英语听书《白鲸记》第584期

 　　Consider the subtleness of the sea; 想一想这个阴险成性的海洋吧，

　　how its most dreaded¹ creatures glide² under water, unapparent for the most part, and treacherously³ hidden beneath the loveliest tints⁴ of azure⁵.  它那些最可怕的生物怎样大多是眼不能见地在水底下流来滑去，诡诈地隐藏在最可爱的湛蓝苍穹下。

　　Consider also the devilish brilliance⁶ and beauty of many of its most remorseless tribes, as the dainty embellished⁷ shape of many species of sharks.  也想一想海里那许多最残忍的族类那种非常光彩和漂亮的外表，就象各种鲨鱼装饰得颇为雅致的外表一样，

　　Consider once more, the universal cannibalism⁸ of the sea;  再想一想海洋的普遍的同类相残的情况吧；

　　all whose creatures prey⁹ upon each other, carrying on eternal war since the world began. 它那些彼此互相掠夺的生物，自从开天辟地以来，就进行了无休无止的战争。

　　Consider all this; and then turn to this green, gentle, and most docile¹⁰ earth; 想了所有这一切后，再回头看看这个碧绿、柔和而又最为温顺的大地，

　　consider them both, the sea and the land;  把它们，海和陆都想一想吧，

　　and do you not find a strange analogy to something in yourself? 难道你自己没有发现一种相似得出奇的东西吗？

　　For as this appalling¹¹ ocean surrounds the verdant¹² land,  因为正如这个令人可怕的海洋把葱翠的陆地给包围起来一般，

　　so in the soul of man there lies one insular¹³ Tahiti, full of peace and joy, but encompassed¹⁴ by all the horrors of the half known life. 在人类的心灵里，也有个塔希提的小岛，虽然充满着安谧与快活，却被一知半解的生活中的一切恐怖包围着。

　　God keep thee! Push not off from that isle¹⁵, thou canst never return! 愿上帝保佑你们！别离开那个岛屿吧，你是永远回不来的！

　　End of chapters 55-58 第五十五至五十八章完

1 dreaded   

adj.令人畏惧的；害怕的v.害怕，恐惧，担心( dread的过去式和过去分词)

参考例句：

• The dreaded moment had finally arrived. 可怕的时刻终于来到了。
• He dreaded having to spend Christmas in hospital. 他害怕非得在医院过圣诞节不可。 来自《用法词典》

2 glide   

n./v.溜，滑行；(时间)消逝

参考例句：

• We stood in silence watching the snake glide effortlessly.我们噤若寒蝉地站着，眼看那条蛇逍遥自在地游来游去。
• So graceful was the ballerina that she just seemed to glide.那芭蕾舞女演员翩跹起舞，宛如滑翔。

3 treacherously   

背信弃义地； 背叛地； 靠不住地； 危险地

参考例句：

• The mountain road treacherously. 山路蜿蜒曲折。
• But they like men have transgressed the covenant: there have they dealt treacherously against me. 他们却如亚当背约，在境内向我行事诡诈。

4 tints   

色彩( tint的名词复数 )； 带白的颜色； （淡色）染发剂； 痕迹

参考例句：

• leaves with red and gold autumn tints 金秋时节略呈红黄色的树叶
• The whole countryside glowed with autumn tints. 乡间处处呈现出灿烂的秋色。

5 azure   

adj.天蓝色的，蔚蓝色的

参考例句：

• His eyes are azure.他的眼睛是天蓝色的。
• The sun shone out of a clear azure sky.清朗蔚蓝的天空中阳光明媚。

6 brilliance   

n.光辉，辉煌，壮丽，（卓越的）才华，才智

参考例句：

• I was totally amazed by the brilliance of her paintings.她的绘画才能令我惊歎不已。
• The gorgeous costume added to the brilliance of the dance.华丽的服装使舞蹈更加光彩夺目。

7 embellished   

v.美化( embellish的过去式和过去分词 )；装饰；修饰；润色

参考例句：

• The door of the old church was embellished with decorations. 老教堂的门是用雕饰美化的。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The stern was embellished with carvings in red and blue. 船尾饰有红色和蓝色的雕刻图案。 来自辞典例句

8 cannibalism   

n.同类相食；吃人肉

参考例句：

• The war is just like the cannibalism of animals.战争就如同动物之间的互相残。
• They were forced to practise cannibalism in order to survive.他们被迫人吃人以求活下去。

9 prey   

n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨

参考例句：

• Stronger animals prey on weaker ones.弱肉强食。
• The lion was hunting for its prey.狮子在寻找猎物。

10 docile   

adj.驯服的，易控制的，容易教的

参考例句：

• Circus monkeys are trained to be very docile and obedient.马戏团的猴子训练得服服贴贴的。
• He is a docile and well-behaved child.他是个温顺且彬彬有礼的孩子。

11 appalling   

adj.骇人听闻的，令人震惊的，可怕的

参考例句：

• The search was hampered by appalling weather conditions.恶劣的天气妨碍了搜寻工作。
• Nothing can extenuate such appalling behaviour.这种骇人听闻的行径罪无可恕。

12 verdant   

adj.翠绿的，青翠的，生疏的，不老练的

参考例句：

• Children are playing on the verdant lawn.孩子们在绿茵茵的草坪上嬉戏玩耍。
• The verdant mountain forest turns red gradually in the autumn wind.苍翠的山林在秋风中渐渐变红了。

13 insular   

adj.岛屿的，心胸狭窄的

参考例句：

• A continental climate is different from an insular one.大陆性气候不同于岛屿气候。
• Having lived in one place all his life,his views are insular.他一辈子住在一个地方，所以思想狭隘。

14 encompassed   

v.围绕( encompass的过去式和过去分词 )；包围；包含；包括

参考例句：

• The enemy encompassed the city. 敌人包围了城市。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I have encompassed him with every protection. 我已经把他保护得严严实实。 来自英汉文学 - 双城记

15 isle   

n.小岛，岛

参考例句：

• He is from the Isle of Man in the Irish Sea.他来自爱尔兰海的马恩岛。
• The boat left for the paradise isle of Bali.小船驶向天堂一般的巴厘岛。