英语听书《白鲸记》第218期

 I lay there dismally¹ calculating that sixteen entire hours must elapse before I could hope for a resurrection.  我躺在床上,忧郁地盘算着,得过整整十六个钟头,我才可以起床。

Sixteen hours in bed! the small of my back ached to think of it.  睡十六个钟头!一想到这里,连我的腰背也痛了。

And it was so light too; the sun shining in at the window, and a great rattling² of coaches in the streets, and the sound of gay voices all over the house.  天色这么明亮;太阳正照在窗格上,街上车辆咕隆咕隆地响个不停,房子里到处是嘻嘻哈哈的欢笑声。

I felt worse and worse-at last I got up, dressed, and softly going down in my stockinged feet, sought out my stepmother, and suddenly threw myself at her feet,  我的心情越来越坏...最后我起床来,穿上衣裳,不穿鞋,只着袜,轻轻下楼,找到了我的继母,就一骨碌跪在她脚跟前,

beseeching³ her as a particular favor to give me a good slippering for my misbehaviour:  恳求她特别开恩,对我做错了事给我一顿痛打:

anything indeed but condemning⁴ me to lie abed such an unendurable length of time.  随她怎么处罚,就是别让我在这么漫长难挨的时间里去躺在床上。

But she was the best and most conscientious⁵ of stepmothers, and back I had to go to my room.  但是,她可真是个最好而最有良心的继母,我只得回到我的房间去。

For several hours I lay there broad awake, feeling a great deal worse than I have ever done since, even from the greatest subsequent misfortunes.  我眼睁睁地躺了好几个钟头,心里感到一阵从未经受过的难受,甚至比遭到一场极大的不幸还要难过。

At last I must have fallen into a troubled nightmare of a doze⁶; and slowly waking from it-half steeped in dreams-I opened my eyes,  最后,我一定是堕入一种乱七八糟的梦魇似的瞌睡里了,我又慢慢地醒来...一半还在梦里...我张开了眼睛,

and the before sunlit room was now wrapped in outer darkness. Instantly I felt a shock running through all my frame; nothing was to be seen, and nothing was to be heard;  看到刚才阳光灿烂的房间现在已被裹在外边的黑暗里了.我立刻感到周身一震;什么也看不见,什么也听不到;

but a supernatural hand seemed placed in mine.  只觉得似乎有一只神奇的手搁在我手上。

My arm hung over the counterpane, and the nameless, unimaginable, silent form or phantom⁷, to which the hand belonged, seemed closely seated by my bed-side.  我的胳膊垂在被单上,而那个有只神奇的手的.说不出的想象不出的，悄悄的身影或者是幽灵就似乎是紧挨着坐在我的床边。

For what seemed ages piled on ages, I lay there, frozen with the most awful fears, not daring to drag away my hand;  我躺在那里,似乎已是躺了不知多少年,被那种非常厉害的恐惧吓僵了,不敢挪开我的手;

yet ever thinking that if I could but stir it one single inch, the horrid⁸ spell would be broken.  然而却始终认为只要我能够把手移动一英寸,那种可怕的魔法就会消散。

1 dismally   

adv.阴暗地，沉闷地

参考例句：

• Fei Little Beard assented dismally. 费小胡子哭丧着脸回答。 来自子夜部分
• He began to howl dismally. 它就凄凉地吠叫起来。 来自辞典例句

2 rattling   

adj. 格格作响的, 活泼的, 很好的 adv. 极其, 很, 非常 动词rattle的现在分词

参考例句：

• This book is a rattling good read. 这是一本非常好的读物。
• At that same instant,a deafening explosion set the windows rattling. 正在这时，一声震耳欲聋的爆炸突然袭来，把窗玻璃震得当当地响。

3 beseeching   

adj.恳求似的v.恳求，乞求（某事物）( beseech的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• She clung to her father, beseeching him for consent. 她紧紧挨着父亲，恳求他答应。 来自辞典例句
• He casts a beseeching glance at his son. 他用恳求的眼光望着儿子。 来自辞典例句

4 condemning   

v.（通常因道义上的原因而）谴责( condemn的现在分词 )；宣判；宣布…不能使用；迫使…陷于不幸的境地

参考例句：

• The government issued a statement condemning the killings. 政府发表声明谴责这些凶杀事件。
• I concur with the speaker in condemning what has been done. 我同意发言者对所做的事加以谴责。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

5 conscientious   

adj.审慎正直的，认真的，本着良心的

参考例句：

• He is a conscientious man and knows his job.他很认真负责，也很懂行。
• He is very conscientious in the performance of his duties.他非常认真地履行职责。

6 doze   

v.打瞌睡；n.打盹，假寐

参考例句：

• He likes to have a doze after lunch.他喜欢午饭后打个盹。
• While the adults doze,the young play.大人们在打瞌睡，而孩子们在玩耍。

7 phantom   

n.幻影，虚位，幽灵；adj.错觉的，幻影的，幽灵的

参考例句：

• I found myself staring at her as if she were a phantom.我发现自己瞪大眼睛看着她，好像她是一个幽灵。
• He is only a phantom of a king.他只是有名无实的国王。

8 horrid   

adj.可怕的；令人惊恐的；恐怖的；极讨厌的

参考例句：

• I'm not going to the horrid dinner party.我不打算去参加这次讨厌的宴会。
• The medicine is horrid and she couldn't get it down.这种药很难吃，她咽不下去。