英语听书《白鲸记》第189期

 But what most puzzled and confounded you was a long, limber, portentous¹, black mass of something hovering² in the centre of the picture over three blue, dim, perpendicular³ lines floating in a nameless yeast⁴.  但是最使人大惑不解的是:在那张画的中央,有一团又长又黑又软的.其兆不祥的什么东西,翱翔在三根暗蓝色的直线上,而这三根直线又在一种形容不出的气泡似的东西中晃荡着。

A boggy⁵, soggy, squitchy picture truly, enough to drive a nervous man distracted.  这张泥泞.濡湿.又摆动不息的图画,真够教一个胆小鬼精神错乱。

Yet was there a sort of indefinite, half-attained, unimaginable sublimity⁶ about it that fairly froze you to it, till you involuntarily took an oath with yourself to find out what that marvellous painting meant.  然而,它可又有一种无限的.半青半黄的,难以想象的崇高性,足以使人对它依依不舍,直教你不由自主地立起誓来:非把这幅不可思议的油画的含义给找出来不可。

Ever and anon a bright, but, alas⁷, deceptive⁸ idea would dart⁹ you through. 虽然不时会冒出一种似乎豁然开朗,然而可惜是靠不住的想象来

It's the Black Sea in a midnight gale¹⁰. 是午夜风暴的黑海

It's the unnatural¹¹ combat of the four primal¹² elements.It's a blasted heath. 是四行的阋墙之争...

It's a Hyperborean winter scene.It's the breaking-up of the icebound stream of Time.  是一种枯萎的石南灌木...是一种北方乐土的冬景....是时代之冰封溪流在解冻。

But at last all these fancies yielded to that one portentous something in the picture's midst.  可是,这种种想象最终都在这张图画中间那种可怖的什么东西上碰了壁。

That once found out, and all the rest were plain.  要是一旦发现那东西,其余就都了如指掌。

But stop; does it not bear a faint resemblance to a gigantic fish? even the great leviathan himself? 不过,且慢,它不是隐约有点象一尾大鱼么?甚至就是那种大海兽么?

1 portentous   

adj.不祥的，可怕的，装腔作势的

参考例句：

• The present aspect of society is portentous of great change.现在的社会预示着重大变革的发生。
• There was nothing portentous or solemn about him.He was bubbling with humour.他一点也不装腔作势或故作严肃，浑身散发着幽默。

2 hovering   

鸟( hover的现在分词 )； 靠近（某事物）； （人）徘徊； 犹豫

参考例句：

• The helicopter was hovering about 100 metres above the pad. 直升机在离发射台一百米的上空盘旋。
• I'm hovering between the concert and the play tonight. 我犹豫不决今晚是听音乐会还是看戏。

3 perpendicular   

adj.垂直的，直立的；n.垂直线，垂直的位置

参考例句：

• The two lines of bones are set perpendicular to one another.这两排骨头相互垂直。
• The wall is out of the perpendicular.这墙有些倾斜。

4 yeast   

n.酵母；酵母片；泡沫；v.发酵；起泡沫

参考例句：

• Yeast can be used in making beer and bread.酵母可用于酿啤酒和发面包。
• The yeast began to work.酵母开始发酵。

5 boggy   

adj.沼泽多的

参考例句：

• Of, resembling, or characterized by a marsh or marshes; boggy. 沼泽般的，湿软的：类似沼泽地的，沼泽地所特有的；多沼泽的。 来自互联网
• The boggy is out of order, would be instead another one! 球车坏了，需要更换一部。 来自互联网

6 sublimity   

崇高，庄严，气质高尚

参考例句：

• It'suggests no crystal waters, no picturesque shores, no sublimity. 这决不会叫人联想到晶莹的清水，如画的两岸，雄壮的气势。
• Huckleberry was filled with admiration of Tom's facility in writing, and the sublimity of his language. 对汤姆流利的书写、响亮的内容，哈克贝利心悦诚服。

7 alas   

int.唉(表示悲伤、忧愁、恐惧等)

参考例句：

• Alas!The window is broken!哎呀！窗子破了！
• Alas,the truth is less romantic.然而，真理很少带有浪漫色彩。

8 deceptive   

adj.骗人的，造成假象的，靠不住的

参考例句：

• His appearance was deceptive.他的外表带有欺骗性。
• The storyline is deceptively simple.故事情节看似简单，其实不然。

9 dart   

v.猛冲，投掷；n.飞镖，猛冲

参考例句：

• The child made a sudden dart across the road.那小孩突然冲过马路。
• Markov died after being struck by a poison dart.马尔科夫身中毒镖而亡。

10 gale   

n.大风，强风，一阵闹声（尤指笑声等）

参考例句：

• We got our roof blown off in the gale last night.昨夜的大风把我们的房顶给掀掉了。
• According to the weather forecast,there will be a gale tomorrow.据气象台预报，明天有大风。

11 unnatural   

adj.不自然的；反常的

参考例句：

• Did her behaviour seem unnatural in any way?她有任何反常表现吗？
• She has an unnatural smile on her face.她脸上挂着做作的微笑。

12 primal   

adj.原始的；最重要的

参考例句：

• Jealousy is a primal emotion.嫉妒是最原始的情感。
• Money was a primal necessity to them.对于他们，钱是主要的需要。