英语听书《白鲸记》第212期

 But then, what to make of his unearthly complexion¹, that part of it, I mean, lying round about, and completely independent of the squares of tattooing².  可是,这样的话,他那可怖的肤色,又怎么说呢...我是说四周的皮肤,跟刺花的方块完全无关的部分。

To be sure, it might be nothing but a good coat of tropical tanning; but I never heard of a hot sun's tanning a white man into a purplish yellow one.  不错,它也许只是一层热带的黧黑;然而,我从来没有听说过酷热的太阳会把一个白人晒成紫铜色的。

However, I had never been in the South Seas; and perhaps the sun there produced these extraordinary effects upon the skin.  不过我没有到过南海,也许那边的太阳会把皮肤晒成这种奇观呢。

Now, while all these ideas were passing through me like lightning, this harpooneer never noticed me at all. 且说这些念头在我脑子里风驰电掣地闪过的时候,这个标枪手还是一点也没有注意到我。

But, after some difficulty having opened his bag, he commenced fumbling³ in it, and presently pulled out a sort of tomahawk, and a seal-skin wallet with the hair on.  但是,他在费了好半天工夫把水手包解开后,便在那里边掏摸起来,不一会,掏出一把烟斗斧。一只带有毛毛的海豹皮的皮夹子来。

Placing these on the old chest in the middle of the room, he then took the New Zealand head-a ghastly thing enough-and crammed⁴ it down into the bag.  他把这两件东西放在房间中央那只旧柜子上,然后捡起那只新西兰头...好丑恶的东西...往包里一塞.

He now took off his hat-a new beaver⁵ hat-when I came nigh singing out with fresh surprise.  这时,他摘下他那顶帽子...一顶新獭皮帽...我又给吓得几乎要叫出声来。

There was no hair on his head-none to speak of at least-nothing but a small scalp-knot twisted up on his forehead.  他头上没有头发...别说是几根...只有天灵盖上的一个小髻,盘在前额上。

His bald purplish head now looked for all the world like a mildewed⁶ skull⁷.  他那只紫铜色的光头,看来看去就象一具发霉的骷髅。

Had not the stranger stood between me and the door, I would have bolted out of it quicker than ever I bolted a dinner. 如果不是这个陌生人正站在我跟房门的中间,我早就会立刻窜了出去,比一口吞下我的晚饭还要快。

1 complexion   

n.肤色；情况，局面；气质，性格

参考例句：

• Red does not suit with her complexion.红色与她的肤色不协调。
• Her resignation puts a different complexion on things.她一辞职局面就全变了。

2 tattooing   

n.刺字，文身v.刺青，文身( tattoo的现在分词 )；连续有节奏地敲击；作连续有节奏的敲击

参考例句：

• tattooing and body piercing 文身和穿体装饰
• On earth most work of the absolute shy cattle ^s skin-tattooing world! 地球上最牛的纹身绝对惊世之作！ 来自互联网

3 fumbling   

n. 摸索,漏接 v. 摸索,摸弄,笨拙的处理

参考例句：

• If he actually managed to the ball instead of fumbling it with an off-balance shot. 如果他实际上设法拿好球而不是fumbling它。50-balance射击笨拙地和迅速地会开始他的岗位移动，经常这样结束。
• If he actually managed to secure the ball instead of fumbling it awkwardly an off-balance shot. 如果他实际上设法拿好球而不是fumbling它。50-50提议有时。他从off-balance射击笨拙地和迅速地会开始他的岗位移动，经常这样结束。

4 crammed   

adj.塞满的，挤满的；大口地吃；快速贪婪地吃v.把…塞满；填入；临时抱佛脚( cram的过去式)

参考例句：

• He crammed eight people into his car. 他往他的车里硬塞进八个人。
• All the shelves were crammed with books. 所有的架子上都堆满了书。

5 beaver   

n.海狸，河狸

参考例句：

• The hat is made of beaver.这顶帽子是海狸毛皮制的。
• A beaver is an animals with big front teeth.海狸是一种长着大门牙的动物。

6 mildewed   

adj.发了霉的，陈腐的，长了霉花的v.（使）发霉，（使）长霉( mildew的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Things easily get mildewed in the rainy season. 梅雨季节东西容易发霉。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The colonel was gorgeous, he had a cavernous mouth, cavernous cheeks, cavernous, sad, mildewed eyes. 这位上校样子挺神气，他的嘴巴、双颊和两眼都深深地凹进去，目光黯淡，象发了霉似的。 来自辞典例句

7 skull   

n.头骨；颅骨

参考例句：

• The skull bones fuse between the ages of fifteen and twenty-five.头骨在15至25岁之间长合。
• He fell out of the window and cracked his skull.他从窗子摔了出去，跌裂了颅骨。