英语听书《白鲸记》第445期

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and his mates thanked God the direful madness was now gone; even then, Ahab, in his hidden self, raved¹ on. Human madness is oftentimes a cunning and most feline² thing.  他的大二三副都谢天谢地,以为他那可怕的疯狂症现在已经痊愈了。可是,即使在那个时候,亚哈的内心还是十分狂乱。

When you think it fled, it may have but become transfigured into some still subtler form.  人的疯狂往往就是一种诡诈而最阴险的东西。你以为它已经远走高飞了,它却也许不过是变成一种更为巧妙的形体而已。

Ahab's full lunacy subsided³ not, but deepeningly contracted; like the unabated Hudson, when that noble Northman flows narrowly, but unfathomably through the Highland⁴ gorge⁵.  亚哈的疯狂并没有完全消退,而是更其深沉地凝缩起来了,有如潮势不退的哈得逊河在高贵的北方人细水缓流地穿过时却莫测高深地穿过高原的峡谷而去。

But, as in his narrow-flowing monomania, not one jot⁶ of Ahab's broad madness had been left behind;  但是,因为亚哈在他那细水缓流的偏热症中,一点也没有留下明显的疯狂症的痕迹,

so in that broad madness, not one jot of his great natural intellect had perished.  因此,在他那明显的疯狂症中,他伟大的天生的理智,也一点没有消失。

That before living agent, now became the living instrument.  以前那种富有生气的力量,如今已变成富有生气的手段了。

If such a furious trope may stand, his special lunacy stormed his general sanity⁷, and carried it, and turned all its concentred cannon⁸ upon its own mad mark;  如果这样一种粗糙的比喻是妥当的,那么,他那特殊的疯狂症在猛攻了他整个清楚的神志后,又把它发展了,把它一切集中的炮火都瞄向它自己的疯狂的目标上;

so that far from having lost his strength, Ahab, to that one end, did now possess a thousand fold more potency⁹ than ever he had sanely¹⁰ brought to bear upon any one reasonable object. 因此,亚哈根本没有丧失他的魄力,他现在对于那个目的,远比他以前神志清楚时瞄准任何一个适当的目的都更拥有千倍的力量了。

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