英语听书《白鲸记》第281期

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and that tiller was in one mass, curiously¹ carved from the long narrow lower jaw² of her hereditary³ foe⁴.  那舵柄是用它那宿敌的整块狭长的下颌骨精工镂刻出来的。

The helmsman who steered⁵ by that tiller in a tempest, felt like the Tartar, when he holds back his fiery⁶ steed by clutching its jaw. A noble craft,  在暴风雨中掌着舵柄的舵手,就象一个鞑靼王紧勒着他那匹暴躁的骏马的下颌使它止步。它虽然是艘高贵的船,

but somehow a most melancholy⁷! All noble things are touched with that. 却不知怎地,又是一艘非常忧郁的船,凡是高贵的东西都不免叫人心里有这种感觉。

Now when I looked about the quarter-deck, for some one having authority, in order to propose myself as a candidate for the voyage, at first I saw nobody;  这时,我打后甲板上张望一下,想找到一个当权的人,好让我来自荐当水手,可是,起先,一个人也看不到;

but I could not well overlook a strange sort of tent, or rather wigwam, pitched a little behind the main-mast.  我就不能不注意到一个奇形怪状的篷帐,或者不如说是一间小房子的东西了,它搭在主桅稍后一点的地方。

It seemed only a temporary erection used in port. It was of a conical shape, some ten feet high;  它似乎是在进港后才临时搭起来的。它是一个约十英尺高的圆锥体;

consisting of the long, huge slabs⁸ of limber black bone taken from the middle and highest part of the jaws⁹ of the right-whale.  是用一只露脊鲸的嘴巴的正中和顶部的一片片阔长的石板似的软黑骨块搭成的。

Planted with their broad ends on the deck, a circle of these slabs laced together, mutually sloped towards each other,  它把那些阔大的骨片插在甲板上后,这些石板似的东西就环成一个圆圈,用带子结拢,彼此互相斜靠着,

and at the apex¹⁰ united in a tufted point, where the loose hairy fibres waved to and fro like a top-knot on some old Pottowotamie Sachem's head.  在顶上结成一个尖簇,那些蓬松如发的须根就在那里飘来飘去,直象是古代的波托沃塔米酋长的头顶髻。

A triangular¹¹ opening faced towards the bows of the ship, so that the insider commanded a complete view forward. 朝船头那面开有一个三角形的出入口,因此,在里边的人可以一望无遗地凭眺前面的景色。

And half concealed¹² in this queer tenement¹³, I at length found one who by his aspect seemed to have authority;  我终于发现在这个古怪的房子里,影影绰绰地有一个人,这个人看样子象是个当权的人物;

and who, it being noon, and the ship's work suspended, was now enjoying respite¹⁴ from the burden of command.  由于正值午刻,船上的工作都停着,现在他正暂时摆脱指挥全局的重任,在那里休憩。

He was seated on an old-fashioned oaken chair, wriggling¹⁵ all over with curious carving¹⁶;  由于正值午刻,船上的工作都停着,现在他正暂时摆脱指挥全局的重任,在那里休憩。

and the bottom of which was formed of a stout¹⁷ interlacing of the same elastic¹⁸ stuff of which the wigwam was constructed. 椅子下端也是用那造这小房子的同样富有弹性的材料牢固地交织起来的。

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