英语听书《白鲸记》 第5期

  I abandon the glory and distinction of such offices to those who like them. 

 For my part,I abominate¹ all honourable² respectable toils,trials,and tribulations³ of every kind whatsoever⁴. 

 It is quite as much as I can do to take care of myself, 

 without taking care of ships,barques,brigs,schooners,and what not. 

 And as for going as cook,though I confess there is considerable glory in that, 

 a cook being a sort of officer on ship boardyet,somehow, 

 I never fancied broiling⁵ fowls;though once broiled⁷,judiciously buttered, 

 and judgmatically salted and peppered,there is no one who will speak more respectfully, 

 not to say reverentially,of a broiled fowl⁶ than I will. 

 It is out of the idolatrous dotings of the old Egyptians upon broiled ibis and roasted river horse, 

 that you see the mummies of those creatures in their huge bake houses the pyramids. 

 No,when I go to sea,I go as a simple sailor,right before the mast, 

 plumb down into the forecastle,aloft there to the royal mast head.True,they rather order me about some, 

 and make me jump from spar to spar,like a grasshopper⁸ in a May meadow.And at first,this sort of thing is unpleasant enough. 

 It touches one's sense of honour,particularly if you come of an old established family in the land, 

 the Van Rensselaers,or Randolphs,or Hardicanutes.And more than all,if just previous to putting your hand into the tar⁹ pot, 

 you have been lording it as a country schoolmaster,making the tallest boys stand in awe¹⁰ of you. 

 The transition is a keen one,I assure you,from a schoolmaster to a sailor, 

 and requires a strong decoction of Seneca and the Stoics¹¹ to enable you to grin and bear it. 

 But even this wears off in time. 

 What of it,if some old hunks of a sea captain orders me to get a broom and sweep down the decks? 

 What does that indignity¹² amount to,weighed,I mean,in the scales of the New Testament¹³? 

 Do you think the archangel Gabriel thinks anything the less of me, 

 because I promptly¹⁴ and respectfully obey that old hunks in that particular instance? 

 Who ai not a slave?Tell me that.Well,then,however the old sea captains may order me abouthowever they may thump¹⁵ and punch me about, 

 I have the satisfaction of knowing that it is all right; 

 that everybody else is one way or other served in much the same wayeither in a physical or metaphysical point of view,that is; 

 and so the universal thump is passed round,and all hands should rub each other's shoulder blades,and be content. 

 Again,I always go to sea as a sailor,because they make a point of paying me for my trouble, 

 whereas they never pay passengers a single penny that I ever heard of. 

 On the contrary,passengers themselves must pay. 

 And there is all the difference in the world between paying and being paid. 

 The act of paying is perhaps the most uncomfortable infliction¹⁶ that the two orchard¹⁷ thieves entailed¹⁸ upon us. 

1 abominate   

v.憎恨，厌恶

参考例句：

• All the teachers abominate cheating in examinations.所有教师都憎恶考试作弊。
• It has been my tragedy that I abominate the English countryside.我不喜欢英格兰农村，这一直是我的不幸。

2 honourable   

adj.可敬的；荣誉的，光荣的

参考例句：

• I don't think I am worthy of such an honourable title.这样的光荣称号，我可担当不起。
• I hope to find an honourable way of settling difficulties.我希望设法找到一个体面的办法以摆脱困境。

3 tribulations   

n.苦难( tribulation的名词复数 )；艰难；苦难的缘由；痛苦

参考例句：

• the tribulations of modern life 现代生活的苦恼
• The film is about the trials and tribulations of adolescence. 这部电影讲述了青春期的麻烦和苦恼。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 whatsoever   

adv.（用于否定句中以加强语气）任何；pron.无论什么

参考例句：

• There's no reason whatsoever to turn down this suggestion.没有任何理由拒绝这个建议。
• All things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you,do ye even so to them.你想别人对你怎样，你就怎样对人。

5 broiling   

adj.酷热的，炽热的，似烧的v.（用火）烤（焙、炙等）( broil的现在分词 )；使卷入争吵；使混乱；被烤（或炙）

参考例句：

• They lay broiling in the sun. 他们躺在太阳底下几乎要晒熟了。
• I'm broiling in this hot sun. 在太阳底下，我感到热极了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 fowl   

n.家禽，鸡，禽肉

参考例句：

• Fowl is not part of a traditional brunch.禽肉不是传统的早午餐的一部分。
• Since my heart attack,I've eaten more fish and fowl and less red meat.自从我患了心脏病后，我就多吃鱼肉和禽肉，少吃红色肉类。

7 broiled   

a.烤过的

参考例句：

• They broiled turkey over a charcoal flame. 他们在木炭上烤火鸡。
• The desert sun broiled the travelers in the caravan. 沙漠上空灼人的太阳把旅行队成员晒得浑身燥热。

8 grasshopper   

n.蚱蜢，蝗虫，蚂蚱

参考例句：

• He thought he had made an end of the little grasshopper.他以为把那个小蚱蜢干掉了。
• The grasshopper could not find anything to eat.蚱蜢找不到任何吃的东西。

9 tar   

n.柏油，焦油；vt.涂或浇柏油/焦油于

参考例句：

• The roof was covered with tar.屋顶涂抹了一层沥青。
• We use tar to make roads.我们用沥青铺路。

10 awe   

n.敬畏，惊惧；vt.使敬畏，使惊惧

参考例句：

• The sight filled us with awe.这景色使我们大为惊叹。
• The approaching tornado struck awe in our hearts.正在逼近的龙卷风使我们惊恐万分。

11 stoics   

禁欲主义者，恬淡寡欲的人，不以苦乐为意的人( stoic的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Stoics I can handle this shit. 斯多葛：我能掌握这大便。
• The most famous exercise of meditation is the premeditatio mallorum as practiced by the Stoics. 冥思最著名的练习是禁欲学派所实行的[消灾冥思]。

12 indignity   

n.侮辱，伤害尊严，轻蔑

参考例句：

• For more than a year we have suffered the indignity.在一年多的时间里,我们丢尽了丑。
• She was subjected to indignity and humiliation.她受到侮辱和羞辱。

13 testament   

n.遗嘱；证明

参考例句：

• This is his last will and testament.这是他的遗愿和遗嘱。
• It is a testament to the power of political mythology.这说明，编造政治神话可以产生多大的威力。

14 promptly   

adv.及时地，敏捷地

参考例句：

• He paid the money back promptly.他立即还了钱。
• She promptly seized the opportunity his absence gave her.她立即抓住了因他不在场给她创造的机会。

15 thump   

v.重击，砰然地响；n.重击，重击声

参考例句：

• The thief hit him a thump on the head.贼在他的头上重击一下。
• The excitement made her heart thump.她兴奋得心怦怦地跳。

16 infliction   

n.（强加于人身的）痛苦，刑罚

参考例句：

• Don't immerse yourself in the infliction too long.不要长时间沉浸在痛苦经历中。
• Instead of rivets there came an invasion,an infliction,and a visitation.但是铆钉并没有运来，来的却是骚扰、混乱和视察。

17 orchard   

n.果园，果园里的全部果树，(美俚)棒球场

参考例句：

• My orchard is bearing well this year.今年我的果园果实累累。
• Each bamboo house was surrounded by a thriving orchard.每座竹楼周围都是茂密的果园。

18 entailed   

使…成为必要( entail的过去式和过去分词 )； 需要； 限定继承； 使必需

参考例句：

• The castle and the land are entailed on the eldest son. 城堡和土地限定由长子继承。
• The house and estate are entailed on the eldest daughter. 这所房子和地产限定由长女继承。