英语听书《白鲸记》第914期

 But one night, under cover of darkness, and further concealed¹ in a most cunning disguisement, 可是，有一天晚上，一个险恶的夜贼借着深沉的夜色，尤其是借着一种最巧妙的伪装，

a desperate burglar slid into his happy home, and robbed them all of everything. 悄悄地溜进了他的快活的家里，把他所有的一切都偷得一干二净。

And darker yet to tell, the blacksmith himself did ignorantly conduct this burglar into his family's heart. 更为凄惨的是，这个夜贼是铁匠本人莫知莫觉地引进自己家里的。

It was the Bottle Conjuror²! 这就是那个魔瓶鬼！

Upon the opening of that fatal cork³, forth⁴ flew the fiend, and shrivelled up his home. 那只性命攸关的瓶塞一经拔开，那个恶魔就猛地冲了出来，把他的家庭给搞垮了。

Now, for prudent⁵, most wise, and economic reasons, the blacksmith's shop was in the basement of his dwelling⁶, but with a separate entrance to it; 且说这个铁匠出于谨慎、精明和经济，他的作坊就设在他住屋的地下室里，单独有一扇门；

so that always had the young and loving healthy wife listened with no unhappy nervousness, but with vigorous pleasure, 所以这个年轻可爱、身体壮健的妻子总是带着一种不无快活的胆怯、然而却很有乐趣，

to the stout⁷ ringing of her young-armed old husband's hammer; 倾听她年老丈夫那象小伙子的腕力猛力敲击的锤子声；

whose reverberations, muffled⁸ by passing through the floors and walls, came up to her, not unsweetly, in her nursery; 锤子的回音，朦胧地穿过楼板和墙壁，颇为愉快地传上她的育儿室；

and so, to stout Labor's iron lullaby, the blacksmith's infants were rocked to slumber⁹. 铁匠的小孩们也就这样合着劳动之神的猛力的钢铁催眠曲，给震荡得甜睡着了。

Oh, woe¹⁰ on woe! Oh, Death, why canst thou not sometimes be timely? 啊，哀上加哀！死神啊，你为什么有时候不能及时地来呢？

Hadst thou taken this old blacksmith to thyself ere his full ruin came upon him, then had the young widow had a delicious grief, 如果你在这个老铁匠倾家荡产之前，先把他攫走，然后让那个年青的孀妇痛痛快快地悲伤一场，

and her orphans¹¹ a truly venerable, legendary¹² sire to dream of in their after years; and all of them a care-killing competency. 让她那些孤儿以后有个梦想他们那真有来历的、神话似的祖先的机会；让他们都心劳神悴下去，不是更好些吗？

But Death plucked down some virtuous¹³ elder brother, on whose whistling daily toil¹⁴ solely¹⁵ hung the responsibilities of some other family, 可是，死神却要突然拖走别的人家一个肩上压着家庭重担、终日劳累不停的善良的大哥，

and left the worse than useless old man standing¹⁶, till the hideous¹⁷ rot of life should make him easier to harvest. 而撇下一个百无一用的老头儿，等到那可怕的腐朽的生命更容易收拾时才来收拾他。

 

1 concealed   

a.隐藏的，隐蔽的

参考例句：

• The paintings were concealed beneath a thick layer of plaster. 那些画被隐藏在厚厚的灰泥层下面。
• I think he had a gun concealed about his person. 我认为他当时身上藏有一支枪。

2 conjuror   

n.魔术师，变戏法者

参考例句：

• The boys looked at the conjuror in silent wonder.孩子们目瞪口呆地看着那魔术师。
• The conjuror's magic delighted the children.魔术师的戏法逗乐了孩子们。

3 cork   

n.软木，软木塞

参考例句：

• We heard the pop of a cork.我们听见瓶塞砰的一声打开。
• Cork is a very buoyant material.软木是极易浮起的材料。

4 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

5 prudent   

adj.谨慎的，有远见的，精打细算的

参考例句：

• A prudent traveller never disparages his own country.聪明的旅行者从不贬低自己的国家。
• You must school yourself to be modest and prudent.你要学会谦虚谨慎。

6 dwelling   

n.住宅，住所，寓所

参考例句：

• Those two men are dwelling with us.那两个人跟我们住在一起。
• He occupies a three-story dwelling place on the Park Street.他在派克街上有一幢3层楼的寓所。

7 stout   

adj.强壮的，粗大的，结实的，勇猛的，矮胖的

参考例句：

• He cut a stout stick to help him walk.他砍了一根结实的枝条用来拄着走路。
• The stout old man waddled across the road.那肥胖的老人一跩一跩地穿过马路。

8 muffled   

adj.（声音）被隔的；听不太清的；（衣服）裹严的；蒙住的v.压抑，捂住( muffle的过去式和过去分词 )；用厚厚的衣帽包着（自己）

参考例句：

• muffled voices from the next room 从隔壁房间里传来的沉闷声音
• There was a muffled explosion somewhere on their right. 在他们的右面什么地方有一声沉闷的爆炸声。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 slumber   

n.睡眠，沉睡状态

参考例句：

• All the people in the hotels were wrapped in deep slumber.住在各旅馆里的人都已进入梦乡。
• Don't wake him from his slumber because he needs the rest.不要把他从睡眠中唤醒，因为他需要休息。

10 woe   

n.悲哀，苦痛，不幸，困难；int.用来表达悲伤或惊慌

参考例句：

• Our two peoples are brothers sharing weal and woe.我们两国人民是患难与共的兄弟。
• A man is well or woe as he thinks himself so.自认祸是祸，自认福是福。

11 orphans   

孤儿( orphan的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The poor orphans were kept on short commons. 贫苦的孤儿们吃不饱饭。
• Their uncle was declared guardian to the orphans. 这些孤儿的叔父成为他们的监护人。

12 legendary   

adj.传奇（中）的，闻名遐迩的；n.传奇（文学）

参考例句：

• Legendary stories are passed down from parents to children.传奇故事是由父母传给孩子们的。
• Odysseus was a legendary Greek hero.奥狄修斯是传说中的希腊英雄。

13 virtuous   

adj.有品德的，善良的，贞洁的，有效力的

参考例句：

• She was such a virtuous woman that everybody respected her.她是个有道德的女性，人人都尊敬她。
• My uncle is always proud of having a virtuous wife.叔叔一直为娶到一位贤德的妻子而骄傲。

14 toil   

vi.辛劳工作，艰难地行动；n.苦工，难事

参考例句：

• The wealth comes from the toil of the masses.财富来自大众的辛勤劳动。
• Every single grain is the result of toil.每一粒粮食都来之不易。

15 solely   

adv.仅仅，唯一地

参考例句：

• Success should not be measured solely by educational achievement.成功与否不应只用学业成绩来衡量。
• The town depends almost solely on the tourist trade.这座城市几乎完全靠旅游业维持。

16 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

17 hideous   

adj.丑陋的，可憎的，可怕的，恐怖的

参考例句：

• The whole experience had been like some hideous nightmare.整个经历就像一场可怕的噩梦。
• They're not like dogs,they're hideous brutes.它们不像狗，是丑陋的畜牲。