英语听书《白鲸记》第213期

 Even as it was, I thought something of slipping out of the window, but it was the second floor back.  就在这种情况下,我还是想要从窗口跳出去,可是,窗子是开在二层楼的后背,没法跳。

I am no coward, but what to make of this headpeddling purple rascal¹ altogether passed my comprehension.  我虽然不是个胆小鬼,但我怎么也弄不明白这个贩人头的紫色的家伙到底是怎么一回事。

Ignorance is the parent of fear, and being completely nonplussed² and confounded about the stranger,  无知是恐惧之母,我已经给这个陌生人弄得完全惊惶失措了,

I confess I was now as much afraid of him as if it was the devil himself who had thus broken into my room at the dead of night.  我承认,我现在已经被他吓得象是魔鬼在深更半夜亲自闯进我房间来一样。

In fact, I was so afraid of him that I was not game enough just then to address him, and demand a satisfactory answer concerning what seemed inexplicable³ in him. 说实在话,当时我真给吓得没有勇气跟他说话,要他就他身上这些似乎令人不解的事情,给个满意的答复。

Meanwhile, he continued the business of undressing, and at last showed his chest and arms.  这时,他继续在脱衣服,最后,他的胸膛和胳膊都露出来了。

As I live, these covered parts of him were checkered⁴ with the same squares as his face, his back, too, was all over the same dark squares; 千真万确,他身上那些本来遮掩着的地方,也跟他脸上一样,布满许多方块块;背脊也是一样;

he seemed to have been in a Thirty Years' War, and just escaped from it with a sticking-plaster shirt.  他好象参加了三十年战争,弄得满身疮痍地逃了回来。

Still more, his very legs were marked, as if a parcel of dark green frogs were running up the trunks of young palms.  不但如此,他那两条腿上也是斑斑驳驳的,仿佛是一群墨绿色虾蟆爬在小棕榈树身上。

1 rascal   

n.流氓；不诚实的人

参考例句：

• If he had done otherwise,I should have thought him a rascal.如果他不这样做，我就认为他是个恶棍。
• The rascal was frightened into holding his tongue.这坏蛋吓得不敢往下说了。

2 nonplussed   

adj.不知所措的，陷于窘境的v.使迷惑( nonplus的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The speaker was completely nonplussed by the question. 演讲者被这个问题完全难倒了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I was completely nonplussed by his sudden appearance. 他突然出现使我大吃一惊。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 inexplicable   

adj.无法解释的，难理解的

参考例句：

• It is now inexplicable how that development was misinterpreted.当时对这一事态发展的错误理解究竟是怎么产生的，现在已经无法说清楚了。
• There are many things which are inexplicable by science.有很多事科学还无法解释。

4 checkered   

adj.有方格图案的

参考例句：

• The ground under the trees was checkered with sunlight and shade.林地光影交错。
• He’d had a checkered past in the government.他过去在政界浮沉。