跟这艘陌生船靠得很拢,所以斯塔布才能够发誓说,他认得出其中有一条鲸的尾巴,那上面绕的绳子跟他的剖鲸铲的木柄缠在一起。
There's a pretty fellow, now, he banteringly laughed, standing in the ship's bows, "there's a jackal for ye! I well know that these Crappoes of Frenchmen are but poor devils in the fishery; sometimes lowering their boats for breakers, mistaking them for Sperm Whale spouts; yes, and sometimes sailing from their port with their hold full of boxes of tallow candles, and cases of snuffers, foreseeing that all the oil they will get won't be enough to dip the Captain's wick into; aye, we all know these things; but look ye, here's a Crappo that is content with our leavings, the drugged whale there, I mean; aye, and is content too with scraping the dry bones of that other precious fish he has there. Poor devil! I say, pass round a hat, some one, and let's make him a present of a little oil for dear charity's sake. For what oil he'll get from that drugged whale there, wouldn't be fit to burn in a jail; no, not in a condemned cell. And as for the other whale, why, I'll agree to get more oil by chopping up and trying out these three masts of ours, than he'll get from that bundle of bones; though, now that I think of it, it may contain something worth a good deal more than oil; yes, ambergris.
哼,真是好家伙,他站在船头上,嘲弄地大笑起来,"你们还可以捉到一只胡狼呢!我很清楚,这些个克拉波(克拉波(Crappo)——这是作者对法文Crapaud(癞蛤蟆)这个词儿在发音上的讹字,等于一般以青蛙(Frog)指法国人。)法国佬,就是捕鱼业里的一些可怜家伙,他们有时竟放下小艇去赶白浪,把它们当成抹香鲸的喷水。一点不假,他们常常在离开他们的港口的时候,船舱里装满了一箱箱牛油蜡烛,一盒盒烛花剪子,事先就知道他们能够搞到的全部鲸油,还不够他们船长的油灯盏用。是啊,这些事情我们都很有数。你们瞧,这里就有一个克拉波,把我们撇下的东西当成好东西,我是说,就是我们用'得拉格,扣住的那条鲸;他还会心满意足地去扒另一条宝贝鲸的干巴巴的骨头呢。可怜的家伙!喂,哪一个做做好事,让咱们凭仁爱精神送他一点油吧。因为他从那条给'得拉格,扣住了的鲸那里,会弄到些什么油呢,连拿到监牢里去燃点都还不配;不,给死囚号子燃点也不配。至于另外那条鲸,哼,我倒认为我们这三根桅杆拿来劈开榨榨,还比从那堆枯骨里挤出来的油多些,不过,啊,我倒想起来了,那里头也许还有一种比油更值钱的东西;不错,就是龙诞香。 |
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