英语听书《白鲸记》第386期

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He has no fins² on his back (most other porpoises³ have), he has a lovely tail, and sentimental⁴ Indian eyes of a hazel hue⁵.  它背上无鳍(其它小鲸大多是有鳍的),却有一条可爱的尾巴,和一对淡褐色的多愁善感的印第安人的眼睛。

But his mealy-mouth spoils all. Though his entire back down to his side fins is of a deep sable⁶, yet a boundary line, distinct as the mark in a ship's hull⁷, called the "bright waist," that line streaks⁸ him from stem to stern, with two separate colors, black above and white below.  但是,它那张粉嘴却是美中不足。虽然它从整个背脊直到两边的鳍部都是深黑色的,然而,从头到尾都有一条界线,象标志在船腰上那种叫做"吃水线"的一样鲜明,有着两种不同的颜色,上黑下白。

The white comprises part of his head, and the whole of his mouth, which makes him look as if he had just escaped from a felonious visit to a meal-bag. A most mean and mealy aspect!  白的部分包括它的头部的一部分和整个嘴巴,使得它那样子直象是刚从凶险的麦粉袋里逃出来似的。真是一副最卑鄙又最粉气的相貌!

His oil is much like that of the common porpoise. 它的油量跟一般小鲸不相上下。

Beyond the DUODECIMO, this system does not proceed, inasmuch as the Porpoise is the smallest of the whales.  除了十二开型以外,因为其余的小鲸都是鲸类中最小的,所以这个分类也就不再继续弄下去了。

Above, you have all the Leviathans of note. But there are a rabble⁹ of uncertain, fugitive¹⁰, half-fabulous whales, which, as an American whaleman, I know by reputation, but not personally.  上面你们已经可以获得各种大海兽的概略了。但是,还有一大群难以确定的。不易捉到的。半神话式的鲸,这些,象我这个美国捕鲸人,也只是耳闻而不是亲眼目睹的。

I shall enumerate¹¹ them by their fore-castle appellations¹²; for possibly such a list may be valuable to future investigators¹³, who may complete what I have here but begun.  我将把船头楼上对它们的叫法给列举出来;因为这样一张单子对将来的调查者也许会有价值,他们可以把我只在这里开个头的工作加以完成。

If any of the following whales, shall hereafter be caught and marked, then he can readily be incorporated into this System, according to his Folio, Octavo, or Duodecimo magnitude. 如果以后人们能够捉到或者看到下列的任何鲸鱼,那么,就可以按照对开,八开,十二开的大小把它们分别并入这个分类法里,这些鲸便是。

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