英语听书《白鲸记》第245期

 And now behold¹ Jonah taken up as an anchor and dropped into the sea; when instantly an oily calmness floats out from the east, and the sea is still, as Jonah carries down the gale² with him, leaving smooth water behind.  这时候,他们把约拿一举,好象举起一只锚,抛进海里去;于是,东方立即油然显出一派风平浪静的气象,大海也静寂下来了,因为约拿已经把大风一齐带走,撇下一泓柔波了。

He goes down in the whirling heart of such a masterless commotion³ that he scarce heeds⁵ the moment when he drops seething⁶ into the yawning jaws⁷ awaiting him; and the whale shoots-to all his ivory teeth, like so many white bolts, upon his prison.  他落到那么一个无法控制的骚动的大涡流中间,以至于一点也没有留意到他已经直掉进了那只正在等他的。

Then Jonah prayed unto the Lord out of the fish's belly⁸. But observe his prayer, and so many white bolts, upon his prison.  张开着的大嘴巴里了;那条大鲸露出了它整副牙齿,象是许多白插销,把他囚住了。

Then Jonah prayed unto learn a weighty lesson. For sinful as he is, Jonah does not weep and wail⁹ for direct deliverance.  于是,约拿便在鱼腹里向上帝做祷告。可是,我们不妨来看一看他的祷告,记取一个重大的教训吧。

He feels that his dreadful punishment is just.  因为约拿虽然罪孽深重,

He leaves all his deliverance to God, contenting himself with this, that spite of all his pains and pangs¹⁰, he will still look towards His holy temple.  他可没有哭哭啼啼请求直接救助。他觉得他那种可怕的处罚是公平的。他把救助的事情全都交给上帝安排去,并以此为满足。

And here, shipmates, is true and faithful repentance¹²; not clamorous¹³ for pardon, but grateful for punishment. 他不顾自己的一切苦难,依然仰望上帝的圣殿。这个呀,船友们,就是真心诚意的悔罪;不是吵吵闹闹地要求赦免,而是感谢处罚得当。

And how pleasing to God was this conduct in Jonah, is shown in the eventual¹⁴ deliverance of him from the sea and the whale.  约拿这种行为究竟使上帝喜欢到什么程度,就表现在最后终于把他从海里和大鲸那里救了出来。

Shipmates, I do not place Jonah before you to be copied for his sin but I do place him before you as a model for repentance.  船友们,我所以要在你们面前提出约拿来,并不是要你们去重蹈他犯罪的复辙,而是要拿他来作为一个悔罪的榜样。

Sin not; but if you do, take heed⁴ to repent¹¹ of it like Jonah. 千万不要犯罪;不过,如果犯了罪,那么请注意,千万要象约拿那样悔罪。

While he was speaking these words, the howling of the shrieking¹⁵, slanting¹⁶ storm without seemed to add new power to the preacher, who, when describing Jonah's sea-storm, seemed tossed by a storm himself.  这个传道者在说这些话的时候,外边的斜风斜雨的凄厉的号啸声似乎更给他增添了力量,当他在叙述约拿在暴风雨里的海中的时候,好象他自己也让暴风雨颠簸得摇来摆去。

His deep chest heaved as with a ground-swell; his tossed arms seemed the warring elements at work;  他那深厚的胸膛象是澎湃的海洋那样起伏着;他那双翻来翻去的胳膊象是狂风暴雨在吹打似的;

and the thunders that rolled away from off his swarthy brow, and the light leaping from his eye, made all his simple hearers look on him with a quick fear that was strange to them. 加上那滚滚闪过他那黑黝黝的眉梢的雷电,以及从他眼睛里闪耀出来的电光,弄得他那些质朴的听众,个个都带着一种从未有过的惊讶之色直盯着他。

