英语听书《白鲸记》第1012期

Meanwhile Ahab half smothered¹ in the foam² of the whale's insolent³ tail, and too much of a cripple to swim, — though he could still keep afloat, even in the heart of such a whirlpool as that; helpless Ahab's head was seen, like a tossed bubble which the least chance shock might burst. From the boat's fragmentary stern, Fedallah incuriously and mildly eyed him; the clinging crew, at the other drifting end, could not succor⁴ him; more than enough was it for them to look to themselves. For so revolvingly appalling⁵ was the White Whale's aspect, and so planetarily swift the ever-contracting circles he made, that he seemed horizontally swooping⁶ upon them. And though the other boats, unharmed, still hovered⁷ hard by; still they dared not pull into the eddy⁸ to strike, lest that should be the signal for the instant destruction of the jeopardized⁹ castaways, Ahab and all; nor in that case could they themselves hope to escape. With straining eyes, then, they remained on the outer edge of the direful zone, whose centre had now become the old man's head.

这时，亚哈在那咄咄迫人的鲸尾所搅起的泡沫中，差不多快给闷死了，更兼他是个残废者，无法游水——不过即使在这样急激的涡流中，他的身子还是浮着；人们看到亚哈那只无法可想的头，好象只颠来簸去的气泡，只消稍微震动就会爆炸。费达拉在小艇的残梢上，漠不关心而静静地望着他；那些紧扳着另一片漂来泛去的船板的水手，无法来救他，因为他们实在自顾不暇。这条白鲸的样子，身子转来转去，如此吓人，它的圈子越兜越小，象流星一般迅疾，好象要直扑到他们身上来。虽然其它小艇都一无损伤，仍在近旁徘徊；然而，他们都不敢冲到那涡流里去打它，生怕这样一来，就会立时招来这群身处险境的遇难者，包括亚哈和大家在内的毁灭。而且那样一来，他们就毫无生还的希望了。于是，他们只好眼巴巴地待在那个可怕的地带的外圈，这会儿，那个老人的脑袋就是那个地带的圆心。

Meantime, from the beginning all this had been descried¹⁰ from the ship's mast heads; and squaring her yards, she had borne down upon the scene; and was now so nigh, that Ahab in the water hailed her! — "Sail on the" — but that moment a breaking sea dashed on him from Moby Dick, and whelmed him for the time. But struggling out of it again, and chancing to rise on a towering crest¹¹, he shouted, — "Sail on the whale! — Drive him off!"

当时，所有这般情况，大船的桅顶上打一开始就都看到了；船上的人调平了帆桁后，就往现场直驶过来；这时已驶近得听到亚哈在水里招呼他们了！——"驶到"——可是，就在这时，莫比－迪克哗啦的激起一阵海浪，直冲向他，暂时把他淹没了。不过，等他重新从浪涛里挣了出来，恰好一冒就冒在高高的浪峰上，于是他嚷道，"驶到大鲸这边来！把它赶开！"

1 smothered   

（使）窒息， （使）透不过气( smother的过去式和过去分词 )； 覆盖； 忍住； 抑制

参考例句：

• He smothered the baby with a pillow. 他用枕头把婴儿闷死了。
• The fire is smothered by ashes. 火被灰闷熄了。

2 foam   

v./n.泡沫，起泡沫

参考例句：

• The glass of beer was mostly foam.这杯啤酒大部分是泡沫。
• The surface of the water is full of foam.水面都是泡沫。

3 insolent   

adj.傲慢的，无理的

参考例句：

• His insolent manner really got my blood up.他那傲慢的态度把我的肺都气炸了。
• It was insolent of them to demand special treatment.他们要求给予特殊待遇，脸皮真厚。

4 succor   

n.援助，帮助；v.给予帮助

参考例句：

• In two short hours we may look for succor from Webb.在短短的两小时内，韦布将军的救兵就可望到达。
• He was so much in need of succor,so totally alone.他当时孑然一身，形影相吊，特别需要援助。

5 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。

6 swooping   

俯冲，猛冲( swoop的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The wind were swooping down to tease the waves. 大风猛扑到海面上戏弄着浪涛。
• And she was talking so well-swooping with swift wing this way and that. 而她却是那样健谈--一下子谈到东，一下子谈到西。

7 hovered   

鸟( hover的过去式和过去分词 )； 靠近（某事物）； （人）徘徊； 犹豫

参考例句：

• A hawk hovered over the hill. 一只鹰在小山的上空翱翔。
• A hawk hovered in the blue sky. 一只老鹰在蓝色的天空中翱翔。

8 eddy   

n.漩涡，涡流

参考例句：

• The motor car disappeared in eddy of dust.汽车在一片扬尘的涡流中不见了。
• In Taylor's picture,the eddy is the basic element of turbulence.在泰勒的描述里，旋涡是湍流的基本要素。

9 jeopardized   

危及，损害( jeopardize的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The soldier jeopardized his life to save his comrade. 这个士兵冒生命的危险救他的同志。
• The occasional failed project or neglected opportunity does not jeopardized overall progress. 偶然失败的项目或失误的机会并没有影响总的进展。

10 descried   

adj.被注意到的，被发现的，被看到的

参考例句：

• He descried an island far away on the horizon. 他看到遥远的地平线上有个岛屿。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• At length we descried a light and a roof. 终于，我们远远看见了一点灯光，一所孤舍。 来自辞典例句

11 crest   

n.顶点；饰章；羽冠；vt.达到顶点；vi.形成浪尖

参考例句：

• The rooster bristled his crest.公鸡竖起了鸡冠。
• He reached the crest of the hill before dawn.他于黎明前到达山顶。