1 behold   

v.看，注视，看到

参考例句：

• The industry of these little ants is wonderful to behold.这些小蚂蚁辛勤劳动的样子看上去真令人惊叹。
• The sunrise at the seaside was quite a sight to behold.海滨日出真是个奇景。

2 gale   

n.大风，强风，一阵闹声（尤指笑声等）

参考例句：

• We got our roof blown off in the gale last night.昨夜的大风把我们的房顶给掀掉了。
• According to the weather forecast,there will be a gale tomorrow.据气象台预报，明天有大风。

3 commotion   

n.骚动，动乱

参考例句：

• They made a commotion by yelling at each other in the theatre.他们在剧院里相互争吵，引起了一阵骚乱。
• Suddenly the whole street was in commotion.突然间，整条街道变得一片混乱。

4 heed   

v.注意，留意；n.注意，留心

参考例句：

• You must take heed of what he has told.你要注意他所告诉的事。
• For the first time he had to pay heed to his appearance.这是他第一次非得注意自己的外表不可了。

5 heeds   

n.留心，注意，听从( heed的名词复数 )v.听某人的劝告，听从( heed的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• You should never fight the band that heeds you. 从来不要攻击那些注意你行动的帮伙们。 来自互联网
• He who ignores discipline and shame, but whoever heeds correction is honored. 弃绝管教的、必致贫受辱．领受责备的、必得尊荣。 来自互联网

6 seething   

沸腾的，火热的

参考例句：

• The stadium was a seething cauldron of emotion. 体育场内群情沸腾。
• The meeting hall was seething at once. 会场上顿时沸腾起来了。

7 jaws   

n.口部；嘴

参考例句：

• The antelope could not escape the crocodile's gaping jaws. 那只羚羊无法从鱷鱼张开的大口中逃脱。
• The scored jaws of a vise help it bite the work. 台钳上有刻痕的虎钳牙帮助它紧咬住工件。

8 belly   

n.肚子，腹部；(像肚子一样)鼓起的部分，膛

参考例句：

• The boss has a large belly.老板大腹便便。
• His eyes are bigger than his belly.他眼馋肚饱。

9 wail   

vt./vi.大声哀号，恸哭；呼啸，尖啸

参考例句：

• Somewhere in the audience an old woman's voice began plaintive wail.观众席里，一位老太太伤心地哭起来。
• One of the small children began to wail with terror.小孩中的一个吓得大哭起来。

10 pangs   

突然的剧痛( pang的名词复数 )； 悲痛

参考例句：

• She felt sudden pangs of regret. 她突然感到痛悔不已。
• With touching pathos he described the pangs of hunger. 他以极具感伤力的笔触描述了饥饿的痛苦。

11 repent   

v.悔悟，悔改，忏悔，后悔

参考例句：

• He has nothing to repent of.他没有什么要懊悔的。
• Remission of sins is promised to those who repent.悔罪者可得到赦免。

12 repentance   

n.懊悔

参考例句：

• He shows no repentance for what he has done.他对他的所作所为一点也不懊悔。
• Christ is inviting sinners to repentance.基督正在敦请有罪的人悔悟。

13 clamorous   

adj.吵闹的，喧哗的

参考例句：

• They are clamorous for better pay.他们吵吵嚷嚷要求增加工资。
• The meeting began to become clamorous.会议开始变得喧哗了。

14 eventual   

adj.最后的，结局的，最终的

参考例句：

• Several schools face eventual closure.几所学校面临最终关闭。
• Both parties expressed optimism about an eventual solution.双方对问题的最终解决都表示乐观。

15 shrieking   

v.尖叫( shriek的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The boxers were goaded on by the shrieking crowd. 拳击运动员听见观众的喊叫就来劲儿了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They were all shrieking with laughter. 他们都发出了尖锐的笑声。 来自《简明英汉词典》

16 slanting   

倾斜的，歪斜的

参考例句：

• The rain is driving [slanting] in from the south. 南边潲雨。
• The line is slanting to the left. 这根线向左斜了。